Euro Comics: Reviews of Equinoxes and Clear Blue Tomorrows - a podcast by Stergios Botzakis & Derek Royal

Time Codes:

• 00:00:27 - Introduction
• 00:03:17 - Setting up Pedrosa and Vehlmann
• 00:08:08 - Equinoxes and other Pedrosa titles
• 00:51:14 - Clear Blue Tomorrows and other Vehlmann titles
• 01:26:01 - Wrap up
• 01:29:12 - Contact us

It's the first Euro Comics episode of the new year, and Edward and Derek use the occasion to focus on the work of two contemporary French creators, using their latest books as springboards into their larger bodies of work. They begin with Cyril Pedrosa's Equinoxes (NBM Publishing), a novelistic examination of life purpose and the uses we make of art in creating meaning. The text comprises four alternating storylines that become more enmeshed as the narrative progresses, combining comics with prose passages in establishing its contemplative tone. But Edward and Derek also bring in discussions of Pedrosa's earlier works in translation, including Three Shadows (First Second), Hearts at Sea (Dupuis/Europe Comics) and Portugal (Dupuis/Europe Comics).

Next, the Two Guys examine Clear Blue Tomorrows, written by Fabien Vehlmann with art by Ralph Meyer and Bruno Gazzotti (Cinebook). This book is basically a series of science-fiction or fantastic stories brought together by a broader narrative frame: a time traveler from a dystopian future tasked with ghost writing stories for the would-be tyrant in hopes of changing the man's occupational trajectory. It's a curious spin on the "killing Hitler" sci-fi trope, though narratively reminiscent of One Thousand and One Nights. The guys also discuss several of Vehlmann's other works, including Last Days of an Immortal (Archaia), Beautiful Darkness (Drawn and Quarterly), and the all-age series Alone (Cinebook). There's a lot packed into this episode...and so many reading ideas!

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