Comics Alternative

On this week's episode, the Two Guys with PhDs discuss three very different recent titles. They begin with the comics adaptation of Albert Camus's The Stranger, written and illustrated by Jacques Ferrandez (Pegasus Books). Originally published in French 2013 -- and translated by Sandra Smith -- this is a graphic retelling of the absurdist classic. What is most notable about their discussion is that the guys are coming at this book from different perspectives of awareness. Derek knows the work of Camus very well, while Gene had never read the original novella. This leads them to slightly different interpretations of the story events as revealed through Meursault's narration. And the guys' experiential differences also come through in their readings of the text's absurdist theme. Next, Gene and Derek look at Bryan Lee O'Malley and Leslie Hung's Snotgirl #1 (Image Comics). This is O'Malley's first monthly series, and the guys were expecting a lot from this title. While both appreciate Hung's art, they're not en