To create is to submit. Here’s my story, this is me. Filmmaker, actor, and comic book writer David Dastmalchian returns to the podcast this week. He’s discussing his new graphic novel Through, made in collaboration with artist Cat Staggs and letterer Adam Wollet. It’s a deeply intimate story about an orphan who cracks her head and enters a fantastical realm as a result. There are direct allusions to Lewis Carroll and several other classics and not-so-classics. However, ultimately, Through is David Dastmalchian revealing a piece of himself to the reader, and hoping the reader finds a piece of themselves within, too.

As with his films and the characters he inhabits, David Dastmalchian’s comics are acts of self-reflection. While telling an engaging, scary, thrilling adventure into wonderland, Through is also a chronicle of an anxious moment in Dastmalchian’s life. We’re grateful he was willing to join us for a thoughtful discussion about mental health and the pursuit of understanding via artistic expression. Not every creator wants to go there, but David Dastmalchian delights in the internal plunge.

On the show this week, we discuss David Dastmalchian’s inspirations, how Through differs from other comics work like Count Crowley, and what this medium offers that others do not. Through is currently available from Z2 Comics in multiple editions. Please, continue the conversation with David Dastmalchian by following his Instagram and Website.

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David Dastmalchian on Through