Our Mother is a comedy about growing up with a parent who has an anxiety disorder. Luke Howard mixes genres to tell an utterly open personal reflection about his childhood and his relationship with his mother. Jumping between noir, giant robots, fantasy adventure, and even scientific animal research, Luke brings a very intimate story to life with humor and cartooning experimentation.

Our Mother begins with what feels like a bunch of sets of short stories, vignettes that don’t have much to do with each other though may share a theme. As the comic progresses, Howard impressively brings everything together in a world of weird, and rather humorous events.

It’s hard to describe the comic as a whole except take the choppy storytelling made famous by Tarantino, but mix that with an experimental tale. Things such as depression, being trapped in a loop, and more are touched upon in the 40 pages. It’s an interesting reflection on relationships that comes together with humor and an honesty that unveils itself as the story progresses.

The art by Howard is great with a style that is hard to describe. It’s so clean and looks great. Howard seems to have a knack at focusing on the details needed per panel framing each scene in a way that enhances the storytelling. What’s interesting is even with the change in genres and settings, it all, the story, the art, seems very personal. Yes, giant robots somehow feel personal.

Retrofit again shows off that they’re a leader of indie comics and continue to impress with each release. This is a publisher that deserves your attention as their releases rarely disappoint and almost always entertain. If you’re new to the world of indie comics, seek out Retrofit and expand your mind and reading pile.

Story: Luke Howard Art: Luke Howard
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy