LDCOMICS ONLINE COMICS FAIR 2025! Taran Taylor studied art at Staffordshire University, gaining a “BA (Hons) Cartoon & Comic Arts, First Class”. He has quite a few zines and comics available through his shop, and contributions to anthologies such as Boxes #3 already to his credit. However, (Un)Diagnosed will be available exclusively through the LDComics Fair through the month of July.
In (Un)Diagnosed, Taylor takes us through his life step by step as certain beats add up to his eventual twin neurodiverse diagnoses. Graphic medicine is what this story leans towards, but Taran shares his story in such a way to invite us into his world, warts and all. Making this a compelling reading experience.
A first measure of a succesful autobiographical comic is if it even needs to be a comic in the first place. Many good artists telling their own stories fail this standard, essentially delivering illustrated text stories. Not so with Taylor, who utilizes his talent to make every panel tell a story. Standouts from the first three pages include: a double panel with a three-step progression of an expanding backpack depicting the enormity of his ADHD symptoms weighing him down as he gets older; using diamond patterned sparkles in his toddler self’s eyes to denote his intense curiosity at an early age; and, a priceless emoji callback when his answer-starved Mom has a giant sweat drop on her forehead!
Taylor utilizes a four-panel grid on (Un)Diagnosed, like a good many other comics out there. This can either be used to ground an experimental sequential narrative for easier comprehension, or a straightforward story that survives on the clarity and efficiency of the narrative. Taylor uses the latter to condense a lifetime of information down to sixteen pages.
A favorite panel from towards the end of (Un)Diagnosed is simply five inset portraits of five influences and resources that led Taylor from his autism diagnosis to his slow realization he may have ADHD, as well. He’s quite clever delivering so much educational content into so little space. Not even having the benefit of a link!
For people living with ADHD and autism, or having someone in their life that does, Taran Taylor’s (Un)Diagnosed brings understanding and respect to the subject. Anyone who can combine the autobiographical and the educational in this rewarding of a comic has a bright future ahead.
Taran Taylor (W/A) • LDComics Online 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.
