MAMA'S BOYZ: THE BIG PICTURE
$9.95
Written and illustrated by Jerry Craft
ISBN 978-0-979-61321-0
16-year-old Yusuf Porter is visited by 4 versions of how he could turn out if he doesn't start to see how the decisions he makes today can affect him for the rest of his life. The 4 phantoms take him back in time to look at how his views on health, family, fashion and education have made them what they are, a real nightmare! The phantoms include the Phantom of Fitness, who is a 400 pound version of Yusuf, shows him what poor eating habits, too many video games and too little exercise have helped to make him that way. The Phantom of Fashion is a 70-year-old version who still wears his pants down around his ankles. Maybe those tattoos he got when he was 18 weren't such a good idea after all. The Phantom of Family and the Phantom of a Failed Education help round it off.
Library Journal Review
Stories Beyond Black and White: 25 Graphic Novels for African American History Month
Craft, Jerry. Mama’s Boyz: The Big Picture; What You Need To Succeed! Mama’s Boyz Inc. 2010. 112p. ISBN 9780979613210. pap. $9.95. HUMOR (order from www.mamasboyz.com)
Lighthearted vignettes with a serious message convey how mundane, day-to-day living habits can affect one’s future. Slacker teen Yusuf Porter blows off his mama’s lifestyle advice but is then visited in his dreams, as in A Christmas Carol, by four phantoms—all versions of his future self. The phantoms counsel him on matters of health, appearance, family, and education and well as general self-esteem and respect for others. The good-natured preachiness is leavened by jokes poking fun at some of the clichés of black culture. The 15-year-old Mama’s Boyz strip is syndicated by King Features.
http://reviews.libraryjournal.com/2012/01/collection-development/stories-beyond-black-and-white-25-graphic-novels-for-african-american-history-month/
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Featured in the July 2010 School Library Journal!