I'm Reading Comeeks

Both Bumperhead and Marble Season start out with childhood in the neighborhood.  Though Bumperhead follows Bobby through his life and Marble Season stays with Huey only through one summer.

Marble Season focuses on Huey as he navigates between friendships, interests and moral dilemmas.  It's very true to how kids really think, or at least my nostalgic view of childhood.  Huey isn't perfect, when another kid shows him a trick to get free bubble gum cards, he doesn't say, 'that's wrong!'  Though, of course, his mom ends up throwing the whole lot away in the end, anyway.  

It's unique, yet universal at the same time.  Huey also stuffs one of his friends comics down his shirt to take home, I remember a certain friend of mine who'd push toys I brought to her house under the bed, a thing which, once I caught on, I'd do to her too!

Kids pop up, and disappear, just like that.  I remember friendships I'd have for a season, then suddenly my new friend had moved again and things went back to normal.

Bumperhead follows Bobby, a boy who finds himself taking care of his parents, his father who never learned English despite being a citizen and chain smoking mother drifts along listening to glam rock bands until he discovers punk, which brings him alive.  He also experiments with drugs and drinking, but suffers bad health.  His father leaves him to start a new family in Mexico, but then returns, abandoning his second wife and seven kids there. 

Whereas other people leave the neighborhood Bobby remains in the same house his entire life.  I'd recommend these stories to anyone who is looking for a lot to think about, a comic book that kindles a lot of memories and a lot of questioning.  These would be great for a discussion.