ike lives with his Gran – there is something he would like to talk to her about but he worries she may be upset. What Mike doesn’t know is that Gran knows his ’secret’ anyway and would like to talk with him about it.

Parvinder lives with his mum and dad. They have very clear ideas about his future career. He has other ideas.

Dave enjoys coke and speed, porn and sex….as much of it as he can get. His friends admire his lifestyle. He feels lonely and knows there is something missing in his life. He just can’t quite work out what it is.

One evening in the lives of these three young men are the focus for a new resource about mental health and risk taking.

Members of the Boys and Young Men Network have teamed up with Chris Hathway, a young graphic artist from Worcestershire to produce ‘MEN-tal!’, a comic for young men aged between 16 and 24. Through the story line, the comic looks at issues that both promote and undermine mental health including communication, assertiveness, substance use, friendship, families and love.

The Network will launch the comic on October 10th, World Mental Health Day 2003. It will be free of charge to young men and those who live and work with them in Gloucestershire.