Breakthrough in Mental Health Awareness-From Between Sessions Resources

Who doesn’t like comic books? From Superman, to Dogman, to Manga graphic novels, visual narratives have become one of the most popular forms of reading for all ages. This Fall, one of the country’s premier providers of mental heal tools is adding mental health comics to its collection of interactive resources.

Beginning in October, Innerverse Comics will launch four series of comics: two for children, one for teens, and one for adults.  Each comic is written by an experienced mental health professional.

The series is being developed under the direction of internationally known psychologist, Lawrence E. Shapiro, Ph.D.

The Adventures of  Max and Focus is written for children with ADHD — an estimated 1 in 10 children in the U.S.   Max and his hologram pal, Focus, take the reader through the challenges of having Attention Deficit Disorder, learning practical strategies to overcome the common problems that kids with ADHD face every day.  After reading the comic, children can learn and practice the same skills that Max has acquired using 10 “Focus inspired” activities.

Synopsis: Max goes through each day feeling that he can’t do anything right.  Then one day, while exploring in the attic, he finds a hologram machine. The machine was invented by his grandfather, who also had ADHD.  With a click of one button, Max meets Focus who was programmed by his grandfather to help people with ADHD overcome the challenges of this common problem.  Publication date: October 1, 2025.

No matter how bad things may seem, relying on yourself and your friends can make every day better.  This is the lesson of resilience that the Barkside Bunch teaches kids of all ages.  Each member of the Barkside Bunch has a different problem, but their problems are also their strengths as they navigate through comical, irreverent adventures. 

Synopsis: The seven members of the Barkside Bunch met in an animal shelter, which felt more like a prison. Each member of the gang had struggles that led them to be abandoned by their family and placed in the shelter.   An earthquake destroys the shelter, popping the cage doors open and giving the animals a chance to be free and shape their destiny. In the first comic of the series, Scraps, who was placed in the shelter after biting a stranger, learns that his problems with anger can be controlled and morph into leadership skills. Go Scraps!  Publication Date: November 1, 2025.

This classic superhero style comic tells the story of Eric and his daily effort to overcome depression. Reading a self-help book recommended by his friend, Eric daydreams about Activation Man (named after the powerful therapy technique of Behavioral Activation) who gives him the psychological super powers to work through the fog of negative thinking and sadness.  At the end of the book are 10 activity pages that can give the reader the same super powers that Eric has learned. 

Synopsis: Eric is stuck in a dead-end job barely scraping together enough money to pay the rent. After being turned down for a loan to buy his dream car, Eric decides that he’s had enough of being a chump, and works through his problems inspired by his alter-ego Activation Man. A turning point comes when Eric reaches out to a co-worker, Julie, and a romance ensues. Eric is inspired to by Julie (and Activation Man) to face and overcome the depressive symptoms that have shaped his life for so long.  Publication date: December 1, 2025.