Vistas Unimagined: 14 Graphic Novels Honoring Mothers

By Martha Cornog, Philadelphia -- Library Journal, 04/28/2009

Comics about Mother? Yes, we found some, even if those countless school-kid manga feature few adults of any sort. What teen wants parents showing up in fantasies of space operas and superpowers unless Mom and Dad are Runaways-style supervillains? Indeed, most of the titles in the list below fall into nonfiction or slice-of-life categories—but with a couple of quirky fantasy titles, too. Indeed, moms and wannabes take note: motherhood may have vistas you’ve never imagined. So pull up a footstool, pour a favorite beverage, and enjoy stories than honor mothers present, absent, and fantastic.

Pregnancy and Birthing | Mothering and Family Life | Loss

Rabagliati, Michel. Paul Goes Fishing. Drawn & Quarterly. 2008. 187p. tr. from French by Helge Dascher. ISBN 978-1-897299-28-9. pap. $19.95. F
Paul and Lucie look forward to parenthood, but Lucie miscarries several times. Despite repeated problems, they persevere with the support of friends, family, and a gynecologist with a sense of humor. High school and up. (LJ 1/09)

Willingham, Bill (text) & Mark Buckingham & Tony Akins (illus.). Fables: The Mean Seasons. DC/Vertigo. 2005. 166p. ISBN 978-1-4012-0486-0. pap. $14.99. F
When Mommy is Snow White and Daddy’s the Big Bad Wolf, the kids are, well, a litter. And since Grandad is the North Wind, the little darlings can fly, too. You think YOU have toddler problems? Only a small part of the much longer Fables saga for adult readers. (For a Mother’s Day display, open the book to pages 80–81 or 114–115.)

Armstrong, Robb. Twins: Twice the Fun: A Bundle of JumpStart Comics That Really Deliver. Journey Pbns. 2008. 140p. ISBN 978-0-9798171-1-3. pap. $17.95. F
Police officer Joe and nurse Marcy juggle marriage, two kids, two careers, and eccentric parents, and then OMG! Twins! Running in more than 400 newspapers, the JumpStart strip offers a humorous and positive portrayal of middle-class African American life. Tweens and up. See also the earlier JumpStart (Andrews McMeel, 1997), opening with the birth of Marcy and Joe’s first child and focused more on family life.

Torres, Alissa (text) & Sungyoon Choi (illus.). American Widow. Villard. 2008. 214p. ISBN 978-0-345-50069-4. $22. AUTOBIOG
Widowed after her husband died in the World Trade Center attacks, pregnant Alissa Torres must face delivery and motherhood when sucked into the chaotic 9/11 relief machine. High school and up. (See LJ’s original review 11/15/08)

Mothering and Family Life

Gaiman, Neil & P. Craig Russell. Coraline. HarperCollins. 2008. 186p. ISBN 978-0-06-082543-0. $18.99. F
Coraline has two mothers: a real-life person who’s sometimes distant and preoccupied and a creepy smother-mother with button eyes who lives in the other side of the brick wall that sometimes isn’t there. Will Coraline save her real mother or stay with this indulgent imposter forever? Ages eight and up. (LJ 1/09)

Craft, Jerry. Mama’s Boyz: Home Schoolin, Because Learning Shouldn’t Stop at 3 o’clock! Mama’s Boyz Inc. 2007. 112p. ISBN 978-0-9796132-0-3. pap. $9.95. F
Widow Pauline Porter’s raising her teens Tyrell and Yusuf with help of Gran’pa and Uncle Greg. Appearing in 1500 newspapers, this 15-year-old weekly strip is aimed at getting kids and young adults to focus on the positive sides of African American life and tackles issues like racial prejudice and teen pregnancy. Tweens and up.

Johnston, Lynn. For Better or for Worse. Andrews McMeel. (Numerous collections) F
This is one of the most popular family strips in North America with characters aging normally through time and experience over its 30-year run. It treats family and social issues with both gravity and a light touch as played out in the lives of Canadians Elly and John Patterson and their family, friends, and community. Tweens and up.

Holbrook, Bill. Kevin & Kell. Plan 9 Pub.; Moonbase Pr. (Numerous collections available from the Bill Holbrook Store, www.billholbrookstore.com) F
Kell and Kevin head up a blended family: a son from Kell’s previous marriage, Kevin’s adopted daughter, and a daughter together. Now, y’see, it’s a mixed marriage, too: Kell is a wolf, and Kevin a rabbit. Imagine the complications! This award-winning web comic specializing in lighthearted satire also comes out daily in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Teens and up.

Arnoldi, Katherine. The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom. Hyperion. 1998. 176p. ISBN 978-0-7868-6420-1. $16. AUTOBIOG
Family abuse, rape, pregnancy, and a violent boyfriend don’t stop the resilient Katherine from finding a new life for herself and her baby daughter. This poignant memoir includes practical tips and resources to help others, including hot lines and college guidance. Age 16 and up.

Ottaviani, Jim & Dylan Meconis. Wire Mothers. G.T. Labs. 2007. 88p. ISBN 978-0-9788037-1-1. pap. $12.95. PSYCH
In the 1950s, misguided behavioral scientists warned mothers about the "dangers" of hugging and holding children. But Harry Harlow knew better, and his famous experiments showing that monkeys preferred cuddly cloth "mother" figures over wire versions proved his case with chilling finality. Mothers DID know best. Tweens and up.

Loss

Fies, Brian. Mom’s Cancer. Abrams. 2006. 128p. ISBN 978-0-8109-7107-3. $14.95. AUTOBIOG
Fies’s Eisner Award–winning web comic began as a visceral response to a family crisis and describes the diagnosis and treatment of his mother’s terminal illness. This grave and courageous account reaches beyond one individual and one family to become a support story for others living with cancer, and a real classic. Tweens and up. (LJ 3/15/07)

Otomo, Katsuhiro (text) & Takumi Nagayasu (illus.). The Legend of Mother Sarah: Tunnel Town. Dark Horse. 1996. 224p. tr. from Japanese by Dana Lewis & Toren Smith. ISBN 978-1-56971-145-3. pap. $18.95. F
After a terrorist attack on their space colony, the colonists are forced into exile on the postapocalypse, blighted Earth below, and young mother Sarah is separated from her family. Still seeking her children ten years later, Sarah mothers young couple Lucia and Toki while fighting autocrats and rebels both to find water on the barren planet. Age 16 and up.

Doherty, Catherine. Can of Worms. Fantagraphics. 2000. 88p. ISBN 978-1-56097-363-8. pap. $12.95. AUTOBIOG
Adoptee Catherine searches for her birth mother, wordless panels in a clean-line style showing the author’s quest interspersed with more realistically drawn court records, clippings, notes, and letters. Teens and up.

Hornschmeier, Paul. Mother Come Home. Fantagraphics. 2009. 128p. ISBN 978-1560979739. $23.95. F
After his mother dies, young Thomas retreats into a fantasy world, while his father gradually goes insane as both struggle to fill the hole in their hearts and lives. An exquisitely written and beautifully drawn exploration of grief. Older and teens up.