LDCOMICS ONLINE COMICS FAIR 2025! Maia Iotzova graduated from the University of Guelph, Canada with a BA in Fine Arts, working in the fields of film and comics among others. This 12-page excerpt of Pieces of Me is available online during the month of July exclusively at the LDComics Online Comics Fair.
Maia Iotzova’s Pieces of Me is also the name of a longer graphic novel about her psychotic breakdown, more of which can be seem on her site. She describes the intentions for this section of the larger book, “[…]’Pieces of Me’, starts with the metaphor of my mind literally being in pieces as I try various methods to put myself back together.“ Unlike other approaches to mental health in comics, Iotzova uses a vibrant colour palette along with a lively collage technique to tell her story in her own singular voice.
Although we’ve seen collage in comics before, this just seems the perfect medium to depict a person’s fractured personality. Iotzova uses anthropomorphized versions of each part of her head. The hair, eyes, nose, and mouth argue amongst themselves on the best way to hide their person’s mental collapse from the world. It’s both poignant and a little silly, at the same time. An excellent way to depict the worst of Iotzova’s breakdown while allowing the reader room to empathize.
About halfway through Iotzova’s Pieces of Me, she switches to a more representational, yet simplified, watercolour art style that moves the focus outward as the author deals with the dark thoughts within her head. A startling page of Iotzova’s character imagining attacking her mother with a knife gives insight to what those dark thoughts are.
Maia Iotzova’s Pieces of Me invites the reader into the harrowing mental breakdown experienced by the author. In the best tradition of autobiographical comics, to heal both the author and the reader.
Maia Iotzova (W/A) • LDComics Online Comics Fair, £4.00
Review by Gary Usher
The LDComics Online Comics Fair runs across the month of July. Read all our coverage of the comics on offer here at BF.
