By Tom Bouden, translated by Yves Cogneau with Charles “Zan” Christensen (Northwest Press)
ISBN: 978-0-98459409-2 (TPB/Digital edition)
Many things are dangerous and don’t go away just because we stop talking about them. Coincidentally, here’s something short, sweet and utterly, comfortingly satisfying. Please enjoy. BTW: today is HIV Long-Term Survivors Day.
First observed on June 5th 2014 as a day honouring long-term survivors of HIV, and to raise awareness about their needs, issues, and journeys, this day became an annual commemoration as it coincides with the anniversary of the first official reporting of what became known as “the AIDS epidemic” when the US Centre for Disease Control reported five cases of a mysterious disease affecting young gay men on 5th June 1981.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus is a Lentivirus attacking the body’s immune system. If untreated, the infection usually leads to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome – commonly known as AIDS. For the longest time, the condition was a killer, but can now be controlled quite successfully now through a variety of medications, treatments and necessary lifestyle modification. The biggest dangers remains its ease of transmission and long gestation period. Many sufferers pass it on in a honeymoon period of apparent prime health and sexual activity with no symptoms apparent.
At its height, AIDS ravaged the world, and has killed approximately 38 million people. It also completely changed global society. However, as it hasn’t been a headline grabbing threat for so long and horniness is eternal, across the world – and generations! – infections are on the rise again as a people blithely interact thinking history is dead and can’t hurt them…
Sadly, how those testing positive for HIV were treated also revealed a lot about the people around them. This powerful but truly uplifting graphic tome was created in 2008 by Belgian cartoonist Tom Bouden (Max and Sven, The Importance of Being Earnest, In Bed with David & Jonathan, Queerville): a means of exploding idiotic myths, factually explaining how a positive diagnosis changes the life of someone with the disease and affects those around them.
Subtitled “A Graphic Novelette of Life with Aids”, the charming tale is delivered in traditional, welcoming Ligne Claire style (like Tintin or Blake and Mortimer); laced with warm humour to balance the tension, fear and pain, and begins eight years ago as young marrieds Sarah and Tim’s latest row is interrupted by a visit from their doctor. He has results explaining Sarah’s recent bout of assorted maladies, but needs her to take a second, confirmatory test…
And so begins a methodical, revelatory but worthwhile discourse as the couple carefully share her diagnosis with friends, family and past intimates, contrived with compassion and sensitivity and braced with solid facts throughout. Navigating and negotiating assorted treatments; dealing with mounting work issues and living as normal as life as feasible, Sarah and Tim build support networks while moving ever onward: embracing bucket lists and pill packs, discarding despair and fostering hope until they reach the stage where they can consider the next positive step… having a child…
Fronted by an emphatically positive Introduction from activist and Gay League executive Joe Palmer, this is a lovely, sensible and above all straightforward examination of HIV in the real world. That said, parents might want to review and possibly police some pages if young children are around, as it contains forthright depictions of nudity and lovemaking.
© 2013 Tom Bouden. All rights reserved.