Hollywood self-help, a comics series

Januar 23, 2023
Comics, Projects

beneficial shock, comics, hollywood, self help, therapy sessions

My good friend Phil Wrigglesworth, illustrator, lectorer and brilliant art director of the UK publication "beneficial shock" ask me to do a comic series for his magazine. Of course I said yes ...

Beneficial Shock!

The magazine was founded by Gabriel Salomon and Phil Wrigglesworth, both lecturers at the University of the West of England in Bristol. Founded to be a movie magazine, it became quickly a reference for great usage of illustration among designers and illustrators. Phil Wrigglesworth’s selection of coming and established artist to illustrate the articles makes a lasting visual impact. Being a brilliant illustrator himself, he designs the cover of each issue.

You’ll find more of his work at www.philwrigglesworth.com.

Hollywood & Shrinks, a beneficial combination?

As a series enthusiast, I’m always excited to see a therapy session in a movie. Remember the great Tony Soprano and his shrink Dr. Jennifer Melfi, played magnificently by Lorraine Bracco, who got under each other’s skin in epic sessions? But it’s not just in the movies that therapy plays a role; in real life Hollywood, acting and self-improvement seem to form a fruitful symbiosis -well, most of the time. In my comic narratives, I take up this idea and bring together real actors and actresses in a fictional therapy session. Enjoy!

Nr. 2

… in which John Belushi and Cary Grant are about to attend an AA meeting, but an old friend convinces them otherwise …

Nr. 3

… in which Russ Meyer unsuccessfully initiates a group therapy session, which is promptly interrupted …

Nr. 4

… in which Sigourney Weaver and Private Joker go to a pet store in hopes of overcoming her deep-seated fear of a particular little animal …

Nr. 5

… in which Tom Cruise finds out during a private session with Oprah Winfrey that he’s not such a bad actor after all …

Nr. 6

… in which Bruce Willis and Daryl Hannah have to go to anger management therapy, but to let off steam they end up in a steam bath of a special kind …

Nr. 7

… in which Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger are on their way to couples therapy, but suburban America proves to be the final frontier for two cowboys …