Most adults still hold onto some stale, worn-out old belief, whether it’s in UFOs or Santa Claus or an all-knowing and loving God.
One teenager’s quest for a girlfriend is the subject of Bigfoot, Pascal Girard’s second graphic book. Helge Dascher, who translated Bigfoot from the original French, recounts the tale of Jimmy, a typical youngster living in a tiny Quebec village in the Internet era.
His closest buddy Simon, who recorded him rehearsing dance routines and posted it on YouTube, makes Jimmy an instant hit. This fame, which makes him the centre of attention and the brunt of jokes from seemingly everyone in his little town, annoys Jimmy to no end.
There are two people who suffer from an overdose of internet fame: Jimmy and his attention-seeking uncle, who uploads footage purporting to show Bigfoot’s presence in a wooded area adjacent to their town. The absurdity of this claim, coupled with Jimmy’s already-established fame, causes both of them to become laughingstocks.
Jimmy boldly carries on in his effort to win over Jolène, his crush, while his uncle Simon tries to enlist Jimmy’s help in his never-ending quest to get it on. Jimmy joins a weekly sketching class in an attempt to win over Jolène.
It all comes together when the three teenagers drive to Jimmy’s uncle’s cottage in the woods for a weekend of Bigfoot hunting.
It’s a tribute to Girard’s storytelling ability that Bigfoot incorporates the 21st century into a location and plot that otherwise seem familiar.
As much as it’s difficult not to think of Bigfoot as a Québecois Napoleon Dynamite in graphic novel form (as it is a graphic novel adaptation of a Québecois book), Girard is most proud of Bigfoot’s exploration of what it means to be a lovelorn adolescent boy. Perhaps Gus van Sant’s Elephant might be a better comparable.
Despite the fact that Elephant is a film about a school shooting, it is really a tale that uses a school shooting as a jumping-off point to examine the numerous adolescent hardships.
Using the same strategy, Bigfoot substitutes the school shooting with a viral phenomenon. “Star Wars Kid,” “Columbine Massacre,” and “Star Wars Kid” are all examples of simple fictionalisations of true events that aim to reveal deeper themes: loneliness, insecurity, sexuality, and fear of failure. While most films and books about teens fall short in this area, Girard’s narrative feels genuine in a way few other works do.
Because Bigfoot is smaller, less blurry, and less mystical than its bigger and more fabled relative, it is easier for humans to discover. Hunt for this creature in the woods with some friends—you’ll never regret it.
