View source for Epileptic (graphic novel)

{{Citations missing|June 2007|date=July 2007}}
[[Image:DavidB.png|right|frame|l'Ascension du Haut Mal, Tome 1]]
{{dablink|This article is about the graphic novel. For the medical condition, see [[Epilepsy]]}}

'''''Epileptic''''' is the [[English language|English]] title of '''''L'ascension du haut mal''''' (meaning The Rise of the High Evil), an [[autobiographical comics|autobiographical]] [[graphic novel]] by [[David B.]], originally published in [[French language|French]] by [[L'Association]] in six volumes from [[1996]] to [[2003]]. The first half of the series was published in English by Fantagraphics in one volume in [[2002]] (ISBN 2-84414-085-8); a complete edition was released by Pantheon in [[2005]].

The book tells the story of the artist's early childhood and adolescence, focusing on his relationship with his brother and sister. His brother develops severe and intractable [[epilepsy]], causing the family to seek a variety of solutions from [[alternative medicine]], most dramatically by moving to a [[commune (intentional community)|commune]] based on [[macrobiotic]] principles. As the epileptic brother loses control of his own life, the artist develops solitary obsessions with cartoons, mythology and war. The book's graphic style becomes increasingly elaborate as the children's fantasy life takes over, with their dreams and fears (including epilepsy itself) appearing as living creatures. In brief interludes, the children appear as adults when the artist begins the process of writing the story.

The French title proved difficult to translate, as it contains several meanings: ''haut mal'' is an archaic term for epilepsy meaning literally "high evil" or "great sickness" (formerly used as a medical term in English, now replaced by ''grand mal''), and ''ascension'' can mean either rise or climbing, as seen in a recurring image of the family climbing a steep slope into unknown terrain.

The English translation of the book received very good reviews from critics. The review aggregator [[Metacritic]] reported the book had an average score of 92 out of 100, based on 15 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/books/authors/bdavid/epileptic |title=Epileptic by David B.: Reviews |accessdate=2008-02-15 |publisher=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> ''[[Publishers Weekly]]'' has called it "one of the greatest graphic novels ever published."

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}

== External links ==
An article (in French) by Renaud Pasquier [http://www.revuelabyrinthe.org/document1437.html "David B., le sommeil de la raison"] in the journal [http://www.revuelabyrinthe.org/sommaire1409.html ''Labyrinthe'' #25 "La bande dessinée : ce qu'elle dit, ce qu'elle montre", 2006.]
*[http://culturatti.com/2008/01/17/epileptic-is-schizophrenic-but-interestingly-so/ Epileptic Is Schizophrenic -- But Interestingly So]

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[[Category:Autobiographical graphic novels]]

[[fr:L'Ascension du haut mal]]
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