The End of the Arab of the Future: A Youth in the Middle East Vol. 1
Writer/Artist: Riad Sattouf
Translator: Sam Taylor
Publisher: Fantagraphics
Publication Date: May 19, 2026
It’s been seven years. Riad Sattouf’s six-book opus had won acclaim upon its 2022 completion in France – even earning Angoulême Festival’s much-coveted Grand Prix career achievement award – but for English language readers the series has been stuck at the major cliffhanger in the series’ fourth volume, published in 2019. Having picked up the license from Metropolitan Books and with just two books remaining to complete the story, Fantagraphics are starting with the long-awaited conclusion, published as The End of The Arab of the Future, volumes 1 and 2 (rather than The Arab of the Future, volumes 5 and 6). However, by setting these instalments apart under a new(er) name, can they work standalone, or at least remain coherent for those who had read the series so far, during its initial run, but may have forgotten a note or two? For the most part, surprisingly, the answer is Yes.
The End of the Arab of the Future vol. 1 picks up in the immediate aftermath of the discovery that Riad’s father had absconded with his baby brother, Fadi, and fled to Syria. As Riad’s French mother falls into a deep depression with moments of delusion and hysteria, his maternal grandparents step in, and together they go to often bizarre lengths to remain safe and try bring little Fadi home. At the same time, Riad is in middle school, enters puberty, discovers girls, hormones, the school social hierarchy, deals with questions of identity, and – most importantly for his future artistic direction in life – reengages with comics. Although the subtitle of the series is A Youth in the Middle East, the story by this point is entirely set in Brittany, Northwest France.
Sattouf is a master cartoonist who manages to depict one of the most traumatic episodes of his youth in a way that doesn’t shy from its seriousness, yet simultaneously manages to genuinely surprise with moments of laugh-out-loud humour. There are parts of the story that are incredibly shocking or disturbing, where Sattouf manages to find levity – often in the contradictions and complexity. Even dealing with blatent racism (with only one exception) Sattouf finds room for absurdity.
For those already familiar with the series there are several callbacks to previous instalments that provide a consistency to what came before, predominantly judgmental recollections of his cousin in Syria denoting culture clash and teenage Riad’s own internal conflict. Another feature that keeps The End of the Arab of the Future consistent with its earlier instalments is the return of original series translator Sam Taylor, who never misses a beat at bringing Sattouf’s humour and narrative voice across. Curious newcomers need not fret overmuch either because – as Sattouf has done with every book in the series – the opening page starts with a self-deprecating introductory portrait of himself alongside a clear, concise recap to bring readers up to speed.
Barring one odd typo, the book only falls short in two areas. Although Fadi, the youngest brother, isn’t present at all in the book, Riad’s younger brother Yahya (the middle child) often feels like window dressing throughout the story. A silent background character that only speaks on a few pages. It can be argued that, since the book is primarily from teenage Riad’s point of view, he would maximise his own perspective. It is still very noticeable, especially when Yahya eventually does speak on-panel.
The other issue is more a printing concern. There are many moments when there is a red background. Beyond black and white, the book uses two colour tones – light blue and red to indicate emphasis, contrast, and mood. The black lettering on the blue background is easily legible and won’t need you to turn the book as much to a good light source but the red background made the lettering less so. Without toning down the author’s intended choice of palette, either a different paper stock or a better contrast to the font might have helped.
Despite these minor bugbears, The End of the Arab of the Future, volume 1 is excellent. A fine blend of tense drama, bleakness, deadpan humour and satire. It’s been seven years wait but well worth it. Onward to volume 2, aka: “The End of The End of The Arab of the Future”!
The End of the Arab of the Future: A Youth in the Middle East Vol. 1 is available this month via Fantagraphics
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