Punk Rock and Trailer Parks [Paperback]

Derf (Author, Artist)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 29, 2008

Punk Rock & Trailer Parks conjures up the oppressive insanity of growing up in a small town, the day-to-day weirdness of the trailer parks tucked away therein, the magic allure of sex and the necessary comforts of friendship, the mystical power of the counter-culture to turn outcasts into heroes and, most of all, the transcendent power of music, specifically the punk rock of the late 1970's which redefined, transported, and ultimately, perhaps, disappointed a generation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Derf, whose iconoclastic strip, The City, has been appearing in alternative periodicals since the early 1990s, here gives us a mordantly funny, semiautobiographical peek at his high-school years in an Akron, Ohio, suburb. When he isn’t looking out for his senile, tractor-driving uncle at his humble trailer-park abode, Otto “the Baron” Pizcok is haunting Akron’s concert hall, the Bank (now defunct), where the latest ’80s-era punk bands are usually playing. With an aplomb beyond his years, Otto manages to shrug off his nerdy image to become the local tour guide for punk legends such as Joe Strummer and the Ramones. As Otto counts down the days to his senior prom, his big dilemma is deciding whether he is leaving Ohio for college or staying to become Akron’s newest punk-rock star. Derf’s deftly drawn caricatures of teens and band members are amusing enough on their own, but his madcap scenarios and witty dialogue make this one of the stand-out graphic novels of the year. --Carl Hays

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: SLG Publishing (September 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593621353
• ISBN-13: 978-1593621353
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #538,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Baron has arrived!, October 17, 2009

By 

Johnny Heering "trivia buff" (Bethel, CT United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Punk Rock and Trailer Parks (Paperback)

This graphic novel takes place in Akron in 1979 and 1980. The lead character is Otto, a dorky eccentric teen who calls himself "The Baron". He gets involved in the punk rock scene and manages to become a hero to local punks. Several real life punk legends appear in the comic, as they perform at the club Otto works at and have misadventures with him. This is a hilarious and at time poignant book that really captures the feel of what punk was like at the time.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDERFUL..., November 26, 2008

By 

Bobby.N (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Punk Rock and Trailer Parks (Paperback)

More comics should be like this.

As Derf says in his opening remarks, "it's not a true story... but it could be."... and he's right. PR&TP taps into the 'voyeur' side of us, as it reads as though we were observing reality. The well crafted characters, attention to detail, and 'believability', make this wonderfully illustrated graphic novel a must to own & give.

If you like independant cartooning (ie: Joe Matt, Julie Doucet or Fudge) then you'll probably dig Derf's work. Get it. Give Derf heaps of money so he doesn't have to earn money at a day job, and can make these books full-time... because I want more.

-Bobby.N

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Joe Strummer fans unite!, October 29, 2008

By 

John Platt (Belle Mead, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Punk Rock and Trailer Parks (Paperback)

Man, what a fun read. A punk-rock novel capturing the beginnings of the punk-rock scene. The Baron is a character for the ages -- hugely self-deluded, but completely self-confident, and with an attitude that can't be broken. This was one of those rare books where I immediately wanted to know what happened to the characters after the last scene.