Exeter cartoonist creates comic book about struggles with anxiety

Exeter cartoonist Ross Hendrick has recently completed his latest work, a comic book which humorously yet thoughtfully documents the struggles with social anxiety.

Ross, who has previously worked for such publications as The Beano, Viz and the Express & Echo, is the creator of a popular webcomic called Socially Awkward Misfit. The protagonist is a character called Sam (an acronym of Socially Awkward Misfit) who is loosely based on Ross's own life. 

The webcomic deals with issues relating to anxiety, depression and introversion, and has become popular with people from all over the world who can relate to the topic on a personal level.

Reflecting on what has inspired and influenced him over the last few years of making the comic, Ross says, 'It has enabled me to get certain frustrations off my chest, such as lampooning people who are carelessly rude to introverts and ignorant to sufferers of mental health conditions.  I also found it enabled me to create exaggerations of my own awkwardness in order to be able to laugh at myself.'

The book, which Ross is hoping to get crowdfunding for on the website Kickstarter, will be his third book, after the success of his first two, 'A day in the life of Socially Awkward Misfit' and 'Positivity and Negativity'.

You can find more details on the comic's official website, sociallyawkwardmisfit.com and on the Facebook page here: facebook.com/sociallyawkwardmisfit