Desolate | Cleo Podrasky

Desolate | Cleo Podrasky

Cleo Podrasky

Isolation is an issue that plagues many people, and affect people's mental health in very negative ways. On account of the current self-isolation and need for aknowledgement of this mental health crisis, Desolate, a traced comic, focuses on isolation and its impact on the mental health of teenagers. The comic aims to illustrate how one person, Ellie, navigates this isolation, and her experiences with other people in and out of quarantine.

Ellie is sitting in her room, thinking about her friends and her school life. She remembers her first day, where she felt like she was alone. When she arrived at her school, there was no one whom she knew, and everything was strange. There was so much light, so much noise, and she didn’t really see a place for her in it. On a particularly rough day at school, she struggles through her classes, and once everything is over and all of the people are gone, she curls up in the hallway and hides herself away. One of her friends, however, wondering where she is, finds her. Her friend  comforts her, and helps her onto her feet. Ellie looks at her phone- however, no new messages pop up, and it seems like her friend has forgotten her. She starts to cry, missing the only person in her life who she felt cared. She can’t talk to that person anymore, and so she starts to break down. Her mother knocks on the door, and after noticing her crying, she hugs and supports her, telling her that everything is going to be okay.