Mom's Cancer has been fortunate to attract many thoughtful comments, including weblog mentions too numerous to list (though greatly appreciated). The most gratifying feedback has come from people who've been through similar challenges themselves, as well as from medical professionals who've said that the story helped them understand their patients' perspective.

 

 

Giskin Day teaches a course on medical humanities at Imperial College London and contributes to the blog"Medical Humanities," for which she wrote a great review of Mom's Cancer  that concludes, "Mom’s Cancer is an inspirational work of great love and care. In spite of its serious subject matter, this is not a pathos-saturated book. Fies’s ability to universalise his particular and personal situation affords an authentic, original insight into the realities of coping with serious illness."

 

MSNBC.com book reviewer Gael Fashingbauer Cooper read Mom's Cancer and wrote, "Many readers won't be able to get past the title, and even if the book rings true, it's not exactly a cheery gift--although it should become required reading in medical schools. But those who do pick it up will find it a brave and honest tale. Meeting 'Mom' and her family will help you appreciate and understand your own."

 

Rebecca Buchanan reviewed  Mom's Cancer for Sequential Tart, an Internet Webzine about the comics industry with a focus on women's themes and contributions to the industry. Rebecca gave the book a score of 9/10 and wrote that "Fies' story is a great example of what comics can be."

 

San Francisco Chronicle book editor Oscar Villalon recently recorded anaudio review of Mom's Cancer for the KQED radio magazine program "The California Report." Among his comments: "Fies's intentions with these strips were humble. As he writes in the preface, he simply told his story in hope that others may somehow benefit from it. But Mom's Cancer is more than just a consoling hug. It's a collection of brief dispatches from a quiet war being waged on fronts found on just about any block."

 

Mom's Cancer also got a nice review on the "Nonfiction (Readers) Anonymous" blog. "Nonanon" is an opinionated, sardonic online critic who, I gather, doesn't shy away from scorching earth when necessary, which makes her "Wows" that much sweeter.

The Wall Street Journal recently ran a nice review by Laura Landro (not available online). An excerpt: "...Mom's Cancer works on several levels: The stark black-and-white drawings, with the occasional burst of color, convey the drama of a family battling the fear and uncertainty of cancer treatment, and the illustrations help explain technical matters--such as how chemotherapy and radiation work against a tumor--that might make readers' eyes glaze over in traditional text-only format."

 

Laurel Maury wrote an extraordinary review of Mom's Cancer for the Los Angeles Times in May (no longer available online). Two excerpts, the first and last passages of the review: "In  Mom's Cancer, Eisner-Award winning artist Brian Fies does a simple reality face-off with his mother's illness. Fies' excellent graphic novel, which started as a weekly Web comic, describes his mother's cancer treatment with neither sentiment nor hysterics, and the effect is quietly devastating.... What may earn this book a spot in oncology offices, self-help groups and, probably, medical school curricula, is how carefully Fies tells the truth about what happens to people. Mom's Cancer doesn't soften any blows. It gives us a woman getting through the most horrible episode in her life. She could easily be one of us."

 

The Library Journal published a starred review of Mom's Cancer in mid-May (not available online), writing in part: "With insight, compassion, and honesty, Fies captures important moments of the ordeal, delves into some remarkable family history, and tells a story of heartbreak and hope with depth and universality. His black-and-white cartooning is simple but sophisticated, starkly depicting the awful pain that Mom undergoes; the result, when combined with his sparing use of color and his exploration of metaphor and memory, creates images that would never be as effective or memorable in text alone.... Highly recommended." The opinions of the Library Journal and reviewer Steve Raiteri are very influential among people who acquire books for libraries.

 

Entertainment Weekly magazine reviewed Mom's Cancer in its issue of April 7, 2006:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Internet friend Mike Peterson is a journalist in Glens Falls, N.Y. and one of Mom's Cancer's earliest champions. Mike runs the "Newspapers in Education" program for the Glens Falls Post-Star and does a wonderful job of incorporating comics into his projects aimed at young readers. In a recent "Honor Roll" supplement of his newspaper, Mike dedicated a page to Mom's Cancer that I think provides a very insightful analysis of my story.  Click HERE to download a PDF (2.3 MB) of that page (used with permission).

 

David LeBlanc is the editor of the Comic Book Network Electronic Magazine, a text e-zine sent to more than 1,400 subscribers. David reviewed Mom's Cancer in his March 10, 2006 issue, calling it one of a few graphic novels "that stand out by how they affect your thinking or just your enjoyment of the reading." He concluded, "Anything that affects you emotionally like that is well worth your time and money. This one's a keeper." With David's permission, I reprinted his review HERE.

 

Dr. Philip Berman started the Internet cancer community  RedToeNail.org after he was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. The site's name comes from Dr. Berman's resolution to paint one toe nail red for every year he survives; so far he's up to two. He and I have corresponded occasionally over the months, and in March 2006 he published a review of Mom's Cancer in his blog. I recommend his site as an excellent way of connecting to people sharing the experience of living with cancer.

 

Publishers Weekly, the Bible of the book industry, published the first review of the book version of  Mom's Cancer in its issue of January 30, 2006 (if that link doesn't work, the review is also appended to my Amazon.com listing). Their starred review was very favorable, advising readers that "this story is more about how a life-altering event affects an entire family than another Lifetime disease-of-the-week story." It concluded: "The clean, simple comic-strip quality of Fies's art fits the story perfectly, highlighting the gravity of the situation while cutting away undue sentimentality."