Our Favourite Graphic Novels: My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies

My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips.

This Novella is a real treat and fits nicely into the Criminal universe. The story revolves around Ellie, a young woman newly checked into rehab. For a supposed drug addict she’s remarkably astute and articulate- not only about her own addictions, but she’s wise to the thin transparencies worn by her fellow junkies and the “experts” there to fix them all. Maybe because she’s been around the life so long- her parents were criminals and drug addicts, so the tunes are familiar ones.

Her current predicament swirls around the stories of other junkies in pop culture- she’s curated a lifestyle around cautionary tales, in obsessing over the details of musicians, writers, and artists swept up in the sea of narcotics and bad decisions.

Ellie knows she’s a bad influence but is comfortable in her role in corrupting a fellow patient. They high-tail it Bonnie and Clyde style, breaking into vacation houses, robbing drug stores and binging for days on end in a dreamy state echoed in the watercolour splashes on every page.

Ellie is remarkably controlled for a free-faller, and soon her agenda is revealed. Her journey is a bumpy ride and worth every riveting mile.

Call shotgun and get on-board.

get the trade paperback here

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