Zidrou, Borecki and Ers deliver a truly chilling series in Kill Your Mothers when they turn every teenybopper’s dream into a nightmare: what happens when the things you wish upon your mother really do come true?
Beatriz, Marie, Valentine, Kom Piu and Toronto all grow up without a father. And even though they really love their mothers, their relationships can be like fire and ice. One day they all stumble upon a website namely www.castigo.fr that promises revenge upon those who have wronged you and the girls let it all out. But what starts as an innocent way to let off some steam turns into a horrible nightmare when their made-up punishments really start to happen to their mothers…
Writer Zidrou – yes, him again – makes some classic but smart choices in his latest series Kill Your Mothers. He focuses squarely on the teenage girls and their living environments and makes sure that the reader has a real connection with the characters. The girls all feature different looks and form a ragtag band of different outlooks on life. They band together out of a sense of loss of not having a father and of growing up outside of the traditional family structure. It’s a good hook and Zidrou uses it to its fullest effect in the characterizations and the problems they face with having only a mother as a parent. He eases us into to the story and takes his time for the set-up since the ominous website doesn’t show up until the book is halfway through. From there though, things rapidly progress and Zidrou ups the ante considerably, slowly letting the book slide into horror territory.
Benoît Ers illustrates it all with a beautiful swerving line and cartoony artwork. His character designs are inventive and feel real and there’s a real dynamic feel to pages. It is flashy, consistent, well designed and perfect for a teen horror comic. The atmosphere is enhanced by Scarlett Smulkowski’s moody colouring who turns Ers’ bright artwork into a something dark and foreboding.
Kill Your Mothers by Zidrou and Ers fires on all cylinders with a teen high school story that turns into a dark horrific tale of be careful what you wish for. Writer, artist and colourist set the mood perfectly for a story that ends on such a bloodcurdling cliffhanger that makes waiting for publication of part 2 will set your hair on end!
Kill Your Mothers is a two issue series and is published in French by Dupuis. It is a full colour softcover counting 48 pages and retails for €12.
