Humor, drama, and fantasy in an expressive manga world.
Children are born with an innate curiosity. Why is the sky blue? What is a cloud made of? Parents can usually cobble together an answer with a reasonable level of accuracy and sensibility. But sometimes the questions get trickier to answer when parents are put on the spot. Where do babies come from? Why do people die? With these weightier topics, adults might be caught off guard and offer a response like Jack Nicholson’s iconic line from A Few Good Men, “You can’t handle the truth!” While never outright refusing to respond, Kenny Loui’s mom does the best she can and gives young Kenny quirky, creative, and alternate versions of the truth. There is No Shrimp… And Other Lies My Mother Told Me is chock full of wisdom, wit, and the protective nature only a loving parent can offer. A candid reflection on Kenny’s youth and how it led him to become the man he is today, this plush-accented account tackles some of life’s biggest questions, as posed through the eyes of a young boy. And Kenny’s naive, in-the-moment reactions to these edited truths range from mildly embarrassing to absolutely hilarious.
The story may be Kenny’s but the star of the show is Mom! She is industrious, resourceful, and quick-witted. Her practical suggestion, to leave fallen baby teeth in a sanitary and easy to reach canister instead of under a pillow, is one of the funniest and best ideas I’ve never heard before. My favorite lie, There is No Shrimp, originates from a place of love and good intentions, but the tale quickly takes a comically dark turn. Cultural references, including The Matrix, Pee-wee’s Playhouse, and the glorious, original Nintendo Entertainment System, help firmly anchor the time frame for Loui’s younger years in readers’ minds. This catalyzed nostalgia feels like winning first prize for your costume at a theme party, but it comes with a lot more cheeky anecdotes, a small dose of perspective, and some fun 80s and 90s trivia to round out the experience. While this segment of Loui’s Life Lessons from a UFO Catcher series boasts a distinct flight path, including a clear start and finish, there are quite a few detours along the way that disrupt the flow of the journey. Nonetheless, every obscure tangent along this indirect route helps shape Kenny’s character and props his mother up as one of the most endearing moms of all time! By displaying humor, drama, and fantasy in an expressive manga world, Kenny Loui has crafted a colorful collage of his childhood, one that has universal resonance and wide appeal.
