Thorogood approaches autobiography seriously, but not dourly. The intimacy with which she tells her story results in a book with space for surreal nightmare imagery and morbid comedy in It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth from Image Comics. If you're looking for logical progression or just any kind of meaningful story in general, this is not for you, my friends. Although I've never read Zoe's other works before, I have a lot of artist friends and basically camped out at anime/comic conventions' artists alleys when I was younger, and I immediately felt connected to Zoe not only on that front, but also the themes that were discussed here. Anxiety, depression, thoughts of suicide, expectations vs. reality,, life in general, putting yourself out there and not knowing how people will react to work and words and art is absolutely something that is thoroughly discussed here in an effective way. While Billie Scott – about a young artist who discovers she is going blind just as she starts to gain some success – brought Thorogood a lot of attention, it was It’s Lonely that cemented her growing reputation among readers and the comics industry.

I think Zoe's clever use of her wild art works in her favor. Drawing weird faces over people (Similar to Pun Pun Manga) and also having the narrative go all over the place, making it really feel like you're inside her mind just like your inside your own with various thoughts. The art is the strongest part of the story, helping convey her very real and very scary thoughts of killing herself. Unlike anything I've read before. Ms. Thorogood's "auto-bio-graphic-novel" feels personal and authentic, and makes no attempt to be self-effacing. The author provides well-narrated insights into the experience of depression—insights that were enlightening, and that can help the reader be more empathetic. Then she just tweeted in response to the news: “Uhh”, followed by, “I’m not expecting to win any of these bastards, but just to be nominated means the world.” From rising comics talent Zoe Thorogood ( The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott, Rain) comes her deeply personal and impossibly creative autobiographical graphic novel creation in It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth. Running the gamut of human emotion with her narrative and reflecting upon Thorogood’s life via hyper-imaginative visuals, Center of the Earth feels like something we shouldn’t be allowed to read – but will come away thankful that we can. This icon — Zoe with her face covered by a narrative about self-harm — recurs often in the book’s first section, and it is an elegant way of visualizing the complexity of her depression. The possibility that she might kill herself is, from a certain perspective, simply a story Zoe (who is a character in a comic book) tells herself — not a reality. Likewise, her narrative voice in this section describes her thoughts of suicide as “ a performance for no audience” from which she could choose to walk away. But the stories we tell ourselves have immense power, and once you’ve started playing a role, it’s not so easy to leave the stage. “ I am not my depression,” Zoe remarks later in the book. “ But sometimes it’s comforting to believe that’s all that I am.”

B. Clay Moore discusses the death and life of ‘The Whistling Skull’

Her philosophy, her illustrations, and her worldview are IMO worth taking a look at if you can handle the subject material. The Covid pandemic figures into the story as well, derailing her success after her first book by canceling her book tour and plunging her into solitude. Connectivity with others becomes a major concept she turns over, examining how much the self is observed as a product of other’s observations, though also how lonely one can be without it. She chronicles friendships, a failed romance and more. While life may not have any answers, what we arrive at here is lovely enough: Thorogood elevates the dark material with her expressive use of the comics medium and the urgency of her voice. One to watch for the 2020s." —Forbes

The self-deprecating, faux-narcissistic, depressive, dark humour is just too – sorry Zoe, I’m going to say it – relatable.

Creators

I read it today in one sitting. I find the timing neat because I myself the week before last had spiraled into a really bad depression and something I've dealt with since I was about 15 years-old is recurring suicidal ideation. It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth is perhaps the single best graphic novel of 2022. The landscape of graphic memoirs has certainly grown in the last decade, and this year was no exception as the medium of comics continues to prove its ability to render complex emotional realities in a way that speaks to an ever growing audience. But what makes Zoe Thorogood’s work here stand out is that it feels emotionally resonant without depending on tired narrative structures and inorganic literary allusions. It’s a powerful read that shares so much detail about a person’s life while also demonstrating a mastery of the comics form and taking risks in communicating ideas that are not always easy to understand. The emotional punches here have genuine impact, and they linger long after you put this book down and try to figure out your place in this world. Thorogood elevates the dark material with her expressive use of the comics medium and the urgency of her voice. One to watch for the 2020s. - Forbes I’d recommend this book for anyone that has a loved on that suffers from depression. But be warned, this is not the sanitized version of depression that you usually get—enough so that you understand, but not enough so that you are freaked out. This gets at how truly horrendous it is to have to live with, negotiate with, be entangled with overwhelming depression.

A wondrous achievement as both an autobiographical discussion and as a piece of the comics medium. The skill and ingenuity of her visual storytelling approach is staggering and awe-inspiring. Thorogood's courageous honesty is supported by her hilarious deadpan humor and then tied all together by her absolutely insane artistic vision. Centre of the Earth is an important work as a discussion of trauma, depression, and the hope that can keep one moving forward. This is an absolute must-read, and without a doubt one of the best comic creations of recent years. -Monkeys Fighting Robots Thanks to @netgalley for allowing me to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion. For those like me – especially fellow creatives – who have lived experience of mental illness, this ‘auto-bio-graphic-novel’ is a must-read.

Advance Praise

Highly recommended. And yeah I guess you should read the trigger warnings if thoughts of suicide, talks about depression, sex, or anything else human bother you. Thorogood taps into sensation and the way that it is experienced in a way that is unlike anything I’ve seen before. It’s astonishing.”— AIPT (review link) Thorogood’s body of work might be relatively small: two graphic novels, one autobiographical ( It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth), and one not ( The Impending Blindness of Billie Scott); but the impression she has made on the industry is already big.

It's Lonely at the Center of the Earth is a deep dive into the psyche of comic artist Zoe Thorogood, and it is a beautiful, mesmerizing journey. Sure, Zoe uses humor and mix of art styles to give this story a bit of sunshine. And she manages it, creating an amazing piece of surreal art that should be read by everybody. First, thank you to the author, image comics and netgalley for allowing me to read an ebook for this masterpiece. Maybe I’d be dead if not for this. But instead I’m going to make something that didn’t exist before. And I think that’s beautiful.’I don't want to kill myself because he left me. I want to kill myself because I understand why he did. I say this with the caveat that the author pulls no punches in her depiction of the depths of mental illness. In fact, she includes her own content warning.