Joe the Barbarian/Grant Morrison,writer, creator; Sean Murphy, artist; Dave Stewart, colorist; Todd Klein, letterer.
The Deluxe Edition.
London: Vertigo/DC Comics, 2011.

Joe, is a 13 year old  an insulin dependent diabetic, who slips into a hypoglycemic state of hallucination. He enters a world of adventure and daring, strangely familiar yet unlike anywhere he's ever been before. He encounters King Death and embarks on a war that sees Joe as the saviour who can vanquish him.While at the same time, in the real world, he searches for a can of soda to regulate his blood sugar. Gripping stuff!
This graphic novel will certainly appeal to male young adults 12+. It's full of darkness, and fighting and fantasy. Many of the illustrations are in a frame form which adds to the excitement and tension of the story. There are some full length pages where the plot reaches a crescendo.Although the novel appears to be dark and austere there is an underlying message portrayed in it of working through the problems and challenges in life and coming out victorious at the other end.
This novel encompasses the 8 comics that were originally issued as single entities. At the back of the book the intial sketches by Sean Murphy are included together with commentaries and character designs and a storytelling breakdown.
I highly recommend this book as a novel way of introducing the characteristics of  diabetes to young adults.