Cancer As Dark Comedy? Kaylin Andres Says "Why Not?"

There are a few things that are sensitive subjects that no one should talk about; cancer is one of those topics. Being diagnosed with cancer at any given point in time is bad news and unfair, especially if you’re a young adult.  Anyone that is 23 years old is young, in the prime of their lives, and  should take full advantage of their youth. Terminally Illin’  chronologically follows Kaylin’s struggle with cancer.

Here’s the plot:

A young woman in her twenties is diagnosed with cancer. When she undergoes her first round of chemotherapy, she begins an absurd, fantastical expedition into her own body to discover and fight the cancerous super-villains. Writers Kaylin Andres and Jon Solo created this comic (which Andres is hoping to turn graphic novel) which fictionalized Kaylin’s experience in a kick-butt manner. Andres herself has expressed the direction of the comic, describing it as, “a chemo-induced Alice in Wonderland meets campy ‘Hollywood’ action-adventure,” which she describes perfectly.

Andres knows the battle all too well. This comic is about her. At the age of 23, she was diagnosed with both thyroid cancer and a rare form of bone cancer known as Ewing’s Sarcoma. During this incredibly hard time, Andres turned to humor, blogging, and developing Terminally Illin’. Both Andres and Solo wanted to create a way for people to talk about cancer without making it tough: “Cancer is a taboo subject and most people are afraid to talk about it.”

[Via SF Weekly ]

Andres and Solo started this comic by successfully raising money through Kickstarter in 2012 and publishing a 26- page preview issue, which is what I had the pleasure of reading. The comic has been updated since the release of the preview, which you can order. Andres has expressed that her ultimate goal with Terminally Illin’ is that it will be distributed to cancer patients her age. Kaylin has expressed that there was not a lot of literature available during her stay in hospital when she was there and hopes this comic will provide a less sterile, more darkly-comedic (but cynical) approach to dealing with the various aspect of fighting cancer.  The comic is “the subversively humorous, bad pun-filled, psychedelic action-adventure side of cancer.”

[via Laughing Squid]

I found out about this comic, through an MTV series called World of Jenks. Kaylin agreed to participate in the second season, and the show host Andrew Jenks follows Kaylin and two other people that come from different backgrounds. The series displayed Kaylin’s fashion career dreams, the struggles she had with cancer, and the development of this comic. She talked briefly about the blog she started, when she had her first run of chemo-therapy, and the progress she was making. I took a look at it and she is one funny chick. Her personality shows through everything she does, from her clothes, which are displayed on the series, but definitely throughout the comic. After reading both her blog and the comic, I’m excited to see the rest of it. She really has been through a lot, and I hope the best for her.  I recently found out that she is going through this crazy ride yet again; this would mean that her cancer has shown up for the third time since 2008 (the first cancer). You can still read about her current voyages in her life through her blog.

Well, if you can, I hope you check out this comic. Signing out.

[Read Kaylin’s blog ]

[Watch Kaylin of World of Jenks ]

[Learn more about Terminally Illin’]