Montreal-based Arizona O'Neill's superb graphic novel debut, Opioids & Organs, strikingly melds vulnerable memoir, illuminating explorations of historical and contemporary medical industry, investigative international travelogue, and razor-sharp literary references.
When Arizona receives a heartfelt letter from a stranger whose life was saved through organ donation--her father's heart beats in his chest--a friend responds, "This is great.... Something good came from his death." Arizona initially queries, "Do you think they know the heart is from someone who died of a fentanyl overdose?" then quickly devolves into agonized accusations: "The medical industry is stealing organs from the opioid addicts.... They let my dad die and USED HIM FOR PARTS!" O'Neill magnificently transforms that rage into both testimony and exposé of how "Canada's opioid crisis is helping put an end to the organ shortage in our country."
Arizona's father died in 2015. Despite sustained addiction struggles, his 41-year-old comatose body was otherwise "young, healthy, and well preserved." At the hospital, instead of getting answers surrounding his collapse and brain death, Arizona had legal papers pushed upon her to "donate his organs to those suffering from a more... 'acceptable' illness." Years later, Arizona demands to know more and embarks on an epic journey through graveyards, academic institutions, libraries, museums, Parisian catacombs, and an Alice(-less) Wonderland.
O'Neill proves her superlative artistry across every page, balancing simplified line art with meticulously detailed realism (her architectural backgrounds are particularly stunning). Her "weird daydreams" manifest with cameos by fantastical creatures, animated body parts, and human meat markets. "I am hoping that by telling my story, I will be able to make peace with it." --Terry Hong