Dark Agents ― Violet and the Trial of Trauma

This spellbinding graphic novel follows the adventures of Violet—a young witch whose mother was murdered when she was a child. As she wages war against necromancers and demons, Violet learns to overcome her internal monsters as well.

In this groundbreaking comic book for teens and young adults, we meet Violet—a witch whose mother was burned alive for witchcraft when she was only six years old. Violet nearly suffers the same fate, but is rescued by her grandfather before she burns to death. Running from country to country, as well as from herself, Violet never gets a chance to fully process her traumatic experience.

When she turns 19, Violet begins training at the Underworld Intelligence Agency (UIA) in hopes of becoming a Dark Agent—someone tasked with keeping the balance between the world of the living and the world of the undead. During her training, Violet hopes to finally overcome her fear of death and take control of her emotions, but instead she finds that mindfulness, vulnerability, and acceptance are the skills most necessary to help her succeed.

Blended seamlessly throughout the story are elements of a powerful and evidence-based treatment called acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT). Whether or not you’ve experienced a traumatic event like Violet, you’ll find valuable skills you can apply to your own life to help you conquer your demons and hone your unique superpowers.

Janina Scarlet, PhD, studied at The City University of New York (CUNY) with a focus on behavioral neuroscience. She completed her postdoctoral training at the Veterans Medical Research Foundation, where she got an opportunity to treat active-duty service members with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She uses superhero therapy to help patients with anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and PTSD at The Center for Stress and Anxiety Management. Scarlet also teaches at Alliant International University, and resides in San Diego, CA.

Illustrator Vince Alvendia is a freelance artist/illustrator native to San Diego, CA. He has had his work featured in the San Diego Comic-Con International official souvenir books, and also created one of three designs for the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con exclusive library cards for the San Diego Public Library. He also loves carne asada burritos and Chinese food. He does not enjoy long walks on the beach because that time is better spent annoying his wife and fellow geek, Sabrina, and their spawn of geeklings.