My Boy

‘My Boy’ is a collection of five tragicomic short stories about a wealthy father and his physically underdeveloped son. The father figure is a jovial aristocrat, cordial and exuberant, who tries to accept his son as he is. But the red-haired pre-schooler hardly talks, is as big as a finger puppet and is equipped with exceptionally spindly limbs and large ears.

The album evokes the atmosphere of American newspaper comic strips at the beginning of the 20th century. That sweet, dated style gives added intensity to Schrauwen’s playful nightmares. The atmosphere, colouring and drawing style are reminiscent of Winsor McCay. Like McCay, Schrauwen steers his little character through absurd fantasy stories, surrounds him with many animals and strange creatures, and creates several McCay-like architectural masterpieces.

The defenceless son, who is always dressed in a lovely blue playsuit, unintentionally creates chaos everywhere he goes. Danger is always lurking, and the father tries to protect his boy. Everything relates to that theme: the concern of a father for his son. A silly, exaggerated father and a ludicrous, feeble son, but a parent and child, in spite of everything.