Gemma Correll's Graphic Novel 'Anxietyland' Explores Mental Health Through Cartoons

Gemma Correll, a UK-born, California-based cartoonist, has released 'Anxietyland', a graphic novel that examines her lifelong struggles with anxiety and panic attacks. In an interview with Steven Heller for PRINT Magazine, Correll discusses how the book, while therapeutic, also generated new anxieties about its reception. She emphasizes that the book is not a self-help guide but a visual memoir aimed at those who, like her, find comfort in drawings over dense text. Correll cites influences such as Roz Chast, Matt Groening, Lynda Barry, David Sedaris, Carol Tyler, November Garcia, Julie Doucet, and Julia Wertz. The book features a cover depicting anxiety as a rollercoaster, a metaphor Correll uses to describe the ups and downs of her condition. She notes that moving to California made therapy more accessible, though she currently prefers cognitive behavioral therapy. Correll admits she may never feel fully content with the book, as she constantly wishes to revise both images and text. 'Anxietyland' is published by Simon & Schuster and includes a blurb from Roz Chast.