ToteMan: You Are Not Alone (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

ToteMan is the creation of Durham, NC area copier repairman turned comic book writer John McLaren. McLaren was diagnosed with epilepsy as a teen, though his family now suspects that John had a mild form of the condition all his life. Seeking a way to explain his brain disorder to his son, McLaren wrote a comic book script. 

In the story of ToteMan, the superhero battled bank robbing androids while in costume and rush hour traffic in his civilian secret identity. In between, ToteMan was ever vigilante to help kids who suffered an unexpected seizure brought on by epilepsy!

John McLaren created the character back in 2002. After writing the script on his honeymoon, where he ended up having 2 seizures, John tested the script out with some positive reviews from readers who either had epilepsy or personally knew someone with the disorder. 

Up next was to find the right illustrator for the job, the graphic artist and musician, Rickman.  After a lot of begging and a cleared up schedule, McLaren and Rickman got to work on at least 1 comic, ToteMan: You Are Not Alone.

ToteMan first saw print in 2009. Later teaming with the National Walk for Epilepsy and the Epilepsy Foundation, a Special Collector's Edition was published. For a few years, John McLaren was a staple of the Central North Carolina Triangle area (Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill) with ToteMan appearing at a number of Free Comic Book day events. A second comic was in the works and a GoFundMe type project was set to be pitched. And then COVID hit. Though there is tons of evidence of new character designs for the second book on Facebook. No further project posts have been made since 2021. 

It's anybody's guess if ToteMan will return to fight crime and end the stigma against epilepsy some day.

This edition includes a list of steps to take if someone has a seizure, myths debunked about epilepsy, a set of trading cards and a list of famous people who are epileptics. 

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #10 ( About Health/Wellness) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.