''Missouri Boy'' is an

autobiographical An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

written and illustrated by

Leland Myrick Leland Myrick is an author and illustrator. In 1999, he was nominated for an Ignatz Award for Promising New Talent for '' The Sweet Collection'', and in 2004 he was awarded a Xeric Grant to create '' Bright Elegy''. He illustrated the New York Tim ...

. The book was published in September 2006 by

First Second Books First Second Books is an American publisher of graphic novels. An imprint of Roaring Brook Press, part of Holtzbrinck Publishers, First Second publishes fiction, biographies, personal memoirs, history, visual essays, and comics journalism. It als ...

Plot

Prologue

''Missouri Boy'' is divided into ten chapters, detailing various events in Myrick's early life growing up in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. The book opens with a prologue set in 1961, titled "Ghost Umbilical", in which Myrick and his twin brother are born. Myrick's grandmother dies on the same day.

Chapters 1–3

Chapter one is set in 1967, and is titled "Paper Airplanes". Myrick's father gives him and his twin brother paper to use to make

paper airplane A paper plane (also known as a paper airplane in American English or paper aeroplane in British English) is a toy aircraft, usually a glider made out of single folded sheet of paper or paperboard. A simple nose-heavy paper plane, thrown like ...

s. The brothers make the airplanes and go outside to throw them in the wind. Chapter two is set in 1969, and is titled "Old Man's Chair". The chapter consists of two pages, and shows Myrick's father receiving a large chair. Myrick remarks to his father "That's an old man's chair", to which his father responds "Yes it is. Thank God for that." Chapter three takes place in 1970, and is titled "Firecracker Tree". Myrick's father brings him and his twin brother to a

firework Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices in ...

s shop. They buy some fireworks, and return home to wait until it is dark. At night the family (including Myrick's two older brothers) assembles around a tree to set off the fireworks. One of the older brothers asks their father if he can "bum a cig", before the fireworks are set off. The following morning Myrick and his twin brother return to the tree. The grass immediately surrounding the tree has been completely burned away.

Chapters 4–6

Chapter four is set in 1972 and is titled "My Father's Hands". The family goes to court where Myrick's oldest brother is sentenced to ten years in prison for robbery. After the sentencing, the family visits the brother one last time, and he shakes hands with Myrick's father. Chapter five is set in 1973 and is titled "Underwear Pond". Myrick and some friends go

skinny-dipping Nude swimming is the practice of swimming without clothing, whether in natural bodies of water or in swimming pools. A colloquial term for nude swimming is '' skinny-dipping''. In both British and American English, to swim means "to move throu ...

in a pond. They throw their underwear into the sky, and let it sink to the bottom of the pond. Myrick imagines the pond being drained years in the future, and underwear being found. Chapter six takes place in 1976 and is titled "The Resurrection". Myrick's brother and friends bury him in a pile of leaves. Myrick initially believes it to be a game, but when he emerges, they are

urinating Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...

on him. Myrick vows to "never go back to them".

Chapters 7–10

Chapter seven takes place in 1978 and is titled "Hanging". Myrick and some friends hang off the edge of a five-story parking garage in order to impress some girls. Chapter eight takes place in 1981 and is titled "His Blood". Myrick works in a hospital and watches on as doctors try save a patient, during which blood gets onto him. The patient dies, and afterward Myrick helps a doctor

x-ray An X-ray, or, much less commonly, X-radiation, is a penetrating form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation. Most X-rays have a wavelength ranging from 10 picometers to 10 nanometers, corresponding to frequencies in the range 30&nb ...

the body. When Myrick turns the body over, blood spills onto him again. Chapter nine takes place in 1982 and is titled "Candy Striper". Myrick is still working in a hospital, and he begins to notice a girl that also works there. Myrick begins to talk to her, but halfway through suddenly loses confidence. Later one of the girl's friends brings her back to Myrick and asks "Do you want to go out with her?", to which Myrick responds "No". Chapter ten takes place in 1985 and is titled "Out of the Country". Myrick leaves Missouri to be with a girl he met at a university in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. Scenes of his childhood are shown while he rides his motorcycle. The book ends when Myrick reaches a beach and finds the girl.

Production

Before ''Missouri Boy'', Myrick had no intention of writing anything

, as he considers himself "a very private person". The work began as a series of poems that he converted into graphic novel format. One chapter of the book, titled "Paper Airplanes", was published in the anthology '' Happy Endings'', by

Dark Horse Comics Dark Horse Comics is an American comic book, graphic novel, and manga publisher founded in Milwaukie, Oregon by Mike Richardson in 1986. The company was created using funds earned from Richardson's chain of Portland, Oregon comic book shops known ...

in 2002. Myrick's wife felt that this was his best work, and encouraged him to convert more of his poems. Subsequently, he took a selection of his poems that would represent a complete narrative, and the collection became ''Missouri Boy''.

Reception

''Missouri Boy'' was praised for its "vibrant imagery", realistic art, and "powerful moments". Reviewers drew comparisons to

Chester Brown Chester William David Brown (born 16 May 1960) is a Canadian cartoonist. Brown has gone through several stylistic and thematic periods. He gained notice in alternative comics circles in the 1980s for the surreal, scatological ''Ed the Happy Clo ...

's '' I Never Liked You'', and

John Porcellino John Porcellino (born September 18, 1968, in Chicago, Illinois) is a popular creator of minicomics. Porcellino's self-published, photocopied, mostly autobiographical series ''King-Cat Comics'' is among the best-known and longest-running minicomic ...

's '' Perfect Example'' in terms of subject matter. A reviewer in VOYA said the facial drawing and expression was "rudimentary", but also that the "simplistic style works best for the story." The

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...

named ''Missouri Boy'' on its top ten graphic novels for youth in 2007.

References

{{portalbar, Comics 2006 books