By Sally Churchward.
In our People in Common section we meet some of the local people who help make our communities so vibrant. Here we chat to illustrator and graphic novel creator Michael Dymock.
He had had a passion for illustration since childhood.
But it was when Michael Dymock began to think about turning that love into a career that the idea of combining his craft with doing good in the world came to him.
It started while studying illustration at Portsmouth University. At the time Michael was learning British Sign Language and learnt how few people actually use it. He had the idea of creating playing cards which both taught some BSL and inspired further interest in it, developing a prototype set.
He then went on to create a graphic novel in response to reading statistics about the rising number of teens and young people struggling with mental health issues.
“I saw statistics about year on year growth of teens and young people struggling with their mental health, a lot of which people are not wanting to talk about, people who are directly affected,” explains Michael, who comes from Southsea.
Then I learnt about RPG (role-playing game) therapy which is a type of therapy where you use roleplaying and tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons to help people talk about these issues and work through them.
“I’m not a medical professional, I can’t tell people what they should do about these issues but what I could do was create something that might be a conversation starter, either someone who is directly affected by mental health issues or loved ones, so that was the idea – I wanted to create something.”
The result was Yip Adventures, a graphic novel which sees the main protagonist battle his inner demons made real, with some help from his friends.
“The story isn’t about a superhero who flies in and defeats the bad guy for good,” explains Michael.
“The main character has their anxieties and self doubts personified into this creature that isn’t defeated. Instead it’s reduced with the help of those around him and becomes more manageable and less daunting.
“That was the idea. I started creating something as a conversation starting piece.”
He adds: “It was personal. I think everyone suffers with some sort of mental health issue, whether it’s anxiety, social anxiety, depression, etc, it’s a huge thing so it’s something I’ve dealt with.”
The book also encourages readers towards Dungeons and Dragons.
“I mentioned that games like Dungeons and Dragons are used in RPG therapy, and that’s something I play weekly and have done for years. The things that’s helped me with are huge – public speaking, self confidence, that kind of thing. It’s helped me so in a way it’s something the comic can do.
“At the end of the comic there’s a character sheet for D and D so people can make their own character and experience being helped in some way.”
Michael has been touched by the positive responses he’s received for the comic.
“It’s been so lovely. Parents have said they bought it for their child and the main character really resonated with them. And I’ve had people talk about how nice it is to see a main character who is someone who is a little bit more real – it’s not some super hero.
“People have been looking for another one – my fiancee does a lot of creative writing as well so we are working on one together.
“Parents said it opened up a conversation about bullying in school – I don’t know where that ended up going but it’s nice to know that it created that conversation.”
As well as commissions, including designing bespoke D and D characters for people, tattoo designs and Christmas cards, Michael is currently working on the next Yip comic.
It will feature a range of characters, dealing with their own issues, alongside Yip.
“Yip will be in it,” explains Michael, “but this is focusing on an array of different characters following feedback when Yip was released, that it would be nice to see other characters dealing with other issues.”
Michael hopes it will help even more people than the original comic. Who knows who it might touch and what important conversations it might start?
For more information about Michael and his work, and to make a purchase from his online shop, visit dymk.co.uk
- In Common is not for profit. We rely on donations from readers to keep the site running. Could you help to support us for as little as 25p a week? Please help us to carry on offering independent grass roots media. Visit: https://www.patreon.com/incommonsoton