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As we entered 2021, we interviewed Riad Sattouf about his Arab of the Future series, reflecting on how comics explore memory and the importance of narrative storytelling not limited to 280 Twitter characters or conforming to rigid and oversimplified ideology. Sattouf shared how he understands elements of comics, including the thought bubble and the uses of colour in his comics, as well as his many comics influences. There is an urgency in his work that we explore in this interview: his stories depict the corruption of political promises and ideologies. Sattouf's work reminds us that human life, and particularly child development intersects in painful and often confusing ways with cultural violence and political oppression. Comics as an art form can help us to depict and contend with the complexities of modern living, challenging and transcending nationalist boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]