Welcome…to The Suicidals homepage. Why you are here, and also how you arrived here are now artifacts of your past that are both interesting and yet equally: irrelevant . All that matters is that you are here now, and that…that is interesting.
The Suicidals is, in its current form, a graphic novel detailing the story of the characters John and Emily; two total strangers, neither of which are convinced they really want to be a part of this world.
A chance meeting however delays their hasty exit, and presents an alternate path in life as of yet unexplored…a path with unexpected consequences.
Are you as curious as they are?
Hello! My name is Michael Barton and I am the author/artist/creator behind this series. While the comic is new, these characters came to me in the early 2000s. And since I have a “day job” as an art director for film & TV, it’s probably not surprising that this story was originally conceived as a screenplay.
I had always thought: "if I ever made this film, it would be really cool to have a graphic novel or comic adaptation." I'm not sure there was any great moment of epiphany, but at some point, even 20 years after originally conceiving of this story, I began to see that it simply would never happen. I think it was something close to panic that prompted me to just buy a drawing desk and start penciling the artwork, regardless of how well it came out.
My first few pages were ok. I had to keep telling myself, "it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't have to be great...other people don't even have to like it. It just has to be what I want it to be."
So I drew imperfectly, I scribbled into the night and I brought these characters to the page. I started drawing in May of 2024, and on February 20th, 2025, I drew the last line of the first issue.
Along the way I brought on other artists who could help me ink and color the artwork. A big thank you to my ink artist Claudio Sepulveda and colorist Emmanuel Buba (Snowsketch) for helping me bring this to life. Some of the final artworks are shown on the “Comic” tab.
THE REASON
So, why am I writing this story? That’s a difficult question to answer, mostly because the answer itself shifts on me over time. And any short answer I try to give always seems disingenuous; it never reflects more than a fraction of the truth.
Part of the answer lies in friends I have lost to mental illness in various forms over the years. Some are still with me, some are gone forever, and some may still be out there… somewhere. These experiences have heavily impacted the story, but I could not tell you that this is the reason for its existence.
I'd like to tell you the title is actually ironic, and that the story is meant to convey my love of life, in spite of it’s hardships. While this is also true in part, taken out of context it’s disastrously misleading.
There are still other reasons I could list, but the best answer I can give simply is this: I am writing this story now because I have to. It has been with me for over 20 years and I am afraid one day I’ll die and take these characters (and their secrets) with me to the grave.
Every day I find myself thinking something like: “if I’m hit by a car” or “struck by a meteor” or “eaten by a dinosaur” today, it will be like they never existed.
Whatever fate awaits them in this story, good or ill, I cannot condemn them to such a fate as that.
