Episode 58 - A Review of Rebetiko, Pachyderme, and The Outliers #1

This week Gene and Derek review two new books (both translations from the French) and the first issue of a new series. They begin with David Prudhomme’s Rebetiko (SelfMadeHero), a narrative centered around a day in the lives of five rebetes, musicians who were a part of the Greek folk music subculture in the 1920s and 1930s. The characters are outcasts, living on the fringe because of their love of rebetiko — often called “Greek blues” — and treated as immoral influences. Prudhomme uses the music and the lifestyle as a structuring device for his narrative. The Two Guys then turn to Pachyderme (SelfMadeHero), Frederik Peeter’s surreal, dreamlike story of a woman who is searching — searching for her husband, whom she believes to have been in an accident; searching for her young female piano student, who elicits in her some sort of hidden passion; and searching for her own sense of self as a fully realized woman. The result is a free-flowing, associative story that seems to turn back on itself and resists closure. If you appreciate Charles Burns’s dislocated narratives, you’ll really enjoy Pachyderme. Finally, Derek and Gene discuss the first issue of Erik T. Johnson’s series, The Outliers (Panelvision Productions/Alternative Comics). Beginning almost two years ago as a Kickstarter campaign, this is Johnson’s adventure story of a speech-impaired boy who is able to see creatures living on the periphery of human consciousness, or outliers, that others cannot perceive. The guys are impressed by all three of the titles they discuss and heartily recommend that listeners run out to get these comics. This week is truly an alternative comics feast!