Wart-o-ween

A Halloween-inspired graphic novel educates kids about skin conditions and removes the stigma associated with them.

When Mia and her friend Anya leave the city with her dad and her brother Luka to have a fun Halloween out in the country, but she quickly becomes concerned they'll have to go back home when Luka starts itching like crazy. Determined not to let his skin issue ruin their Halloween plans, Anya and Mia devise a scheme to use her Romanian granny's book of potions to concoct a homemade remedy. When things don't go quite as planned, her smitten dad brings them to see the lovely Dr. Lazic, or "Dr. Itch," for help. When Luka learns he has warts, he is embarrassed, but Dr. Lazic explains they are a common virus and nothing to feel self-conscious about and informs him about prevention and treatment.

Dr. Tamara Lazic Strugar is an Ivy League-trained leading dermatologist in New York City. She is an Associate Clinical Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she teaches and mentors dermatology residents and medical students, earning her numerous teaching awards. Her mission is to extend this passion to educating youth about skin health through storytelling.