Mexikid by Pedro Martín

“Mexikid” is a poignant graphic memoir written by Pedro Martín. It recounts Pedro’s and his family’s story of picking up his grandpa in Mexico and the obstacles they faced along the way. His family drives a cheap RV to Mexico. Throughout the novel, Pedro is able to find out more about his grandpa, and he turns out not to be the boring old man that Pedro thought he was; he’s a war hero, but not in the way that you might think. 

This graphic novel was not only filled with emotion, but also comedy. Martín expertly balanced “Mexikid” with intense detail and humor, making the book more interesting.

I have a YouTube channel where I animate some of my book reviews! Be sure to check it out at: www.youtube.com/@theeccentricbookshelf.

 Another detail that Martín captured was his own growth throughout the journey. Initially, Pedro feels more like a kid; he only cares about his own life and comfort. However, as the story progresses, Pedro seems to care more about the people around him. Going back and rereading the beginning of the book, makes it significantly clearer how much Pedro has changed during his travels. 

As well, the way the colors change in the book helps to better visualize the atmosphere and mood. The colors shift towards a darker, more muted tone at the end, which helps picture the situation that Pedro is in. It’s also interesting how Martín changes the amount of detail to better fit the vibe. In the darker scenes, there’s more of a focus on the people’s expressions and the foreground rather than the background, which, once again, helps to set the scene. Overall, I quite enjoyed “Mexikid”. It was intriguing to watch Pedro grow from his perspective and hear the war stories of his grandpa.