Euro Comics: Reviews of The Initiates and Satania

Time Codes: 00:00:26 - Introduction 00:03:05 - Pascal joins the podcast! 00:16:560 - Listener mail 00:20:40 - The Initiates: A Comic Artist and a Wine Artisan Exchange Jobs 01:05:24 - Satania 01:48:51 - Wrap up 01:50:59 - Contact us For the March episode of the Euro Comics series, Pascal Hamon joins Derek to discuss two recent books from NBM Graphic Novels. They begin with Étienne Davodeau's The Initiates: A Comic Artist and a Wine Artisan Exchange Jobs, an autobiographical account of the artist and his friend's mutual education on what the other does. As Pascal points out, the majority of this narrative concerns Davodeau learning about winemaking and literally getting his hands dirty during the process. Not as much space is given to his friend, Richard Leroy, as he is initiated into the comics industry in France, but this makes sense, given the fact that Davodeau is the author of this account and spends a lot of time revealing what he has learned. After that, Pascal and Derek discuss Satania, the most recent collaboration between Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët. Their earlier book, Beautiful Darkness, was actually something discussed on the Euro Comics episode in January of last year. This is a similarly fantastical narrative and is, in fact, quite a bit wilder than the earlier book. On the literal level, this is a journey underground, but the guys read this text as more of a psychological narrative. Its young protagonist, Charlotte, while searching for her lost older brother is nonetheless coming to terms with her own issues as she becomes a grown woman. And, of course, Kerascoët's art is mesmerizing. This marks the debut of Pascal as the new cohost for the Euro Comics series, taking over from Edward while he is on hiatus. Please be sure to contact the Two Guys and welcome Pascal to the podcast!