Daniel Johnston is known for making music and art. He is also known for having a mental illness. His work is very distinctive and it has a lot of fans. The 2005 movieThe Devil and Daniel Johnston was a good introduction to his work. This new graphic novel, The Incantations of Daniel Johnston, is much more bizarre in its style.  It is a combination of art by Richardo Cavlolo and words by Scott McClanahan, and it packs a punch. The book tells a story of Daniel Johnston’s life. The art is bold in color and style, psychedelic, and funny. The words are addressed personally to the reader, and they are interspersed, in a manner reminiscent of Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events, with warnings to the reader to stop reading. We learn about his childhood and his family, his religious upbringing, his encounters with psychiatric hospitals and his mixed attitudes towards taking medication, as well as his success and adoption by indie hipsters, and the stormy relationships that often didn’t end so well. It’s a loving book that is fun and quick to read.

© 2016 Christian Perring

Christian Perring lives in New York and does research in the philosophy of psychiatry.