Ian Williams is a comics artist, physician and writer. He has studied Medicine, Medical Humanities and Fine Art and he originated the website GraphicMedicine.org, coining the term that has been applied to the interaction between the medium of comics and the discourse of healthcare.
Born of a Welsh family, he grew up in the north of England and studied Medicine in Cardiff before moving to North Wales, an area in which he has lived for the past twenty years, to pursue his love of mountaineering. He worked as a doctor while developing a side career as a painter and printmaker, exhibiting nationally and internationally. He undertook an MA in Medical Humanities and wrote a dissertation on medical narrative in comics and graphic novels.
Williams' attempt to find some common ground between his two careers led to the creation of his own comic strips in 2007, using the nom de plume 'Thom Ferrier' to maintain some anonymity while still working in rural general practice.
Populated by a cast of flawed characters, and shot through with gallows humour, his stories explore the darker side of medicine, revealing the harsh realities of human interaction and behaviour during times of stress and fear.
He is joint Series Editor for a forthcoming series of books entitled Graphic Medicine from Penn State University Press.
His book The Bad Doctor will be published by Myriad Editions in 2014.
Discover Ian's comics here
Visit the Graphic Medicine website
Visit the Graphic Medicine blog
