“The Pervert” is a strange beast, in the best of ways. A disjointed pseudo-memoir collecting deeply personal stories, this book’s very existence rebels against conventions in much the same way its (mostly) unnamed protagonist lives. The only overarching narrative here is that these are pieces of a person’s life. The only theme is that going it alone makes the world a bleak place, that we need other people to make life worth living.
It is a deeply touching book, one that should evoke emotion in anyone regardless of their identity. It is also a chart of a transgender woman’s course of existence during a period of her transition. The content of “The Pervert” inherently makes it an important story to tell, but works must be judged on their own merit as well. A concept that is interesting because of social relevance is still only a concept, susceptible to poor execution and vulnerable to being killed by such. “The Pervert” does not fall victim to this. These vignettes are laid out deftly, each sporting their own charm in the hands of Remy Boydell and Michelle Perez.
Written by Michelle PerezCover by Boydell
Illustrated by Remy BoydellA surprisingly honest and touching account of a trans girl surviving through sex work in Seattle. With excerpts published in the Eisner-nominated anthology ISLAND, the full-color volume, drawn and painted by REMY BOYDELL, is an unflinching debut graphic novel. Written by MICHELLE PEREZ.
Before delving into the content itself, the cover is worth taking note of. A seemingly minor detail has deeper implications than the visual of our main character or the layout of the title. “The Pervert” credits read “by Remy Boydell, directed by Michelle Perez.” Proper crediting of creators has been a common complaint lately among both illustrators and writers. Even with this swapping of the list of duties Amazon only credits Perez in smaller blurbs and links. Creators like Boydell may rightly view this as a slight to their contribution, realistically more than 50% on this type of project. “The Pervert” takes a nice step towards giving credit where credit is due.
On the subject of illustrators getting first billing for a change, Boydell’s art is sublime. The anthropomorphized characters are mostly simplistic, allowing storytelling through motion and dialogue to be more the focus of the panels. Boydell and Perez act like a guitar duo à la Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins, two fantastic performers stepping in and out of the center spotlight while always supporting each other in the background. Boydell’s watercolors are most impressive in the scenery stills between chapters. There’s a darkly oppressive feel to these images, evocative of the feelings of suffocation felt by the main character at times.
There’s a quirky visual humor at play here as well. The anthro-style art gives way to cameos that can’t be credited due to copyrights. A transphobic Charlie Brown eats the business end of some heels, a compassionate Canadian Clifford the Dog gives a performance review, and Business Cat even seems to make a small appearance. Boydell’s work especially shines during the ‘In Dreams’ sequence, playing with abstract depictions of the subconscious unboxing we all experience in sleep.
Moving further into that story content it should be made abundantly clear that this book is very graphic at times. Sexual acts are depicted without subtlety, undoubtedly intentionally. The second panel of “The Pervert” contains a narration box that reads “A ‘fiscally conservative, socially libertarian’ guy asks me to fuck his ass while he calls me a fucking faggot.'” Perez pulls no punches in regards to content. These stories are presented with unflinching bluntness. A conversation is had about cutting one’s own penis off and placing it in a sandwich. It is vulgar, and it is unapologetic about being in your face. You bought the book, now take all of it.
It also has a lot of heart. Many of us can identify with the burden of too much pride in an unsafe situation. Felina (whose name does get revealed later in the book) has safer options in her life, and she knows it. It is difficult and painful to watch her in some of these moments, but there are blips of hope and an eventual light at the end of the tunnel. One of the more poetic but also painful character arcs though is that of Tom. Without revealing too much here, Tom’s backstory in the middle of the book is an unexpected spot of lightheartedness. His reaction to Edna’s admission of being a transsexual with “you can fly?” gave me a light chuckle in my belly, a mid-size tear in my eye, and a deep breath to pause at what a wonderfully naive character he is in that moment.
For every cock in a reuben in the script, Perez balances it with a youthful ride down the hill in a shopping cart, and Boydell parries with a two-page spread of a sixty-nine position. This book is crass, unsanitary, and dare I say perverted. But damned if it is not a read that will leave you not only entertained, but groped. Deeply, deeply groped in your heart. “The Pervert” will make you laugh, and cry, and…well…let’s just leave it there.
