Comic-Con Round-Up: For Tweens and Teens

My Mommy Is in America and She Met Buffalo Bill

My Mommy, by Jean Regnaud and Émile Bravo, is a semi-autobiographical story (translated from French) about a little boy whose mother is absent. On the first day of school, when the teacher asks everyone to say what their parents do, he doesn’t know what to say. It’s not really spoiling the book to tell you that his mom is deceased—but his father has chosen not to tell Jean and his little brother. Regnaud manages to reveal this to the reader through Jean’s narration even though Jean himself is kept in the dark.

Through interactions with their nanny, Yvette, with other children and the teacher, with their father and grandparents, we get snapshots of Jean’s journey from ignorance to eventual understanding. The title comes from postcards that a neighbor girl reads to him: since he can’t read, she tells him that his mother has been sending her postcards which she reads to him, but then keeps for herself. She tells him stories about his mother on vacation, about going to America and seeing Buffalo Bill, and so on. It’s not until much later that Jean discovers the truth about the postcards.

My Mommy was nominated for an Eisner this year and it’s easy to see why. The story is poignant and deeply touching, but not without its moments of humor and levity. The artwork is perfect for the story (and very European) and really captures the expressions of Jean and his friends and family.

Wired: You want a cute-looking comic book with a deeply touching story? Here it is.

Tired: Sometimes the pacing feels funny, but that may just be my American sensibilities speaking there.

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Jonathan H. Liu

Jonathan H. Liu is a stay-at-home dad in Portland, Oregon, who loves to read, is always up for a board game, and has a bit of a Kickstarter habit. I can be reached at jonathan at geekdad dot com.