The Bad Doctor
The Troubled Life and Times of Dr. Iwan James
Meet Dr. Iwan James, GP in a small Welsh town. Darkly comic vignettes from Iwan’s life—from home visits to a cantankerous lung-cancer patient to run-ins with a local recluse who bears a strong resemblance to the Unabomber, to bike rides with his friend Arthur—are interspersed with scenes from Iwan’s childhood and young-adult life growing up with OCD. Expressive artwork helps convey tone, from the humor of botched stitches that set a tattoo catawampus to the chaotic collage of images that invade the pages of young Iwan’s most frantic moments. This fabulous graphic novel, just one in Penn State Press’s new Graphic Medicine series, will be a valuable addition to any med student’s library. But more than that, it provides a much needed behind-the-scenes look at life with mental illness and a glimpse behind the doors of a vanishing breed of doctor, the general practitioner.
Reviewed by
Allyce Amidon
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
