cartoonist Maria Sweeney A new graphic memoir, Brittle joint, is a colorful scene. Through dialogue, first-person narration, painterly art, pencil textures, and traditional and unconventional panel layouts, Sweeney examines her life through the lens of her relationship with chronic pain and the progression of Brooke Syndrome, which causes bone and Abnormally fragile joints.
Brittle joint The film jumps back and forth between Sweeney’s childhood (when she counts her broken bones) and her adulthood (when she struggles with neuropathy in her hands). The non-linear timeline highlights how her disability changed over time, and how her relationship to it changed. This also enhances the sense of liminality throughout the book, which is broken down into vignettes that illustrate how difficult it is to exist as a disabled woman, especially when your disability is so understudied.
Sweeney is an ambulatory wheelchair user who uses a variety of walkers and pain management tools, such as cannabis, to stay safe. Because her condition is so rare and progressive, she frequently deals with medical gaslighting and/or doctors who claim they don’t know how to help her. She shows these moments nakedly in Brittle joint Along with her moments of support and love from friends and partners, and when her pain was so great that outside input barely registers.
after release Brittle joint I spoke with Sweeney via email in late June about the book, her hope for people to understand Brooke Syndrome, and how art and comics have impacted her life.
beat: What prompted you to create a graphic memoir about your disability?
Maria Sweeney: I started writing autobiographical comics during my senior year of college and sharing my experiences living with a rare disability. I feel compelled to express the sadness and inaccessibility that my community faces every day. So, I started by creating some one-page comics about people with disabilities.
Social and economic systems often exclude people with disabilities, which can lead to isolation and silencing of our stories. As a long-time comics reader, I find that there are very few stories that deal with the experiences of people with disabilities, especially physical disabilities.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of telling your story graphically and in writing?
Sweeney: Comics are a broad storytelling medium, and the format feels natural for tackling difficult subject matter. I love using comics as a tool to share my life because it allows me to conceptualize my feelings and inner thoughts into something visual and tangible. Emotions such as sadness, rejection, connection – all of these can be expressed visually.
Comics are limitless, and that’s the biggest draw for me (pun intended!). The biggest challenge in telling my stories through comics is definitely how long it takes, and it’s often hard to decide what details to include in each story.
Each section of the book is a vignette – as a disabled person who also experiences chronic pain, this felt like what I experienced during the flare. I love the liminal quality of each “chapter.”
How do you decide in what order to put content and where to provide information to the reader, rather than presenting them with snippets of your experience for them to fill in the blanks?
Sweeney: When I made my first self-published version Brittle jointI read a lot of Philadelphia underground magazines, which were full of short, easy-to-read comics, and I watched the movies Yasujiro OzuA Japanese director who uses a lot of short films.
Many experiences with disability can be painful and overwhelming. Vignettes allow me to distance myself somewhat from difficult details that may be too much for me to handle. I also feel like the vignettes mimic the way I think – my memories often feel like a Rolodex of clips, and comics help me organize them.
How have art and comics impacted your life?
Sweeney: Art and comics have brought me community, friendship, and stability in ways I never expected. My time at the Philadelphia College of Art was very important in developing my sense of identity as a queer, disabled artist. Comics gave me a way to process life that I couldn’t do by drawing alone at the time. My life is filled with instability and insecurity, but as a creative person, art, specifically comics, is the most fulfilling part of my life.
Besides comics, what types of art do you enjoy consuming or creating?
Sweeney: I love working with my hands, although my hand neuropathy has changed my relationship with touch in many ways. I loved ceramics as a child and would love to get back into it as an adult. I love cooking for the people I love! I love watercolors in nature, or just nature. I love taking long walks in my electric wheelchair to find nearby community gardens and pick flowers to make a small bouquet for my partner.
Did you draw inspiration for the colors, textures or styles in Crisp Joint from anything/anyone specific?
Sweeney: I am deeply inspired by the natural world and the many textures and colors that nature gives us every day. I grew up in the dense forests of the Pinewoods of New Jersey and was constantly looking for respite around trees.
I’m inspired by the stories of other comic book creators and how they interpret the world into visual narratives. for cover Brittle jointI took inspiration from different painters such as Frida Kahlo and Rachel Ruiz. I am always inspired by my own disability community and artist friends!
What do you wish people knew about Brooke Syndrome?
Sweeney: Although Brooke Syndrome is an extremely rare and often distressing disability, it does not stop people from doing anything! But Brooke syndrome varies from person to person and can be a complex mix of symptoms.
Thinking about accessibility through a broad public lens benefits everyone, especially those with Brooke Syndrome. Is your event wheelchair friendly? Is virtual programming an option? Even just letting your friends know you checked in advance to see if a place is accessible can make a huge difference.
What do you hope readers take away from this book?
Sweeney: I hope the book’s themes of interdependence and inclusivity will resonate with readers. Accessibility is a common issue. More than 1 in 4 Americans is diagnosed with a disability, and it affects everyone’s life. I also hope readers can relate to my appreciation of nature and friendship as it relates to disability and the nuances that come with it.
Brittle joint Everyone is called upon to reflect on how they can practice disability inclusion in their own lives.
How has the response been since it was released? Did anything surprise you?
Sweeney: Support since launch Brittle joint It’s been overwhelming, in a good way! But I also feel particularly heartbroken when I see my life revealed to the people I love. It’s weird because, of course, I made a conscious choice to write a book about my life, but ultimately, I did it for myself.
Sharing and marketing your autobiographical work with the world can feel like your nerves are exposed. But it’s worth it to hear my loved ones say they see themselves in the book, or hear my disabled friends say it resonated with them in some way.
Can you tell us what you are working on now?
Sweeney: My first children’s illustrated book is called scooter twins It was released earlier this summer and I’ll be working on its sequel next month. The book centers on two kids traveling the world on electric scooters. It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to deliver a disability-themed project for all children in a positive and encouraging way! I also continue to share my life and creative process on Patreon.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Sweeney: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak about my work and my experience with disabilities! This project has been ten years in the making and it’s exciting to see it come to fruition. It was such a surreal experience to see this book in people’s hands and on bookshelves!
I want to encourage people to think about how they can support disabled creators and activists, whether that’s sharing their work, practicing community care through wearing a mask, or helping organize accessible events. There are many ways to support the disability community in impactful ways.
Brittle joint You can buy it anywhere books are sold.
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