Marvel-ous Hemophilia!  PART 2

Our archivist Richard Atwood of North Carolina gave us such a great list of superheroes connected with bleeding disorders last time, that we needed a two-part series! And some of these are not superheroes, but characters in graphic novels.  But we can argue that all kids with hemophilia are superheroes!

Unnamed Algerian Man

At a deserted beach in a hidden cove, a man from North Africa has a bleeding nose. He is a married jeweler, currently out of work, from the village of Tas’aout in Ath Yenni. The Algerian man spots a young woman skinny dipping, who then dies of unknown causes. Other families arrive at the resort beach. Several diseases are revealed. When two fathers remove the dead body from the water, one of them (a doctor) accuses the Algerian man with a bleeding nose of drowning the woman. No one can leave the beach due to an invisible force, and some of them die. The doctor punches the Algerian man, causing more nose bleeding. Those who do not die, significantly age.

This 2011 graphic novel titled Sandcastle is translated from the 2010 French edition Chateau de sable. The novel does not provide any explanations for the fast-paced aging by everyone on the beach. The nose bleeding, that lasts for hours, by the Algerian man is never diagnosed. When he is included in the script, his nose bleeds on 14 pages, while it does not bleed on 34 pages. Sound familiar? Maybe because M. Night Shaymalan’s 2021 movie Old is based on this novel. The movie script has a famous rapper with a blood clotting problem whose nose bleeds for hours at the resort beach. After a female swimmer is found dead in the water, the doctor stabs the rapper to death. Two survivors return to the resort to accuse the manager and the Warren and Warren drug company of murder. The pharmaceutical company had discovered this cove in which magnetisms and minerals cause cells to age rapidly. The drug company had been conducting observational trials of experimental medicines during one day—equivalent of a lifetime the unwitting patients—to see of the drugs were successful.

Hortense

Hortense is 14 and has hemophilia (hemophile). She thinks her name is precious and ancient. She describes hemophilia as her body wanting to completely empty itself when the blood flows uncontrollably. She likes bloodstains on her clothes and she records her bleeds. She bled when losing a baby tooth. Her father calls her nose une champlure (or un robinet, a tap), when the real term is chantepleure. From the age of nine, Hortense carries tampons in her backpack for nose bleeds, thanks to her mother. Her parents want to protect their daughter by covering her in bubble-wrap (papier bulle). Hortense cannot play contact sports, yet she wants to practice martial arts, especially karate, like her brother does. She practices her moves, then paints them. She is artistic. In class, Hortense has her first period. She already has the tampons that must be changed hourly. She calls the hematologist for a prescription of des coagulants. Hortense considers herself a karateka-ninja-hemophiliac-teenager in bubble wrap.

This 2023 novella for young adults titled Papier Bulle is written in French. The title translates as Bubble Wrap. The text, told from the perspective of a 14-year-old girl, is notable for its artwork that bleeds through every page.

Isabel

During the Renaissance, the young Marco Tulio of the noble house of Padutti de Verona has sworn a secret oath with his beautiful distant cousin Isabel. The couple seal their romantic ceremony by pricking their fingers with a rose stem before mixing their blood. Tragically, Isabel is found to be hemophilic with unstoppable bleeding. Fortunately, her family knows Leonardo da Vinci who is able to stop the bleeding. However, the evil vampire Tristan de Padua, lord of the castle of Montenero, convinces Marco that Isabel can be forever cured if she were to be bitten on the neck. This deception results in her death. Isabel is then not holy, and cannot be buried in the cemetery. Marco grieves for five years, then plots his revenge. He confronts the evil vampire with accusations of murder. When Tristan sinks his fangs into the neck of Marco, the vampire suddenly dies because Marco has poisoned his own blood. Then tragically, Marco takes his own life. In their honor, Leonardo da Vinci sculpts a monument of the two young lovers holding hands over their burials surrounded by red roses.

This 2007 young adult picture story titled Jovenes Vampiros is written in Spanish and is based on the author/illustrator’s imagination. The type of hemophilia is never revealed, nor is the treatment suggested by Leonardo da Vinci ever explained.

Louis

Louis, who has hemophilia, is mocked by his friends for not participating in dangerous activities. The five Medikidz, who live on the planet Mediland, are medical superheroes who use their superpowers to teach kids about their disease. The Medikidz view the situation on the Medi-Vision, then use the teleport to transport Louis for an education experience. Among the explained issues are the blood clotting problem, the diagnosis and severity of hemophilia, various treatments, and different types of bleeds. The comment is made that hemophilia can seem scary. Yet with needed injections, Louis realizes that he can be like everyone else. He is teleported back to Earth where he retells his adventure concerning his genetic disorder.

This 2011 educational comic book titled What’s Up with Louis? is one in a series written by a team of medical personnel and then peer reviewed. The proceeds from the sale of the comic books assist an international children’s charity for medical education. The English edition has the haemophilia spelling, and replaces rugby for American football as an unacceptable contact sport, yet still has left-hand drive automobiles. It also has The Haemophiia Society logo on the back cover. The American edition is sponsored by Novo Nordisk.

Sam Atlas

Sam Atlas wears the pre-adolescent uniform of a hoodie and a backpack. He loves all things involving outer space, and always carries a telescope that he names Galileo. Sam wants to attend  a week-long, out-of-town, and overnight Space Camp, but is afraid to ask his parents because he has hemophilia A. Sam treats with Hemlibra. When the sun in the Hemora Galaxy explodes, sun shards are sent in all directions—one even hits Sam’s notebook on Earth. The Stellar Guardians, who protect Hemora Galaxy, enlist Sam on a travel quest with obstacles on other planets to find five sun shards that will reforge the sun to save Hemora. Sam, under the guidance of the Guardians, travels by spaceship, by hiking, and by pedaling a hovering bicycle. Along the way, he learns several lessons: finding the power of his own voice to speak up for himself; finding the emotional courage to face his fear and keep going; and always being prepared and expecting the unexpected. Before completing his quest, Sam stops at the Injection Junction to refuel. After reforging the Hemora sun, Sam returns home to ask his parents about Space Camp, and, at school, he helps a new student with hemophilia A.

This 2025 educational graphic novella titled Stellar Guardians, that is sponsored by Genentech, uses the same travel quest plot used by Homer for Ulysses returning to Ithaca. The fictional story is a means to instill confidence and self-advocacy in younger individuals with hemophilia A. The concept of universal precautions is not stressed, while the main character does wear a modified space helmet when riding the hovering bicycle. The book includes a two-page Important Safety Information Section for Hemlibra, a Genentech product. A Spanish edition is available. The graphic novella is not labeled for age and reading-level appropriateness. The author and the illustrator are not identified.

Conclusion

Graphic novels and comics are popular by readers of all ages. This literature serves several purposes. Mostly there is entertainment, while some of the literature is justified as being educational. Hemophilia is represented by a variety of fictional characters: such as heroes, evil adversaries, evil geniuses, plus men and women of all ages. Some of these characters are just ordinary individuals, but, if you look closely, you may identify some superheroes. 

References:

Jose Aguilar, Jovenes vampiros. El códice secreto. versos y trazos, 2007.

Anonymous, Stellar Guardians. Genentech, 2025.

Scott Beatty, Wonder Woman: The Ultimate Guide to the Amazon Princess. DC Comics, 2003.

Simon Boulerice et Eve Patenaude, Papier Bulle. Alice Jeunesse, 2023.

Kim Chilman-Blair and Shawn DeLoache, What’s Up with Louis? Medikidz Explain Haemophilia. Medikidz, 2011.

Garth Ennis, The Punisher Presents Barracuda. Marvel, 2007.

Jennifer Grunwald, Marvel-Verse: Morbius. Marvel, 2021.

Fabian Nicieza and Tom DeFalco, The New Warriors: Beginnings. Marvel, 1992.

Frederick Peeters and Pierre Oscar Levy, Sandcastle. SelfMadeHero, 2011.

Kelley Puckett and Warren Pleece, Kinetic. DC Comics, 2005.