Seattle comics artist, writer, teacher, and illustrator Ellen Forney has always brought a refreshing mix of frankness, whimsy, and fluid linework to her non-fiction comics, whether she's dealing with childhood nostalgia (I Was Seven in '75) or adult "playtime" (Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads from Seattle's The Stranger).

Forney's new graphic memoir Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me is her most confessional book, a heady mix of creative ferment, societal and psychological studies, and personal stories (following her initiation into "Club Van Gogh") that she hopes will shed light on the often misunderstood phenomenon of bipolar disorder.