Jason Shaw, a high school English teacher, has created Snow Monkey a four-issue comic book series, soon to be published by Red 5 Comics, aimed at addressing the growing mental health crisis among teenagers.

The series follows 16-year-old Jennifer Gaitlin, a high school student struggling with anxiety and depression, who dons an ancient helmet that grants her the skills of every warrior who has ever worn the helmet, in the fight against her father, a crime lord,

Shaw’s goal is to provide hope and inspiration for young readers who are navigating similar challenges.

While the protagonist faces external threats in the form of her father’s dangerous students, a gang called Dragon’s Breath, she learns to manage her personal life. Through her struggles and triumphs, Snow Monkey provides a realistic yet hopeful narrative that should resonate with teens and adults alike.

Rates of anxiety and depression continue to significantly increase, with reportedly more than 30 percent of teens experiencing a mental health disorder each year. Social pressures, academic stress, and the lingering effects of the pandemic have exacerbated the crisis, leaving many teens feeling isolated and overwhelmed.

While Snow Monkey is Shaw’s first foray into professional comic book writing, he considers himself, first and foremost, a storyteller. With 35 years’ experience as a journalist, advertising copywriter and educator, he has always embraced narrative forms as a means to communicate to an audience.

Snow Monkey will make her debut in a special Free Comic Book Day 2025 title alongside other Red 5 Comics young adult series, Enigmatown and Something Beyond the Petrichor. This exclusive comic will give readers a first look at Jennifer’s world and the challenges she faces, setting the stage for the miniseries, which debuts May 7, 2025. The Snow Monkey comic series can be ordered from comic book retailers and at red5comics.com.