#also you get a real good view of how our comic pages were displayed! get a nice look at those characters with top surgery scars heheh

[jesncin]

our interview with a Jogjakartan curator is up! It's a mix of Indonesian and English (mostly from our language barrier, heh). We talk about culture shock, the creative process behind Lunar Boy, and geek out over Superman (because of course). Give it a watch~

[maxwell-grant]

Excuse Me what is pulp and why is it importan?

Good question! And probably one I should have answered sooner. Time to put on the historian hat for this one.

"Pulp" is a term used mainly to describe forms of storytelling that sprang out or were dominant in 20th century cheap all-fiction American magazines from the 1900s to the 1950s. The pulp magazine began in 1896, when Frank Munsey's Argosy magazine, in order to cut costs, dropped the non-fiction articles and photographs and switched from glossy paper to the much less expensive wood pulp paper, hence the name. The pulp magazines would mainly take off as a distinct market and format in 1904, when Street & Smith learned that Popular Magazine, despite being marketed towards boys, was being consumed by men of all ages, so they increased page count and started putting popular authors on the issues.

It was specifically the 1905 reprint of H.Rider Haggard's Ayesha that not only put Street & Smith on the map as rivals to Argosy, but also inspired other companies to start publishing in the pulp format. Pulps encompassed literally everything that the authors felt like publishing. Westerns, romance, horror, sci-fi, railroad stories, war stories, war aviation stories. Zeppelins had a short-lived subgenre. Celebrities got their own magazines, it was really any genre or format they could pull off, anything they could get away with.

Nowadays, although they came quite late in it's history, the American pulps are most famous for it's "hero pulps", characters like The Shadow and Doc Savage that are viewed as a formative influence on comic book superheroes. The pulp magazines in America lasted until the 1950s, when cumulative factors such as paper shortages, diminishing audience returns and the closing of it's biggest publishers led to it dying off, although in the decades since there's always been publishers calling their magazines pulp. That's the American pulp history.

But pulps are a phenomenon that spans the entire world and has a much bigger history to it, because pulps have become synonymous with cheap fiction magazines and those have a much bigger history. In America, before the pulps, you had the dime novels, the direct predecessors of the pulps, as well as the novelettes. England had it's penny dreadfuls and story papers, and continued publishing pulp-format magazines past the American 1950s, and that's how we got Elric of Melniboné. France and Russia arguably got to it first with it's 1800s coulporters, chapbooks and particularly the feuilletons which lasted all the way to the 20th century and created characters such as Arsene Lupin, Fantomas and The Phantom of the Opera. The Germans published pulp under the name hefteromane. Japan also published pulp magazines both original as well as imported, and the current "light-novel" phenomenon started off as an equivalent of pulp magazines (it's even on the Wikipedia page). China has wuxia, Brazil has cordel, Italy has gialli. There were Indian, Persian, Ethiopian, Canadian, Australian pulps and much more. Look anywhere in the world and you'll find examples of "pulp" happening again and again, under different circumstances and time periods.

Even if we stick to American fiction, it's impossible to state that all pulp heroes must come from the 1900s-1950s pulp magazines, because that forces us to exclude some of the most popular pulp heroes like Indiana Jones, Green Hornet, Rocketeer and The Phantom. Pulp may have once been a term meant to refer to pulp magazines exclusively, but it's morphed and lost structure and it's become the closest thing we have to a general umbrella term that allows us to try and consolidate these under a shared history. It's a lot, as you can see, and it's why several pulp historians that broaden their scope outside of 1930s American fiction have adopted Roland Barthes's definition of pulp as "A Metaphor With No Brakes In It", which is still the closest thing to a true working definition we have.

Why is it important? You tell me. I don't like to stake claims about stuff being "important", everyone's got their own priorities in life. Surely a lot of people would scoff at the idea of old populist fiction published in what was functionally equivalent to toilet paper having any sort of "importance". On the other hand, some people definitely want to talk big about the pulps as a cultural bedrock of fiction, something that's baked into the lifeblood of all fiction as we currently know it. Which it is, mind you, but I don't like to talk about pulp fiction's value being derived mainly from merely the things it inspired.

There is definitely a historical importance to be had in cataloguing them. According to the US's foremost pulp researcher Jess Nevins, 38% of all American pulps no longer exist, and 14% of all American pulps survive in less than five copies. Many libraries have very scant, if any, records on them, many collectors are hard to locate and are uncooperative when it comes to sharing information and letting outsiders view their collections. A lot of them are bound up in legal complications that prevents them from taking off in the public domain, and a lot of them ARE public domain but are completely inacessible as research material. And that's the American pulps, foreign pulps have fared far worse in posterity, with records inaccessible to people unfamiliar with the language or locations, many existing merely in mentions on decades-old records, and hundreds if not thousands of them being completely gone beyond recovery or recall.

Gone, dead, wasted, destroyed. They can't be found in barbershops or warehouse or bookstores, not even in antique stores. Hundreds, thousands of characters, stories and creators, gone. Time and posterity have crushed them to dust, forgotten and ignored by their successors. Unfettered by pretenses of respectability that repressed their glossier counterparts, in packages meant to be destroyed after reading, proudly announcing itself as trash. Things that should have never even lasted as long as they did have died many times now. It's heroes peripherical shapeshifters, nearly all of whom seem dead, quite dead, as dead as fictional characters can possibly be.

But they do not die forever. Many of them have, maybe most of them have, but many of them linger on.

"The strange red flickering of 1930’s fiction seems distant now.  You hold in your hand the product of a time too remote to recall, and feel a slow stir of wonder.  The smell of pulp pages, an illustration, an advertisement, these fragile things mark the slow hammering of time and display what it has done.  About you are today’s machines, today’s shadows.

Outside the window, leaves hang against the sky, as did leaves during the 1930’s.  The sound of voices are no different then than now.  You hold the magazine and feel something quite delicate slipping past. These solid forms surrounding you are all insubstantial. Time’s hammer will also pass across them, leaving little enough behind." - Spider, by Robert Sampson

Many of the things people call dead are just things that have been sleeping for a while or haven't had the chance to be born. Pulp fiction is dead on the page, inert, unless your imagination breathes live to it, and every now and then, one way or another, these characters dig themselves out of dustbins. Maybe it's a brief revival, maybe it's a successful reboot. Maybe they find publishers, or maybe the public domain allows them to find new life. Maybe new creators do interesting things with them, and maybe, just maybe, they live again because some won't shut up about them online. Some curious impulse led you to me, did it not? 

We all have our Frankensteins to obsess over, and these are some of mine. As someone who's lived a life perpetually restless over pursuit of knowledge, pulp has lured me like a moth to flame, because I literally never run out of things to discover within it, I never run out of possibilities. As the years pass and the public domain starts being more and more open to the public, more and more narrative real state is brought forth for writers and artists and creators to play around.

Pulp is the dark matter of fiction, the uncatalogued depths of the ocean, the darkest recesses of space. It's the box of your grandfather's belongings, the treasure you find in an attic, a body part sticking out from an old playground. It's the things that don't work, don't succeed, the things that don't fit, that are out of place. That shouldn't live and succeed, and did so anyway. The things that slither in the cracks, the shadows behind the curtain.

Aren't you interested in peering on what's behind the curtain?

The exquisite workmanship of the head, of a pre-pyramidal age, and the hieroglyphics, symbols of a language that was forgotten when Rome was young–these, Kane sensed, were additions as modern to the antiquity of the staff itself as would be English words carved on the stone monoliths of Stonehenge.

As for the cat-head–looking at it sometimes Kane had a peculiar feeling of alteration; a faint sensing that once the pommel of the staff was carved with a different design. The dust-ancient Egyptian who had carved the head of Bast had merely altered the original figure, and what that figure had been, Kane had never tried to guess.

A close scrutiny of the staff always aroused a disquieting and almost dizzy suggestion of abysses of eons, unprovocative to further speculation. - The Footfalls Within, by Robert E Howard, quoted by Stuart Hopen’s The Mythic American Culture

[buzzdixonwriter]

TROTS AND BONNIE Review

Trigger Warning: This will review a work that often addresses human sexuality, emotional / physical / sexual abuse, and adolescents’ views on same.  Be advised.

. . . 

When I was growing up in the 1950s and early 1960s, two old comic strips that remained popular were J. R. Williams’ Out Our Way and Gene Ahern’s Our Boarding House, both started in the 1920s and, from their daily panels and Sunday pages, never moving out of that decade.  My favorite cartoons on local kid shows were Fleischer Brothers Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons, many of which took place in urban / suburban settings heavily reflective of 1920s and 1930s America.

So when I first encountered Shary Flenniken’s Trots And Bonnie I instantly recognized the flavor and style of the strips.

The content, on the other hand, came straight out of her underground comix pedigree, with the refreshing point of view of the female gaze instead of the admittedly too often misogynistic male cartoonists of the milieu.

Flenniken is one of the best artists and writers to come from the underground era, displaying a confident early mastery of the form (don’t listen to her protestations she really wasn’t good at the start of her career; she clearly ranked among the finest of the underground comix artists).

But the sweet and innocent look of Trots And Bonnie belies the frank and frequently shocking honesty of Flenniken’s work.  

As cartoonist Emily Flake notes in her introduction, “that’s the terrible power of children, the monstrous innocence that makes them capable of anything, a state of being we fatuously describe as ‘pure.’”

Innocence is not synonymous with purity in the world of Trots And Bonnie because the cast lack the moral and cultural filters we acquire as adults.  They are reporting on reality as they see it, and as with all children (and the elderly, and drunks) there’s nothing to stop them from commenting on the foibles of hypocrisy of humanity, nor is there a single iota of shame to hold back their expression.

And when you add the impact of puberty to that mix, holy &#@%, you have no room left for pretense or propriety.

Hold on to your hats, folks, ‘cuz it’s gonna be one helluva ride.

One helluva ride…and a hilarious one, too.

If modern audiences can get past the admittedly often shocking visuals and situations, they’ll find some of the most brilliant coming-of-age comedy ever penned.

The truth is always an absolute defense, and Trots And Bonnie dishes it out lavishly.  Brava to Shary Flenniken for having the courage (or honesty, of lack of filter; take your pick) to pen it, to the original underground comix and National Lampoon to publish it, and to new York Review Comics to bring almost all of it back (Flenniken herself opted to withhold a few strips that she feels might be construed now as hurtful or insulting).

Flenniken is the daughter of a military family, growing up in a variety of climes and places before her father retired in the Seattle area.

She reached adolescence and young adulthood during the hippie era, and the earliest strips cast a fond eye back on that time.

An original member of the infamous Air Pirates crew, she and fellow underground comix artists gained immediate recognition skewering Disney icons.  Air Pirates Funnies and Paul Kassner’s The Realist generated no small amount of tsuris for the House of Mouse in the late 1960s / early 1970s but The Realist, true to its name, possessed to good sense to adhere to the unofficial so-called “one-time fair use parody” rule while the Air Pirates pressed their luck with Air Pirates Funnies #2, resulting in the Disney legal department descending on them like an anvil dropped from orbit.

Crawling away from the wreckage, Flenniken kept contributing to a number of underground venues, creating the first Trots and Bonnie strip for the 1971 underground comix Merton Of The Movement. 

Trots and Bonnie (soon joined by Pepsi, a beguilingly sweet looking elfin-like child with the heart of Germaine Greer, the reproductive organs of Karen Finley, and the mouth of an interstate trucker) popped up in several single page strips and short stories until NatLamp recruited Flenniken in 1972 to be a regular contributor and (briefly) an editor.

NatLamp proved to be the perfect venue for Flenniken and her characters because the magazine possessed the economic mojo and suicidal “Who gives a &#@%?” attitude to publish Trots And Bonnie while at the same time providing a perfect audience of proto-incels who desperately needed some consciousness raising, especially if said consciousness raising arrived in the form of a kick in the groin.

Trots And Bonnie’s tenure at NatLamp lasted slightly more than two decades, but a big hunk of that era saw the Reagan culture wars raging, not to mention much of the country becoming obsessed with a literal modern day witch hunt in the infamous Satanic panic (an apt subject for Flenniken’s characters, but one she wisely avoided, thus following the old military adage, “Never draw fire on your own position.”).

The already edgy material in both NatLamp in general and Trots And Bonnie in particular threatened to be perceived as too edgy by law enforcement, legislators, and judicial authorities who seemed either unwilling or incapable of distinguishing between photographs and video of actual sexual assaults and rapes committed against real children as opposed to crudely drawn Xerox copied mini-comics made by outsider artists with audiences that might possibly number in the dozens.

Flenniken’s willingness to honestly recall the turbulent emotions of early adolescence resulted in stories and strips where prepubescent kids engage in activities and discussions that would be acutely problematic if done today.  Again, the utter lack of self-consciousness in Flenniken’s characters swerves her work away from the low grade smut ground out by many of her male contemporaries and flung open a window on how adolescent females perceived the world around them.

The stories are wildly transgressive, and like all transgressive art can only be understood in the context of their time and mores.  Flenniken’s art carries a sweetness that leavens out the most horrendous situations (she gets astonishing comedic mileage off a story about a woman raped by a police officer, never once blaming or exploiting the victim but lambasting the culture and mindset that makes such a crime possible).

The fact these stories are told from a vibrant feminist / sex positive point of view makes them relevant to this day, and Flenniken’s ability to draw both truth and humor from dysfunctional families, emotional abuse, and drug use keeps them from being one-note exercises.

Most importantly, Flenniken comes across as strongly pro-child, even while honestly depicting her own characters’ failings and misconceptions.

She always brings a genuine emotional connection with her characters as adolescents, neither glorifying nor patronizing them.

One of the most notorious Trots And Bonnie strips finds Bonnie looking at herself in a mirror, fantasizing she’s famous actresses of the past.*  

At the hands and brush of Norman Rockwell, this theme tries for poignant but lands in schmaltz, looking down on an anxious child studying her reflection in a mirror; in far too many bad novels by sub-par male writers, it’s borderline (and often not-so-borderline) pornography.

At the touch of Flenniken’s deft pen, it’s honest and sweet and shockingly frank but it never depicts Bonnie as a figment of the male imagination but as a character and personality all her own.

Flenniken has not done any new Trots And Bonnie strips since the last ones published in NatLamp in 1993.

To be honest, I think that’s a good thing.

The characters are of their particular time and cultural gestalt, it may not be possible to recapture that lightning in a new bottle, and rather than diminish the old, perhaps it best remains a perfect artefact of its era.

Mark Twain tried repeatedly but could never transport Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn out of antebellum Hannibal, and to use an example more contemporary to Flenniken’s work, the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers resolutely thwart all efforts to move them out of San Francisco during the Summer of Love.

You can’t go home again, as Thomas Wolfe famously observed, but that only applies if you’ve successfully left home.  At a certain point, if you haven’t moved beyond your old confines, you never will.

Flenniken’s honest frankness could have turned into a big crosshair on her back during the cultural wars, but to paraphrase John Lennon, life happened while she was making comix.

She married twice, divorced once, widowed the second time.  While she never completely withdrew from professional illustration, she no longer sought out the high profile gigs.

Trots And Bonnie from New York Review Comics is the first extensive English language compilation of her strips and stories, a very handsomely produced volume designed by Norman Hathaway.

The strips are meticulously presented, making it possible to enjoy Flenniken’s fine line work and exquisite character depictions in greater detail than every before.  It’s a genuine delight, sure to thrill old time fans of the original strip and quite likely to win a new generation of admirers.

But brace yourselves, noobs, this ain’t your grandma’s Betty Boop…

© Buzz Dixon

 *  It should be noted that for all its apparent revolutionary newness, the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s, the crucible that forged Flenniken’s point of view, also enthusiastically embraced the past.  W. C. Fields and the Marx Brothers became cultural icons to a new generation, Betty Boop regained her old popularity, old movies were rediscovered and reimagined, African-American spirituals and blues sprang from new voices, obscure books and novels from earlier decades and centuries became the new cultural touchstones.

I’ve posted elsewhere on how the boomer generation enjoyed a unique conflation of new technology and old media to produce a brand new synthesis; there has been nothing like it since even with astonishing advances in technology.  When old media is rediscovered and reinterpreted in this era, it too often tends to be in the form of irony, which mocks that which it cannot understand.

Give those old hippies their due -- they got the &#@%ing point!

[raendown]

My part of a trade with @rookie-d and boy was this fun to write! 

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 3477 Rated: T+ Summary: Madara hated the morning shift. It was always boring and getting up early sucked. Thankfully the one time he had to work it something interesting happened, at least.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Zombies Before Noon

Their first meeting was one that Madara would remember for all the reasons Tobirama probably wished he would forget. Several hours in to a criminally early morning shift he was bored out of his skull and wondering why the hell a comic book shop needed to be open before any of the local nerds around here were even awake. He’d already tidied the shelves four times and dusted the entire premises twice when the cheery jingle of the bell over their door made him lift his head hopefully. That look quickly morphed in to horror as he took in the sight of what was clearly a zombie entering the store. 

Skin so pale it looked almost paper white, circles under his eyes so dark they looked drawn on with marker, and clothes rumpled like they hadn’t seen an ironing board in years, the man who stumbled in had his eyes completely closed and his arms hanging loose at both sides. Only three steps in he stopped dead and just stood there. Motionless. Possibly not breathing. Madara looked around for a hidden camera, wondering if his younger brother had set him up for some kind of weird prank. That was the sort of thing Izuna would do. Nothing new or suspicious stuck out to him, though, so he turned back to the stranger who was now slowly blinking his eyes open. Well, partially open. They remained squinted so tightly he probably couldn’t see any better still. 

“Coffee?” he rumbled in a deep slur. Madara looked around for cameras again. 

“Uh, we don’t serve that here.” 

“...black.” 

Furrowing his brows, Madara repeated himself. “We don’t serve coffee.”

The pale man blinked slowly with a gaze that didn’t seem to really be focused on anything. 

“Extra espresso…” his words trailed off like he meant to continue with something off and yet nothing came. After almost a full minute he managed to close his jaw again with a muted click. Then he merely stood and let his narrowed eyes bore directly in to Madara’s. 

It was the single creepiest thing this shop had ever seen. And considering the varying clientele that was saying something.

For a good hot second Madara contemplated reaching in to his pocket and calling the police. Or maybe the Disease Center. Either one of them would no doubt be very interested in this spontaneous zombie apocalypse. Then the moment passed and he realized this was probably the most interesting thing that was likely to happen to him until the early afternoon crowd began to show up near the very end of his shift. He might as well see how it played out. 

“Would an energy drink do you? We’ve got all sorts of those. Pretty cheap too.” 

“....mn.”

Since he wasn’t very sure what that meant Madara opted for believing he’d just made a sale. Trying to ask questions about flavor and the like would most likely get about as coherent an answer as the ones he’d already gotten so after a moment of going through their inventory in his mind he stepped over to the fridge behind the counter to pick out the highest concentration of caffeine they carried. It also happened to be one of their cheaper brands as well, which was great in case he ended up having to pay for this himself. Did zombies remember how to pick out money from their wallets?

Did zombies even carry their wallets?

“Here. These don’t really taste all that great but it’s got enough of a kick to revive you or whatever.” 

A few seconds after he handed it over he realized his mistake. The oddly still man blinked slowly when Madara cracked the can open for him but finally seemed to understand that there was a liquid in his hand he was meant to drink. His head tilted back to reveal a surprisingly shapely throat that bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm until the entire can was emptied, hung there unmoving for a few seconds more, then his head tilted back down with an honest to god pout on his face. Apparently he’d thought the can was bottomless.

“Right. Feel free to browse or whatever before you come settle up. Register’s over there.” Madara jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “If you pass out try to fall away from the merchandise.” 

“Nnmm.”

“Oookay.” 

Scurrying back to the register was more for the sake of anyone looking in through the windows on their way by than for his own sense of safety. He really didn’t need anyone to call his boss and say they spotted him stalking a customer in his own store. At least he had a comfortable perch from which he could survey the entire floor, set out in a semi circle as it was, giving him a perfect view down each of their short aisles. No matter where this one man circus drifted he would be within eyesight. Madara watched with undisguised fascination while the guy drifted down aisle three, staring hard at a display entirely covered with merchandise for a popular children’s show about brightly colored ponies. The empty drink can remained clutched tightly in one fist.

With drunken steps he wound his way out of that section and in to aisle five. Despite staring directly at their selection of comics for a particular super hero universe Madara got the impression he wasn’t actually seeing any of them. Either he was hopelessly lost inside his own head or he had astrally projected so hard he wouldn’t find himself for another week. Just as the man lifted his hand, perhaps at last to interact with the world around him, the door of the shop jingled violently open to admit a harried looking woman. 

“There you are!” she screeched. Without even sparing a look around the rest of the open space she marched around a display of new releases and clapped a hand down on the zombie man’s shoulder. “I have been looking for you for over an hour, you absolute dick! Do you know how worried we’ve been? Your brother would have taken my damn head off if anything happened to you on my watch!” 

“...nm?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake!”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, the woman shook her head and finally looked around. The fact that there weren’t any other customers seemed to console her a little bit, probably relieved there weren’t more witnesses to her bad skills at keeping track of one man. When her eyes looked on to Madara he refused to quail under the force of her glare. A part of him sort of wanted to. He spent as much time in the gym as the next self-conscious guy but the look she was giving him promised that she, in fact, was the one with an ability to rip heads. To his absolute shame, he looked away first. But only for long enough for the weight of her gaze to leave him so he could go back to watching this drama unfold in front of him. 

“Come on,” she growled, tugging at the man’s sleeve. “Next time this happens I am tying you to the bed until you fucking learn! Did you even pay for that drink? You are so paying me back for this, I don’t care if it’s only a couple bucks!”

It wasn’t all that surprising how little resistance the man offered to being pulled across the floor and back out on to the street, though Madara did give some thought to whether or not he should be calling the police. Should he be reporting assault over this? It was too bad the owners were too cheap to install any real security other than the one camera pointing straight at the door and the one directly over the till. Some proper footage of what happened probably would have made great evidence if someone came back to question him.  

For several minutes after he was left suddenly alone Madara stared towards the door and wondered if it was possible that he might have hallucinated everything that just happened. Maybe he’d been reading too many of the comics in here. His mother used to warn him when he was little that using his imagination too much would rot out his common sense - but, then again, she was a cantankerous old bitch who kicked him out as soon as he turned eighteen. He’d never put much stock in anything she had to say. And then there were the coins that crazy lady had tossed over the counter on their way by, that was pretty solid evidence that he wasn’t hallucinating. 

Without a live zombie show for entertainment the rest of his shift at the comic shop mostly passed in boredom. Usually he worked the afternoon shifts just for this very reason. The mornings were always dead but he’d had to reschedule an appointment with his doctor three times already and trading shifts today had been the only way he was getting in there without having to wait several more weeks for another open spot. Medical care in their city seriously needed a bigger budget. Desperate to pass the time without resorting to the merchandise he wasn’t supposed to fiddle with on shift, Madara ended up slumped over the front counter doodling on the back of some old receipt paper he found stuffed in to a random drawer. Nearly half the page disappeared under swirls of red ink before he realized that he was drawing a dead, moaning zombie. With a sheepish look around he set the red pen aside and reached for a black one instead. Hopefully that would inspire some less creepy doodles. 

As expected, a couple hours before the end of his shift he finally started seeing some customers, his fellow nerds flocking in to check for new issues of the latest detective comic or merchandise for their favorite anime characters. Madara kept a sharp eye on the ones he didn’t recognize and gave no more thought to the entertaining if odd start to his day. After work he scurried off to the bus stop and barely made it to his long overdue doctor’s appointment before stumbling back on to the bus an hour after that with a bandaid on his arm and several vials of blood less in his body. 

“M’ home,” he called weakly as he shuffled inside the apartment. Something clattered around the corner, followed quickly by the sound of Izuna swearing.

“Did the appointment go well?” His brother’s voice shouted after him on his way down the hall. 

Tossing his jacket through the door of his bedroom, he called back. “Went fine. Had to get some blood pulled. Dumb ass doctor doesn’t think I know my own body enough to tell when I’m having seasonal allergies. He wants to test me for heart disease!” 

“But...those aren’t...anki, that makes no sense!” 

“I know!” Madara rolled his eyes even though the other couldn’t see him. “Apparently being short of breath because of the all the ragweed means I must be on the verge of a heart attack.” 

“Probably got his medical degree out of a cereal box.” 

Tired, a little loopy from having too much blood drawn without eating anything, Madara’s thoughts for the rest of his evening were filled mostly with grumbles about incompetant medical staff and listening to Izuna go on about the latest drama from his apprenticeship. Work was so far from his mind he entirely forgot to mention the strange occurrence from that morning. He went to bed that night thinking only that he was grateful his shifts were back to their usual afternoon schedule tomorrow because he certainly didn’t want to wake up early again, his dreams filled with needles that laughed at him while he sneezed uncontrollably. 

Several days went by with the usual humdrum of the life Madara and his brother had fallen in to. As much as he despised the morning shift, he loved the afternoons with equal fervor. His job at the comic shop didn’t pay much more than a basic living wage but he loved the environment, loved his regular customers, and he especially loved the hefty discount it gave him on all the nerdy merchandise he couldn’t help filling their home with. Things went about as normally as they usually did in his life until the fourth day when Madara looked up from checking out a regular customer to find the next person in line was an actual walking snack. 

Wild hair artfully arranged to somehow look purposefully messy, skin so pale he could be mistaken for an albino, red eyes that Madara would swear could see right down in to his soul, he was already a dreamboat even without taking in the deliciously toned rest of his body. Something about him looked familiar but it was hard to concentrate past the broad shoulders standing straight and tall. 

“Can I - ahem - how can I help you?” Madara fought with his cheeks not to flush bright red and prayed that no one would comment on the massive crack his voice had just done. 

“You wouldn’t happen to be Madara, would you?” the man asked in a deep rumble. “Your coworkers described you to me when I came in here yesterday.”

“I am, yes. Uh...is there something wrong?” 

Shaking his head, the man coughed a little as though feeling uncomfortable. “No, no. I only wanted to come in and thank you for not kicking me out of your store the other day. I was, ah, fairly ill at the time and my behavior was not the best. Several shops had already sent me on my way but you allowed me to stay in one place long enough for my cousin to catch up so I wanted to say thank you for letting me stay somewhere safe. Anything could have happened to me in that state.” 

For a second Madara tried to subtly look the man up and down, trying to determine if he was lying or not. Surely this couldn’t be the same guy? It was only after he mentally added some black streaks under the eyes, hunched the shoulders, and squinted the eyes that he realized it was. This was his zombie customer. 

“You don’t look the same at all!” was the first thing his stupid mouth chose to blurt out. 

“Ah. Thank you, I think.” The man coughed awkwardly again. “I’m told I look fairly awful whenever I work myself in to sleep deprivation.” 

“Oh is that why you were acting so much like a zombie? Wait no! Shit! Sorry, that was rude! Um, shit- gah, I’m not supposed to swear, fuck. Damn it!” Exasperated with his own lack of self control, Madara smacked a hand over his face. Nearby one of his regulars could be heard snickering but glaring them in to silence would have meant removing his hand and facing the hot stranger who’d made him splutter. 

To his eternal relief, no comments were made about his verbal idiocy, although he could definitely hear traces of amusement in the man’s tone when he continued speaking. 

“Yes, unfortunately I have a habit of getting a little too involved in my studies. Exams are coming up so I’ve only been sleeping about two or three hours a night and it, ah, finally caught up to me apparently. I don’t remember much but my cousin tells me I wandered out of her house sometime around six in the morning and she didn’t find me until, er, whenever it was she found me in here.” After scratching at the back of his neck he seemed to jolt himself and then held out the same hand. “I’m Tobirama, by the way.” 

“Madara. But um, you apparently already knew that.” 

They shook hands, at which point Madara realized the other man’s incredible height also came with massive hands that practically engulfed his own. He really hoped he wasn’t blushing as brightly as it felt like he was. 

“So you live around here then?” he asked. Then he wanted to slap himself again because that was probably way too personal of a question. 

“Not really. Well, not yet. I’m staying with my cousin so I can take some courses at the university but my brother is thinking of moving back to town so I’ll probably move back in with him if he does.” 

“Back to town?” Madara perked up. “So you’re from around here originally?” 

Tobirama nodded. “We grew up in the west end.”

“No kidding? Me too.” Squinting, Madara tried to determine whether they might have crossed paths when they were younger. The man did sort of look familiar but age could change a lot about a person and it wasn’t like he’d kept contact with anyone from that end of town. Not after he’d been summarily tossed to the curb. 

His closer interest did not go unnoticed. For a moment he flushed even deeper than he already was, thinking Tobirama might have been offended by his scrutiny. Then his ears were flaming for another reason entirely and he couldn’t even bring himself to be upset about the misunderstanding when the other leaned in just a bit closer with a slow smile. 

“I don’t suppose you’d like to go for coffee sometime?” he asked. “As a thank you, of course.” 

“On one condition,” Madara told him, feeling suddenly bold.

“Do tell.” Tobirama looked even more amused by his request. He leaned farther down to rest his weight on both elbows to patiently await the condition he would supposedly need to meet. 

“If you can describe the premise behind any of the comics in this store then you’ve got yourself a date. I’ve had too many people try and steer me away from ‘childish interests’ and think they can ‘help me grow up’.” 

After breaking up with the fourth person in a row who mocked him for his interests Madara had made a pact with himself to never again date anyone who didn’t accept him for who he was and what he loved. He might be a massive nerd but he’d learned the lesson of self value a long time ago and he wasn’t about to let himself be blinded by a pretty face again. 

To his utter delight, he needn't have worried this time. With a competitive sort of light in his eye Tobirama pointed out half a dozen different comics within eyesight and not only named the main characters but also the basis of the main plot for each of them. What made it all the more impressive was that he mostly chose rather obscure franchises that couldn’t be considered mainstream. Madara was half in love before he was finished describing the third one. Handsome, intelligent enough for university, and apparently in to the same geeky stuff as him? Sign him up. Immediately. 

“Okay, okay, point made!” Throwing up his hands in surrender made Tobirama smile. “You mentioned your exams are coming up so I’m guessing you’ll be busy for the next little while. Why don’t I give you my number and we can go out for coffee to celebrate after you don’t need to study so much?” 

“I would appreciate that a lot,” Tobirama murmured earnestly. 

“School’s obviously important to you if you’ll work yourself in to a zombie state over it,” Madara pointed out. 

He got a grateful look that made his stomach flip flop. Rather than make a fool of himself again he printed off a bit of blank receipt paper and wrote his number down, sliding it across the counter. He expected Tobirama to slip the paper in to his pocket but instead he pulled out a beaten up cell phone and entered the number right there, smiling to himself like he'd won an unexpected treat. 

“I’m sure Hashirama will be thrilled to know I’m finally being more social.”

Madara nearly stopped breathing. All the triumph of having secured a very promising date suddenly drained right out of him as he stared at the man across the counter in horror, several little clues falling in to place at once. Finally he’d figured out why Tobirama looked familiar and it wasn’t because he’d seen him in zombie form. Images of his childhood best friend danced across his memories.

“You’re...you’re Hashirama’s little brother,” he whimpered. “Oh god. Oh god! He’s going to kill me! He’s going to come back to Konoha just to cut all my hair off in a bowl cut to match his!” 

While Tobirama stared at him with a mixture of horror and amusement Madara decided that as long as he got that date first he didn’t much care how he died. One conversation - and one look at those well defined biceps - was all he’d needed to know that Tobirama would be well worth it.

[novastarlyght]

That Time I Named an Invader Zim Background Character and Everyone Thought it was Canon: The Story of Ixane

Like a lot of others it seems, the premiere of Enter the Florpus has recently made me think back to my first stay in the Invader Zim fandom many years ago. For me it was between 2006 and 2007, and I was 14-15 at the time. IZ was and still is a very special cartoon to me, not only for how it influenced me creatively but also the fact being a part of its fandom was my first really positive experience in a fan community. And I wanna talk about that experience because it... lead to something very interesting. Something that only could’ve happened in the now bygone days of the early internet where reliable sources were harder to find and misinformation was much more common, but somehow, has lasted until today. 

This is how Ixane, a silent extra that appears only in the episode “Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars,” got her name.

So first off, you might be wondering “Who the heck is Ixane?” As I mentioned, she only appears as a background character in the 21st episode of the original series, titled “Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars” which I’ll abbreviate for the rest of this post as just Backseat Drivers. She’s a member of The Resisty, a resistance group against the Irken Empire who also only appear in that episode, although they were planned to become more significant recurring characters later down the line before the show was cancelled.

In 2006 I LOVED the Resisty. They were my favorite group of characters in the entire show, probably because I was fascinated by all their potential which sadly didn’t get the chance to be explored before IZ was canceled. What planets did each of them come from? What are each of their individual species like? How did they form into a single resistance group? What were their names, their personalities? Their hopes, dreams and fears?! THEIR FAVORITE DRINKS?!?! I attempted to provide my own answers to some of these not-so-burning-to-anyone-but-myself (or so I thought at the time...) questions by writing a fanfic called “Resisting Authority,” which I published on Fanfiction.net and later DeviantArt. It’s since been taken down on FFN while the DA version is currently in private storage on my old account, so here’s a screenshot just to prove it existed:

(click here for larger image)

Despite being more adult in tone than the show it was based on and rather melodramatic (then again, I was 14, and probably so was everyone else reading it), “Resisting Authority” became really, REALLY popular... at least for a fic that didn’t feature any of the show’s main characters, given it was entirely about the Resisty and told mostly from the perspective of its leader, Captain Lard Nar. Regardless it got a large amount of positive feedback and significant fan art on DeviantArt, most of which is no longer online although there’s still a little bit hanging around - mainly featuring Lyn, an Irken OC from the story who chooses to rebel against the empire and falls in love with Lard Nar, leading to a star crossed lovers conflict.

Because the purpose of the fic was to further explore the Resisty along with the idea of “What if an Irken betrayed their own?” several characters that appeared onscreen for only a couple of seconds in Backseat Drivers were fleshed out considerably in “Resisting Authority,” where they were given names, species names, home planet names, backstories, motivations and personalities. And of these the one who received by far the most development was a feminine, blue-eyed alien in a hooded purple cloak who I decided to name “Ixane.”

Ixane would become one of the most important characters in “Resisting Authority” right behind Lard Nar and Lyn. She is a Xanan from the planet Xana, a race of spiritual mystics. She is initially distrustful of Lyn, despite her actions and claims to be as much of a rebel as the rest of them, due to her hatred for the Irken Empire and how they destroyed her home. She believes Irkens are more like machines than living creatures, their bodies merely being empty shells to carry their PAKs around, making them incapable of genuine emotion. When she discovers Lyn and Lard Nar have been in a secret romantic relationship, she becomes even more hateful towards Lyn both due to jealousy, since she’d been harboring feelings for Lard Nar herself, and her genuine belief that Lyn’s feelings aren’t real, something that will only hurt Lard Nar in the end.

However throughout the course of the story her views are challenged and eventually Lyn manages to prove her wrong by displaying what she can’t deny is anything but legitimate love for Lard Nar and compassion for her allies in the Resisty. Unfortunately Lyn is fatally injured during a battle with a number of Irken soldiers sent to hunt down the rebellion. Now wanting nothing more than happiness for the person she loves, Ixane uses her mystical powers to save Lyn’s life while sacrificing her own in the process.

This character development (both in the meta sense and in the context of the fic itself) plus her selfless heroic sacrifice is what I think made Ixane one of the fic’s breakout characters and caused her to stick in the minds of those who read “Resisting Authority.” They were no longer thinking of her as just some extra, but as this fully developed character complete with an arc that I’d made her into - as the character of Ixane. But it didn’t occur to me just how big of an impact this may have truly had until about 9 years later.

In 2015, the official Invader Zim comic series by Oni Press began publication and I found myself extremely hyped about IZ again for the first time in almost a decade. It was during this time I came across a particular IZ wiki article and section of its TV Tropes page...

(Sources are here and here)

And I thought to myself “Wait... I thought I named her Ixane...?”

Because at this point I seriously couldn’t remember. I hadn’t thought about “Resisting Authority” in years, and with TV Tropes in particular noting that Ixane’s name was given “in the [episode] script” I wondered if I didn’t actually come up with the name. Maybe it was in the script for Backseat Drivers after all so I used it in the fic. Being unable to find said script (the original script as made by the episode’s writers, not a transcript) I couldn’t confirm it, so I mainly shrugged it off and thought more than likely I just had a bad memory. It wouldn’t be on a (still regularly maintained) wiki if it didn’t at least have a high possibility of being canon, right?

Cut to last night, August 2019. Me and all my other friends and fellow nerds who also grew up loving IZ are still buzzing over Enter the Florpus and our childhood/teenage fan content comes up in conversation. I dig up “Resisting Authority” from my old DA storage for perhaps a good laugh and a bit of nostalgia when more of when I first wrote it starts to come back to me. “I know the wikis all say her name was in the script, but I swear I came up with the name Ixane myself,” I thought, wondering if there was any way I could prove it.

Turns out I could. All the proof I needed was in a drawing of the character I posted to DA in January of 2007, which like the fic was still in storage:

(click here for larger image)

“Um...I bet a lot of people who read Resisting Authority got the impression she was an OC. She technically isn't. She is a Resisty character we saw VERY BRIEFLY once or twice in Backseat Drivers and I just elaborated on her for the story. The cloaked girl, yasee. Just look here: [link] “

That link no longer works normally, however putting it into Wayback Machine provides a snapshot taken in September of 2006, which would be around the time “Resisting Authority” was first published on FFN. Scrolling down on that page gives us...

(click here for larger image)

Additionally, opening the image itself reveals the filename “resistycloak.jpg” rather than something like “ixane.jpg” or “resistyixane.jpg”

For those who weren’t in the fandom back then, The Scary Monkey Show was a very well known IZ fansite and its Encyclopedias section was basically a resource for the show’s lore, one considered highly reliable, before things like fan wikis became commonplace. I actually used this site as a reference for the different types of Irken ships and other planets in the IZ universe brought up in the fanfic and so did many other fic writers at the time. If any site on the internet would know a minor or even background IZ character’s name, if it really was in the official episode script, it’d be The Scary Monkey Show. Yet her name is listed as unknown.

So why am I telling you this?

Because as wild as this whole situation is, I’m not a person who likes misinformation. I feel like IZ fans, both young and old, should know Ixane is not actually this character’s canon name as given to her by the writers of the show. That being said...

I see no reason to stop calling her Ixane. That’s just her name now.

Heck, it’d probably be difficult to go back to thinking of her as having no name given how long the name has been used on all these wiki pages and whatnot. And I’m completely fine with receiving absolutely zero credit for actually being the one who came up with the name in the first place, because here’s the thing...

I may have made the name, but it was the fandom that spread it. The IZ community, primarily in my absence too, were the ones who codified, legitimized it. Who added it to those wikis and accepted it as canon all these years. Who believed in it enough to assume it came from the official episode script, from the IZ crew themselves!

Ixane isn’t my name for her. It’s our name for her, as the fans who made Invader Zim the cult classic it is today.

And I want that to be something we all can have and be proud of ❤︎

[the-desolated-quill]

A Stronger Loving World - Watchmen blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. if you haven’t read this comic yet, you may want to before reading this review)

When people read Watchmen for the first time, I’d be surprised if any of them expected the story to end like this.

A Stronger Loving World opens with the aftermath of the fake alien arriving in New York and slaughtering millions. Three splash pages of harrowing artwork by Dave Gibbons. Corpses littered everywhere. Blood in the streets. Giant tentacles wrapped around various landmarks. It’s an extremely unsettling opening and lets the reader know that Gibbons and Alan Moore are not fucking around here. Doctor Manhattan and Laurie arrive to see the carnage and deduce that Adrian was behind it before heading to Antarctica to confront him. After several confrontations involving Manhattan getting disintegrated again and Laurie pulling a gun on Adrian, it’s revealed that Ozymandias’ plan has worked. The nations of the world have put aside their differences and decided to cooperate for fear of an impending alien invasion.

This then leads to the big moral dilemma. What Adrian has done is despicable, but he has succeeded in bringing about world peace, and revealing the truth behind the giant squid runs the risk of dooming the world all over again. So what would be the heroic thing to do?

Well there’s no point asking these characters because as the graphic novel has been emphasising again and again, these guys are not heroes.

This is an extremely complicated moral conundrum with no real right or wrong answer, and I very much appreciate how Alan Moore doesn’t try to shove one down our throats. I also like how each character comes to their decision. Doctor Manhattan is of course a godlike being who sees beyond our world and so shares a somewhat similar view to Adrian’s. That the deaths were justified because the end result is peace. Rorschach on the other hand cannot square what just happened with his own rigid morality, and refuses to keep the secret, vowing to tell everyone the truth, which leads to Manhattan killing him. Nite Owl meanwhile, being weak willed and pathetic as ever, decides to go along with Adrian’s plan, but it’s less to do with him agreeing with Adrian and more to do with the fact that the moral implications are so hard to comprehend that he doesn’t even want to try, instead taking the path of least resistance. Finally Silk Spectre, so shocked by everything she’s learned and witnessed, clings to the one stable thing she has. Dan. The two then have sex, serving as a dark inverse of the sex scene in A Brother To Dragons. In both instances, sex is used as a metaphor for power, but whereas the motivation in the first was Dan overcoming his own inadequacies, the second is both Dan and Laurie desperately trying to retain whatever shred of power and independence they have left after such a shocking and twisted act of mass murder.

It’s great because it demonstrates just how well Moore understands his own characters and how well we’ve come to know them. They behave exactly as we would expect them to and there’s something oddly satisfying about that despite the moral ambiguity of their decisions.

In fact lets discuss Rorschach for a bit, considering he’s the only one that refused to keep the secret. Bit surprising considering the horrid things he’s done throughout the graphic novel. What’s so different about this? Well it could be the sheer scale of it. Could be that he didn’t believe those who died truly deserved it according to his own strict moral code. Except I’m not entirely convinced. In the extra material provided in The Abyss Gazes Also, there’s a letter written by a young Walter Kovacs about his father. Or rather the person he imagines his father to be because he never actually met him. Apparently his parents split up because ‘he liked President Truman and she didn’t.’ Interesting in and of itself that Rorschach, a right wing bigot, was fathered by a Democrat. But wait, it gets more intriguing. He then goes on to write about how he believes his father was an aide to President Truman before talking about the events of Hiroshima and Nagasaki when the US dropped atomic bombs, killing millions. Except here he expresses that he believes that Truman did the right thing because it ended the war and saved millions more lives. Curious, wouldn’t you agree? So, in Rorschach’s mind, what made the nukes in Japan morally justifiable while Adrian’s giant squid in New York wasn’t? We can only really speculate at this point. Some think it’s because Rorschach has realised that there is no place for him in Adrian’s new world order, which I guess is kind of true, but I think it runs the risk of romanticising the character again. It could be that the nukes were a last resort whereas the squid was preemptive... maybe? Personally I think it’s just good old fashioned racism. Rorschach had no issue with the millions of Japanese lives lost because they were Japanese. The enemy. This is different. This time millions of American lives have been lost. To him, this is more than just mass murder. It’s an act of treason.

We may never fully know the reasons behind Rorschach’s actions, but it’s nonetheless interesting to discuss.

I also appreciated that we do get a moment where Adrian questions whether he did the right thing, expressing his doubts to Doctor Manhattan, to which he receives a cryptic response about how ‘nothing ever ends.’ (does Manhattan know what happens in the future? We’ll never know). It’s a nice moment that helps to humanise Adrian a little bit and remind us that he’s as flawed as all the other characters. The arrogant bravado he displays when he succeeds in achieving world peace could easily have slipped into pantomime villain territory if there wasn’t just this small moment near the end, possibly as the scale of the things he’s done dawns on him. Like the pirate captain in The Tales Of The Black Freighter, Adrian means well and his intentions are noble, but his actions are either highly questionable or just downright villainous. This is basically what Watchmen has been talking about since the start. Once you start taking more frequent steps outside the bounds of what is legally and morally acceptable, it’s not long before you’ve effectively joined the criminals yourself.

There’s a lot to like about A Stronger Loving World, however I do have a few complaints here and there. Yes, lets talk about that giant squid.

If there was ever a moment where Watchmen jumped the shark, this is it. And quite frankly I have no idea what Alan Moore was thinking at the time. So Adrian wants to unite the world together using an outside force that will encourage everyone to put aside their differences and team up with each other. Okay. Makes sense so far. But the plan itself requires so many leaps of logic, it kind of loses all credibility. Take for example the idea that it was cloned from a psychic’s brain. Well that came out of nowhere, didn’t it? Yes this is a world where a giant naked blue guy can manipulate atoms, but the story explained to us how this was possible, allowing us to suspend our disbelief. Now suddenly we’re supposed to believe that human psychics exist with no build up whatsoever. It’s just dumped on us, which makes it feel more like a convenient excuse than an explanation. Yes they do kind of foreshadow it with Adrian’s pet lynx Bubastis, but it’s a bit of a leap, isn’t it? It’s one thing to genetically alter an existing animal. It’s another thing entirely to create an all new creature with psychic abilities as though this was Build-A-Bear Workshop.

Not to mention, in order to explain how in God’s name someone can go from inventing electric cars to creating aliens, Alan Moore has to resort to a gigantic infodump in order to make sense of the bloody thing. The initial teleport incinerates people, then the psychic ‘death throes’ or whatever cause others to go mad and start killing each other, and then those even further away have bad dreams or something. Presumably the person furthest from ground zero probably has a moment where they forget where they put their car keys and leave the gas on. It’s just overly complicated and way too daft.

Also I can understand Adrian kidnapping scientists, but why artists and writers? And why tell them the creature is for a movie? Was no one a tiny bit suspicious of the amount of work, resources and effort being put into this supposed ‘special effect’? What about the fact that they were taken from their homes and put on a tiny island? Don’t they have families? Are any of them concerned about how ridiculously secretive this film production is? And more to the point, why let the rest of the world believe them to be kidnapped? If you’re going to go with the Hollywood movie cover story, why not just tell people that’s what they’re doing? I guess you could argue that Adrian was concerned this would draw unwanted attention to his plan, but... what?... them getting kidnapped wouldn’t have drawn attention?!

And then there’s just the sheer randomness of it. Why aliens? He doesn’t even plant the seeds for this anywhere. Maybe have some fake UFO sightings or something. He just dumps a dead alien on New York’s doorstep. Also, if genetic engineering is common knowledge, why would people assume it’s aliens? Surely government scientists testing the thing will discover it’s of terrestrial origin. Which leads to the biggest flaw. Would this plan really have worked? Killing millions of people in one city? Would that be enough to unite the world? Perhaps in the short term, but there’s no way you could possibly sustain that lie for so long. Plus, call me cynical, but considering how quickly Russia mobilised when Manhattan left the planet, surely it’s more likely they would take advantage of the situation while America was reeling from this act of carnage. If Adrian is supposed to be the smartest man in the world, I’m amazed he didn’t consider any of this. Maybe he has contingency plans in place, but I don’t know. It all seemed pretty final to me. He genuinely believes that this will fix everything. It just makes him look a bit stupid.

The whole giant squid plot has got more holes in it than a colander. Which is why (and I know I’m going to get some flak for this) I much prefer the version in Zack Snyder’s adaptation than I do the graphic novel. I don’t want to go into too much detail because I’d rather save that for when I review the movie, but I do honestly think Adrian’s plan in the movie makes more sense than the source material does.

Another side effect of having to explain the alien is that Silk Spectre’s story never gets proper closure. There’s a moment where Laurie confronts her mother over the fact that the Comedian is her father, but it all just feels a bit rushed and unsatisfactory. Especially when she starts talking about wanting to change her costume and start using guns, implying she’s going to be more like the Comedian in the future. It’s just too big of a leap in my opinion. One minute she’s distraught that her father was her mother’s rapist, the next she’s following in his footsteps. It’s such a sharp turn, it practically gave me whiplash.

That being said, I did like the little detail of Dan taking Sally Jupiter’s porn magazine, which I think implies how superficial their relationship is. They’re together because of the power and sexual rush they feel in their superhero identities, not because they actually love each other. Maybe that was what drew Sally to the Comedian despite everything he did. Who knows?

I also really like the ending. I haven’t been talking about the New Frontiersman in these reviews because it’s largely been inconsequential up until now, which is kind of the point. Seymour, a downtrodden, inconsequential man working a soul sucking job at a right wing newspaper, is suddenly given the power to change everything. Will he reveal the contents of Rorschach’s journal and thus expose Adrian’s plan or keep quiet in the name of peace? I want to believe it would be the latter, but considering his livelihood depends on his racist editor having material to rant and complain about, it would seem the world is truly doomed. 

As Doctor Manhattan said, ‘nothing ever ends.’

Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading these blogs. It took longer than I thought to write them, but honestly I think it was worth the extra time because there is just so much about Watchmen to unpack and I really enjoyed analysing this story. I’ve been wanting to review Watchmen for ages now and I’m very proud how these have turned out. I personally think it’s some of the best stuff I’ve ever written. Next I’m going to be reviewing the movie adaptation directed by Zack Snyder and then after that the HBO TV series. In the mean time, please feel free to like and reblog and share your own thoughts and feelings about Watchmen. Which character did you find most interesting? Do you think Adrian did the right thing? What would you do in Seymour’s shoes if you found Rorschach’s journal and discovered the truth about the giant alien squid? I’m genuinely curious :)

[tessatechaitea]

Scarab #6

I don't know what's happening on this cover but I definitely have a new sexual fetish.

This comic book stars a raccoon. Rating: A+.

Most of the weird dialogue in this comic book probably comes from John Smith's high school notepads full of terrible poetry. I mean, this part about winter isn't too bad! I kind of like it. It's almost as if William Carlos Williams and H.P. Lovecraft were caught in a Star Trek transporter malfunction where their minds were melded but they had to overcome the horror of their new two-dicked physical existence to continue writing poetry. I knew John Smith was English from his previous work on 2000 A.D. and other British comic book periodicals but then he uses the phrase "Chinese whispers" in this issue and I think, "If I hadn't already known he was English from his previous work on 2000 A.D. and other British comic book periodicals, I'd now know he was English by his use of the phrase 'Chinese whispers.'" Here are some of the ideas John Smith throws into a two-page account of Scarab's recent adventures that he couldn't bother writing into full scripts but wanted everybody to know he thought up anyway: a television at the Waldorf haunted by the 20th Century, a pervert breaking the spirits of kids with his Zoo of Shame, The Phantom Barber stealing scalps from runway models, the world's sexiest man raped by Tarot cards, and the Electric Fetus Machine which manifests as a large organ whose music foments rebellion in fetuses. Is this how the British writers took over DC's adult comic books? By occluding our minds with so much random and weird pseudo-philosophical garbage that we couldn't think straight? Sure, I guess an Electric Fetus Machine sounds like a way better story than Batman beating The Riddler near to death. But is there really any substance there? I suppose there could be if the idea were fleshed out and some kind of theme built around the idea of fetuses rebelling. Maybe all of these ideas John Smith throws out are just a game of Chinese whispers where he takes, say, a story by John Barth from Lost in the Funhouse about the thoughts of a sperm considering how the race toward life is pointless and, maybe, they should all just give up, and he turns it into the Electric Fetus Machine so that when I read it, I don't instantly think, "Isn't this a John Barth story?" Instead, I think, "That's a better sounding story than the one where the guy is raped by the Three of Wands!"

Meanwhile, Scarab spends his downtime watching Eleanor turn into a Dr. Seuss tree. Or a mushroom cloud (because remember the theme established by the beginning quote and title?!).

Try to ignore Scarab's ass in the previous scan. It's phenomenal. If you're training to be a comic book artist, you need to spend a lot of time getting the ass right. And once you do, you'll never get an ass in pants right again because all you have ever learned to draw is a naked ass which readers will know is actually under skin tight Lycra unless the colorist completely shits the bed. The guy in the jar on the cover is a Russian experiment in psychotropic warfare called a Gloryboy. There are three of them and they're some kind of pacifist dream come true. They constantly mutter Vertigo phrases in a tonal frequency that makes normal people vomit and shit themselves. It's the Brown Note theory of winning battles but taken to the Vertigo extreme. Instead of a whomping bass sound system, the noise comes form a naked albino in a jar composed of dream matter. Maybe they're not composed of dream matter. And maybe they're not about pacifism at all. It seems they've been altered and experimented in such a way that they can give voice to "the Scream over Hiroshima!" That sounds pretty bad. It's probably some form of psychic bombardment, comparable to a nuclear blast, which drives everybody in the vicinity completely insane. Or maybe it really will just be a thing that pacifies everybody because have you ever tried to do anything while shitting yourself? I mean other than read the ingredients in your shampoo. And even then, I bet you take your eyes off the bottle for a moment to really be in the moment. As an aside, do women find shitting as enjoyable as men or is it just the fecal matter pressing up against our prostate as it passes that makes a big shit feel so good? The Russians test the Scream Over Hiroshima on London. What it does is project into the minds of everybody who hears it the entire reality of what happened in Hiroshima. It's the truth of war. It's pure horror and death and consequence. It probably also makes everybody shit themselves. But when it's done, they'll all understand, on a physically primal level what war is. And the assumption is that everybody will finally be against it, I guess? I've been on Twitter for many years and the one thing I know is that even physically experiencing the horrors of the bombing of Hiroshima isn't going to change the minds of most idiots. I mean, if you didn't become a vegan pacifist hug machine after hearing Sting's song, "Russians," why would you become one after living the horror of fifty thousand lives snuffed out in an instant?! Some people, you just can't reach. London turns into a burning chaotic mess as everybody flips the fuck out from suddenly experiencing the most painful thing they've ever experienced. Scarab arrives after it's all over and everybody is afraid of him. Surprise! There's nothing he can do. He just observes the mess and meets a psychic who tells him that Eleanor is coming back. And isn't that the most important part of this eight issue story? That Louis the Scarab's love returns to him while the rest of the world falls into death and chaos? Scarab #6 Rating: C. Smith seeded this issue with more story ideas than story. The main story is an idea that really goes nowhere as well. It's a thought experiment. It's a minor philosophical musing. And Scarab doesn't do anything but distract himself from his wife's condition. But it also wasn't uninteresting. So I think that means it's a C? What am I, a high school teacher? I don't know how to grade shit!

[driscollroman3-blog]

Participate in! 0.30 For Android.

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This's clear you'll never find Nintendo activities on iOS, yet PicoPicoGames is actually the second best point: a collection of tiny, addicting NES-like minigames. All your interactions with this game are actually with clicking and also dragging, so this works merely great on a Chromebook. Fantastic Britain get in a staff for the video games which is made up from sportsmens from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but throughout guide it is mentioning the England volleyball crew as well as other such rubbish. Directing cabling in the real world provides madness, and so this might not be actually the most intelligent operation making in to an activity played on an unit with a glass display. This's certainly not just what I expected from an author that formulated the rather one-of-a-kind suggestion of the NPCs in computer game being actually active as well as real individuals embeded storage tanks from goo. There were actually absolutely no happy individuals within this publication apart from one, as well as they placed him in a psychological establishment. The small grab is actually a hexagon sits at the top, and also the 2nd this comes under deep space, your game mores than. By comparison, in a problem game time works like an egg cooking timer: fracture a degree just before your patience ends and the timer is flipped; your store of persistence is renewed. Enjoying popular music demands that individuals open up the media gamer or Groove Music application and also pop this sideways from their monitor along with their game. The Hunger Games is high quality YA, smartly created, and also despite its own imperfections this's worthy of effectiveness. This brings in the listing due to the fact that is one of the best addicting and also straightforward games you'll obtain your practical. I kept viewing The Despising Activity on my Twitter, Instagram, and also Goodreads timetable as well as because that is actually been actually collecting higher scores, certainly my inquisitiveness was piqued. Does Not Commute is actually a clever activity that incorporates driving and challenge aspects to offer you along with a suspenseful as well as unique experience. I specifically suched as the opening stock, which provided a concrete capability test surrounding activities like deciding on a word that ought to be actually gotten rid of off a paragraph or testing your callback after reviewing an extract. Quite potentially the most effective LEGO video game to date, LEGO Superstar Wars: The Pressure Awakens is a certain breath of clean Hoth air for the stagnating flick franchise-turned-LEGO game formula.

[transformers-art-showcase]

P.A.T.C.H. #06: "Life After the Big Bang"

There’s a common rule of thumb when it comes to comics: you can jump in when you see a new #1 on the cover. If not, be wary –you’re not gonna get it, you’ve skipped episodes, you’re missing out. Well, you know what? Nuts to that! We here at P.A.T.C.H. like to stick it to common sense and provide a halfway decent explanation for it! So here we are, presenting a story from possibly the most popular “Transformers” comics title ever that is not a number 1 and provides a satisfying, complete story with connections to more! Enjoy! ... No, seriously, did it take us that long to talk MTMTE?!

“LIFE AFTER THE BIG BANG”

“The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” #4-5 (2012)/ “Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye” Volume 2

Written by James Roberts, pencils by Alex Milne, colors by Josh Burcham, letters by Shawn Lee The amazing sogn for this wondrous edition of P.A.T.C.H.: https://youtu.be/tvqlt7OWTOk https://open.spotify.com/track/4p82pfEa4cayPqXLN6Rhzm

SO WHAT’S IT ABOUT? After receiving a cryptic, worrisome message, Autobot medic Ratchet, turncoat Autobot Drift and bad luck magnet Pipes land on the medical outpost of Delphi on the planet Messatine to investigate. Faced with a motley crew of doctors and patients and a deadly epidemic, our heroes have to rush both against unexpected enemies and their own worsening health... Oh, and Tailgate and Red Alert aren’t doing so hot on the ship, either. WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW? The opening blurbs mostly fill you in on everything: the recent end of the Autobot-Decepticon War, the proposal to search for the fabled Knights of Cybertron (“Death of Optimus Prime” one-shot), the open invitation by captain Rodimus into the starship “Lost Light” and its disastrous launch (“More Than Meets the Eye” #1). Other than that, the rest are character threads picked up from previous issues of the series and can be ignored for now, to focus on the stand-alone nature of the thing. Still, let’s go over some major ones. In terms of pre-existing character development, the most pressing issue would be Drift’s dramatic arc(s). Although he first appeared in “All Hail Megatron” #5, he already had a pretty long history behind him, mostly outlined in the first “Drift” mini-series. In those four issues (written by Shane McCarthy, penciled by Alex Milne, colored by Josh Perez and lettered by Chris Mowry), it was revealed that Drift started out as destitute and homeless before the War, and so the Decepticon vision of equality appealed to him greatly. (Not to mention giving him an outlet for his pent-up rage.) He was renamed “Deadlock” and garnered a reputation of cruelty and efficiency. That is, until a disobedience episode, an escape attempt and a brief stint with the Circle of Light, a group of pacifist warrior-scholars, changed that. Following that, he bumped into the Wreckers (“Spotlight: Drift”, written by Shane McCarthy, penciled by Casey Coller, colored by Joana Lafuente and lettered by Chris Mowry) and started associating with the Autobots, with whom he stayed for the next few years, up to the second confrontation with the Dead Universe forces (“Chaos”, written by Mike Costa and James Roberts, with art by Livio Ramondelli and letters by Chris Mowry, which we’ve briefly talked about here). One near-death experience later, he emerged as a cheerful spiritualist, much to one famous medic’s annoyance. Just this once, Ratchet’s wrong –this latest rendition of the character is one of his most popular ones, and even if you’re not interested in his pre-history, you can go by what is said about him easily. Though Tailgate is (rather famously) one of the breakout stars of the series, it’s not he who has the more extensive history, but his roomie Cyclonus. An ancient warrior and comrade of deranged megalomaniac Nem-, excuse me, completely stable individual Nova Prime’s, he was an undead creature under the sway of the Dead Universe for a long time (“Revelation”, written by Simon Furman and drawn by various artists). He later joined fellow Golden Age survivor Galvatron and his reformed army against Cybertron (“Chaos” and “Heart of Darkness”... I think so, at least). Following the betrayal of his commander for the love of his home planet, he joined the “Lost Light” after a misunderstanding (and beating up Whirl, but that’s perfectly normal). He’s been warned at least one on his violent tendencies by Rodimus and has expressed his doubts over the entire War; can he really make a fresh start with these people? Finally, and although that could be considered a bit of a spoiler, certain details –locations, characters, even phrases– first appeared or were mentioned in “Last Stand of the Wreckers”, and specifically its trade paperback editions. Click here to get there immediately and (hopefully) get a few good reasons to check out the book yourselves! WHERE DO I GO FROM THERE? To all of “More Than Meets the Eye”, obviously! These two issues, apart from being stand-alone, plant the seeds for so much more down the road, it’s dizzying! Keep up with the series, where all the characters mentioned here receive further development, and when you’re done, be sure to jump in on “Lost Light”, its continuation. If, however, you want to go to specific arcs from the first season of the series based on individual elements (most by the same team as this issue), I’d suggest “Shadowplay” (issues #7-9 or Volume 3) for Ratchet’s past with Drift (and Red Alert’s troubles), “Remain in Light” (#17-21 or Volume 5) for the comeback of Ratchet’s antagonist, “Before and After” and “Cybertronian Homesick Blues” (#12 and #13, both in Volume 4) for Cyclonus and Tailgate’s continuing development and “Under Cold Blue Stars” (issue #15 or Volume 4) for Pipes’ shining moment. Reader discretion is advised: at least one of these stories is known to cause intense pain in the feels. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Finally, make sure to pick up the dual 2012 Annuals for “More Than Meets The Eye” and “Robots in Disguise” (both contained in Volume 3 of their respective trade collections). Both are split in two. One half of their stories are the adventures of the present cast interacting with a Titan, a huge Transformer from the distant past. The other half, drawn by artist Guido Guidi (who also colors his work) in the style of the old Marvel “Transformers” series (as well as various “cosmic”, high sci-fi titles of the publisher), provides added world-building and backstory for the entire universe. While seemingly unrelated, the origin stories explain a few holes in the pasts of key characters (Cyclonus was young once?! And he knew Dai Atlas, too?!) and become vital later on, especially in the finale of “Lost Light”. IS IT ANY GOOD? It was a satisfying mystery that showcased how unique this world and its characters are. It featured the evolution of a true master artist. It introduced about a trillion things in 44 pages. It provided us with proof that Ratchet is, and shall forever be, one of the greatest things we have ever produced in this miserable world. WAIT, WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT DRIFT?! Oh yeah, he’s there, too! Did I forget that? Never mind, song, playlist, go!

AND YOU THINK YOU'VE FIGURED OUT EVERYTHING | PLOT AND DIALOGUE While the format of this story isn’t unfamiliar, even for this feature (this is our third mystery, after “Windblade” and “Punishment”), what separates this one is how dense it is. Within the first three pages of the story, we’re introduced to three characters, one location and an impending threat, all unrelated to the main cast so far. Various techniques –unreliable journal narration, dialogue insertion, two-page spread– are mixed to give everyone as much character as possible and make everyone suspect for what’s going on. And the onslaught of detail doesn’t stop there. This is the kind of story that would’ve been impossible with any other type of property, even a sci-fi one: the very idea of transformation is integral to how it works. Alt-mode details, in-universe cultural views, even having the ability to change shape are used both as world-building and clues for the mystery. This is the kind of story that makes the casual, vaguely interested reader into a devotee and forces them to go back and reread it to get all the foreshadowing. This applies to the dialogue, too. Roberts’ language, which we’ve seen before here, has been praised as snappy and quotable (Ratchet and Drift here, full stop), but it also shows a deep appreciation for all “Transformers” lore. The famous joke on the best names being taken, for example? Done at the expense of an obscure character from a previous generation reusing the name “Prowl”. If there’s one downside to all that, it’s that some scene transitions can be a little clumsy (Red Alert’s scenes, though important for later, come a bit out of left field), but it’s a small price to pay for the excellence on display.

Hark! What is that I see? A vessel is leaving the port! The sirens of the “S. S. Dratchet” are blaring! All aboard! FEELING SPACED BREATHING OUT LISTERINE | ART And speaking of excellence, the team of Alex Milne and Josh Burcham are on fire here. The amount of detail, fluidity and expressiveness on all pre-existing characters is incredible, but the new designs are a triumph on their own. Most will be distracted by Pharma (I know I was!), but it’s Ambulon’s story-important form that’s the real star here. In general, however, there’s incredible synergy between the art and the story. Background details (First Aid’s badge collection) and actions (again, First Aid’s fiddling in the second issue) are as important as anything else to solve the mystery, so make sure you read slowly and pay attention. In general, Milne’s able to pack an incredible amount of information into very tight pages. The best example is probably Drift attacking another character and transforming in a single, enlarged panel and a few mini, inserted ones. Lastly, the backgrounds need to be highlighted. The arrival to the outpost and the climax excluded, all scenes are set indoors, but the art doesn’t feel constrained by them. Instead, it has two different approaches to interior spaces. Everything in Delphi looks used, dented, past its prime –even the very walls feel grimy. This makes it the polar opposite to the brightly lit, spacey rooms of the “Lost Light”, full of inviting light blues and pinks (the violent outburst in Cyclonus’ room is the exception). Burcham’s richly textured work favors faded browns, sickly greens and rusted reds –the liquid of the mysterious disease looks eerily much like blood. Two flashback-montage sequences (Tailgate’s narration and the final explanation for the outbreak of the epidemic) are much freer in panel construction and dreamier in color pallet, but are once again tight and informative. Add to this some splashes of robo-gore and the unobtrusive lettering (Pharma’s silent speech bubble and use of a laser scalpel is another small miracle) and this is an artistic five-course meal.

Pssst. Nobody tell Pipes “corpse-pile” isn’t an actual game. Let him figure it out on his own. YOU'D KILLED THE BETTER PART OF ME | CHARACTERS AND THEMES But, if you’ll let me get personal for a moment, despite all the above gushing, my favorite element in this story is still its protagonist. Ratchet’s arc in IDW has been one defined by his old age, not a unique element in the franchise –same goes for his “Animated” and “Prime” incarnations, after all. Where this medic separates himself, however, is how he’s tied to the larger themes of reconstruction and moral grayness. The characters of this universe are no strangers to morally questionable actions –we have already seen one such early demonstration from the Autobots on this feature–, but the culprit behind the Delphi disease really takes the cake. He claims all sorts of survivalist justifications for his criminal actions, but the one that rubs the worst are his similarities to Ratchet –he calls attention to them to buy time and out of a need to show off, in traditional ��baddie” fashion. And that hurts. After all the effort to end the war, there’s still rot, (literal and figurative) disease and evil. How long can anyone hold onto their ideals in such a world? Won’t these ideals be corrupted, sooner or later? Why not just copy the bad guy’s tactics? If such violence is justified, why not snap and kill the bastard already? Why remain selfless and sacrificial –isn’t it tiring? The villain’s charm and Ratchet’s moral dilemma play off of each other wonderfully through Roberts’ snarky dialogue, and the final stinger remains uncomfortable. In the b-plot, this theme is further emphasized with Tailgate and Cyclonus’ scenes, where the senior bot berates the younger one on choosing a faction knowing little of their world. The younger characters introduced do offer another view –that there can be hope for the future-, so there really is no final closure offered. Instead, I wish to end this paragraph with the words of another great author: “Life persists”.

Even beaten down, rusting from the inside out and minutes before death, Ratchet is still cooler and more presentable than all of us at our best. BUT I CAN'T STILL FOCUS ON ANYTHING | FINAL THOUGHTS While reading this story again for this feature, I had flashes of my first time reading it a few years back. At that point, I hadn’t been completely sold on “Transformers”, but processing the facts and the details and the character beats here, I started seeing that there was something great about them. “More Than Meets the Eye” is a special book, the perfect gateway to a rich, complex, beautiful universe and introduced me to one of my faves. This wasn’t the story that blew me away (that might come up later), but it definitely was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[vexmagarchive-blog]

God Is A Carrot / VEX X Steve Hill

Steve Hill refuses to fit neatly into any category. A former Marine and peace officer, he is now a successful standup comic, real estate appraiser and local activist. He also made history in what is possibly the most bizarre election cycle ever, as the first openly Satanic public servant to run for office in America.

What’s especially contemptuous is that Steve ran in a district known as the Bible Belt of LA County, the Antelope Valley, and helped the Church of Satan challenge the Lancaster City Council to comply with religious freedom laws, and allow the Seven Tenets of Satan (think the 10 commandments of Satan)  displayed alongside a bible at Lancaster City hall. The group even organized to hold a Satanic ritual on 6/6/16, to teach concerned city officials about their beliefs.

This left a few fervently religious locals confounded and afraid, and all hell broke loose.

The unapologetic frankness with which he talked about his beliefs and his involvement in the ritual gave Steve a massive boost of social and mainstream media exposure, garnering attention from the likes of TMZ to even Time Magazine. The exposure netted him endorsements from VoteprogressiveCA.com , and several Bernie Sanders fans on social media. In the end, Steve lost the Senate race, but left his mark as one of the most fascinating and entertaining candidates to run for office. VEX caught up with Steve while taking a break from preparing his upcoming comedy special, and touched base with him on his religious views (or lack thereof) , and his vision of a better world.

What does Satan Represent to you? You know that the first or original place that you heard of Satan is in the Bible. Satan represents a stick. God represents a carrot. You know about the carrot and the stick? Good and evil. In the book that everyone is supposed to buy into, you were given God….which is so good, so perfect, pristine, omnipresent. And then you were given the Devil, which is diabolically and diametrically opposed, 180 degrees opposite, this Evil, this Wretched, just.. everything you can imagine. So, you were given the Devil to scare you with. You were given the Devil...to scare you. That’s fear based. And that’s what Satan represents to me. So … we don’t believe in Satan, per say, any more than we believe in God. We’re using satire to go, here: We’re everything you hate. We’re allll evil. And we’re gonna fight you with your own crap. When you buy city property, and turn it into churches...turn it into little community ‘faith based’ homes...then, We want one. We are ‘religious’. We ‘worship’ Satan. So...what makes your religion better than our religion? We want to be treated equally - it’s the in law. But more importantly - separation of church and state.

So is the purpose of Satanism just to debunk and troll Christianity? Basically. Its Satirical.

So if there was no Christianity would there be no need for Satanism? If they were not pushing their religion into our government, which is by the people and for the people, then no. We all don’t think alike, we all don’t worship alike. There are muslims, buddhists, but you don’t see any muslim faith based houses, do you? It’s just Christians. How obviously discriminatory is that? But people are cowards - they don’t wanna say nothing because they know they’re fighting a majority. Everybody likes the idea of religious faith based houses - until Satan shows up wanting one. But it’s just common sense - let’s have some fairness.

Do people try to join you completely ignorant of the fact that you’re atheist? Assuming that you’re Devil-worshippers? Well we do hold rituals - I don’t participate in them, but we had one in LA recently where it was off the chain - there’s was people suspended from the ceiling, and these long pillars of candles and smoke, so we do great shows, but we don’t believe in any of this. It’s all for satire. We mostly meet up, have some drinks and meet like minded people who enjoy our company. What you do when we leave here is your business.

So you don’t get a lot of weirdos? We get some, but we weed them out. There’s an application that you fill out and there’s some specific questions devised to weed out people who think that Satan’s really running around somewhere. But we try to make it abundantly clear we are atheists for the separation of church and state. We don’t worship shit.

I noticed a lot of fearful christians posting your interviews on pro-Bernie sites, trying to warn people of the dangers of voting for you. That backfired, because that exposure eventually got you an endorsement from  Vote Progressives CA. Do you think notoriety gave you that advertising boost you needed? Yeah, it was effective. Because people would go on my website, check out my facebook page and actually look at my platform.

How hard was it to get the 7 Tenet of Satan displayed at Lancaster City Hall? I know you guys had some protesters, but was anyone in the city council trying to turn you down? I think so, but what could they do? Of course we didn’t think they they would be all warm and fuzzy. But they wasted taxpayer money trying to fight it!

Is that why you guys decided to create a giant pentagram with GPS signals? Yes, and  their ‘opposing force’ was to hire a skywriter to make a giant cross in the sky. And it cost the city a lot of money.

In your run for Senate you actually came in 3rd place. I think the count was over 15,000 votes, which was about 13% of the vote.

But did you spend any money on advertising? I never saw any commercials, banners, flyers, none of that for you. No, the few donations I did get helped with my political consultants and paying for the debates. They were coming from across the country and were very small donations, between $10-$20. I think the biggest donation I got was $200. Running for office cost me about 5 Grand, but I didn’t care.  

You’ve mentioned before that the City is not displaying the tenets in a respectful way. Tell me whats happening there. They’re not being displayed at all! They probably threw them in the trash. I tried to speak to the City Manager during the [Black Lives Matter] rally, but he was leaving the rally before it even started. But those Tenets, those really mean something to us. We fight for LGBTQ rights, women’s reproductive rights, we’re ‘social justice warriors’. So the Tenets actually do mean something. If everyone could live by them, it’d be a better world. But people are out here praying - like, do you understand that we’re out here at a rally because people are killing us in the streets? And you’re praying to the same god as the people who are killing us in the fucking streets. It doesn’t make any sense to me.

It’s stockholm syndrome. One of the first things they teach you in the Marines, if you’re captured by the enemy, you might feel sympathy for them. When I was a guard at the penitentiary, if the prisoners got out and started to riot, they warned you - you might experience stockholm syndrome. But we have to stand up, get off your knees, and fight back.

Interview conducted by Jusy Franco

[sweetlifetownsville]

The Blather Storm Gathers Strength: The Astonisher Is So Desperate For Love, Is Tinder Next?

BLAM! The Astonishers iditor scores another bullseye on her tootsie, while penning a paean of self-praise making the floods all about THEM, not YOU. For comic relief, it cant be bettered. Whats our deputy Doo Dah, Messagebank Walker not telling us? ThePie hears he is so upset with some Facebook jibes, that hes seeking legal advice. Also, the (old) gangs all here Townsville gets another council CEO with a chequered history. And THAT photograph of a female footy player to revert to a dismissive saying of his youth, The Magpie asks whats the hairy deal? And motor scooters dont usually make us laugh, but this one does. But first In these days of whine and posers, few things are hard to imagine as being impossible but The Magpie being genuinely indignant ON BEHALF of Pauline Hanson would be up there until this week. This screechy harridan is truly an ill-educated, blinkered ignoramus, but the set piece public bullying ambush on national TV during the week successfully cast her as a victim deserving sympathy and thats a role she doesnt really deserve. So David Koch and Derryn Hinch have more than their unprofessional behaviour to be ashamed of, but also the fact that it immediately gave Hanson the undeserved role of a victim of misogyny. The is a deplorable trend in pop media to mistake shouty bullyboy ranting as a justified replacement for clever and reasoned questioning. The smug stand-over tactics of the hugely self-satisfied talent-cipher David Koch was reinforced by a swearing and blaspheming Hinch. Any moral point they were trying to make on Sunrise i.e. that Hansons track record of anti-Islamic rhetoric played more than a totally speculative role in the Christchurch massacre was completely lost by their behaviour. Bentley was totally unimpressed.

These two dunderheads quickly learnt that their ranting was self-defeating, with viewers generally sympathetic to Hanson and making widespread calls for Koch to be sacked and Hinch well, well just have to wait on the ballot box for him to get his. The ABC Tries Its Hand At Soft Porn It was the week of THAT photograph of THAT kick. The image that dominated the public chatterati this week was this one AFL footballer Tayla Harris.

And the young lady can thank Channel 7 for the publicity she is now enjoying (well, she indicates she quite OK with the attention.) The pic was put up by 7 on their FB page earlier in the week, but when it attracted some totally predictable low comments from some pimply near-illiterate trolls, the station made the bizarre decision to remove the image instead of just the comments. This skewed logic suggested they agreed that the trolls had some sort of point with their totally unacceptable view of things. Cue predictable outcry over this sort of flinching management oafishness and back up it went sans comments of course. As is the world these days, this attracted a great deal of notoriety for the picture and for Ms Harris, and various members of the professional huffnpuff brigade. Now, you may find this hard to believe, but The Pie has looked and looked and looked examined this photograph at least a dozen if not 20 times, and was nonplussed as to what the whole thing was about. But then the awful truth dawned, courtesy of ABC TV news on Wednesday night. It was what was NOT being said that was the problem. The ABCs lengthy tut-tutting report showed, for reasons known only to themselves, a series of stop-motion pics of the entire Harris kick. Not once, but TWICE (roll through to 16.38 and 17.39 if the link is still up). The relevance or necessity of the extra pics is not immediately apparent. This very un-ABCish display hit like a freight train to the senses the lovingly slowed, later zoom, double dose started to take on the semblance of soft porn for the trolls and talk about the Streisand Effect (decrying the publishing of something magnifies its exposure tenfold). Because the one thing absolutely no one was saying was that the picture was undeniably sexy. And anyone who indignantly says otherwise is simply lying. Or dead. The athletic female form is every bit as sexy as that of a male perhaps more so, but it seemed everyone was tip-toeing around this fact. But The Pie let it all pass until the following night, when a further ABC TV report on the issue again featured the same series of photographs (scroll to 25.14), which started to look like an excuse to run the pics again and again. This was now beyond ingenuous. And it was dishonest, close up zooms and the like also making it clearly prurient. Of course, the whole thing was clothed in a finger-wagging moral tale, with the photographer wittering on about a beautiful, graceful, powerful image - which it is and some other thundering gorgon calling for detection and expulsion of the trolls if they were found to be gasp members of an AFL club. Speaking your mind on social media nowadays requires awareness, common sense and an understanding that private thoughts and grubby unattainable ambitions should remain just that, private. But the medias prissy denial of the reality in this instance, pretending that an obviously sexy image should not be seen as such, just aggravates the situation instead of taking a sober look at the issue. And an image like this can bring out the wrong reaction in the emotionally immature. Sport has always been inextricably linked with sex, indeed, born of it, the first instances of ancient games were devised to advertise the best genes available for breeding purposes and thats not a million miles away from the way sports like tennis, swimming, gymnastics and athletics are subliminally marketed today. And, like the seasoned exponents of other, established sports, Ms Harris and the other women who play AFL will soon get comfortable with the new reality and no doubt flaunt their new image for fun and profit. (As an AFL die hard, The Pie might be unkind enough to suggest the photograph was the only thing worth watching of the new womens league.) But even after rocking that vision back and forward a score of times, The Magpie admits he is stumped try as he might, he just cant see it what all the fuzz is about. The Bulletins New Slogan Its All About Us Well, thats what they meant, and at least thats a refreshing burst of honesty and hilarity. In what in The Magpies experience is an unfortunate first, Bulletin iditor Jenna Cairney has used a prominent two page spread (about $10,000s worth to punters) to tell us how wonderful she and her team have been for doing their jobs. Like hundreds of others, continuing to do their jobs despite suffering flood damage to property . And what tough times she and her battling journos had of it. Suddenly it was Were For Us ,and not Were For You.

Self praise is never any recommendation. But in this virtue-signally fest, a desperate bid to establish that the turnstile staff door at the Astonisher doesnt exist and everybody is here forever, Jenna comes spectacularly undone. First, theres this laugh-your-arse-off clanger

Despite in itself the highly questionable claim of who does what and where, (certainly much of the advertising layout is done in The Phillippines) the boast doesnt say much about the papers writing or subbing or local knowledge when it is featured above a picture carrying an incorrect caption. There is no intersection or corner of Norris Street and Queens Road, these streets run parallel and dont intersect, they are two blocks apart. The initial error could be forgiven, formed under trying circumstances but that was back then, now is now, where any sub with local knowledge wouldve picked it up, or at least checked. And real papers keep the archives updated. But thats not the only dubious claim when we read on.

Just love that line much of what they say will be true; much will be their version of the truth, and lets be blunt, some may be downright lies. That would make a much more accurate description of the Townsville Bulletin instead ofnthe mimsy Were For You, which by the way, is a News Corpse company-wide slogan for all mastheads across the country. So we are to trust you when you tell us 77% of locals read our content. As the Hotels Combined bear keeps saying Really? Lets see, total population of the immediate Townsville local area i.e. possible circulation, is, in round figures, about 250,000, 77% of which is 179,000. Yet the latest Roy Morgan readership figures show that on an average weekday, 43,000 see a Bulletin and on the weekends, 52,000 and almost all these readers are the same repeat readers, the Bulletin is not a destination for casual browsing. Nice try at creative accounting, Jenna, hope you dont do your books with this method. And your risible claim that we can trust the Townsville Bulletin is as believable as this little bit self-praise bollocks.

Pure and utter tosh, and the city knows it. But good job on youth crime, though, mate, herograms all round to your tough journalists. And boy, is your closing going to come back and bite you on the bum sometime soon.

Like they say in Hollywood, Jenna, when you can fake sincerity, youve got it made. It seems appropriate to follow those sentiments with this ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL WITH JENNY AND JENNA Make no mistake folks, were on the campaign trail, and its the Jenny and Jenna show from now until next March. Get used to it.The blizzard of bent bullshit is gathering force down at the Astonisher. We could have been excused for alarm and panic when we read the suggestion that our new council Chief Excecutive Officer is yikes!! Mayor Mullet herself!! Isnt that how anyone would see this at a glance?

But hang on, thats obviously an error in putting the story together, so lets ignore the click bait come on, and click through to the real story as it appears in the online Bulletin.

Nope, still looks like Mayor Mullet. But then we get to the story which is by established practice, usually summarised in photograph and headline and we find that the familiar-sounding Mike Chiodo has been bumped up from acting CEO to the full time gig. So lets look down through the story, see what this Chiodo bloke looks like. No luck! Seems the Bulletin hasnt got a pic of him to inform us what our new CEO looks like. So let The Pie help out here this is our man an why his bname souns familiar AS REPORTED IN THE MAGPIE JULY 15, 2017 EDITION.

New TCC CEO MIke Chiodo Back in 2017, that same article included this .

The mystery resignation was never publicly cleared up, but again, in July 2017, The Pie reported this interesting tidbit about Adele The Impaler Youngs NT chum and now successor.

Seems Mr Chiodo has hit on another sweet little earner in yet another city he is passing through. Look, he may be a fine administrator Christ knows, anybody will do after Adele Young but a bit more transparency at how the choice was made, and what other interest was shown in the position would have been well in order. But of course, Mayor Mullet is like Jenna, and just wants us to trust her. OK, Big Mama, we trust you yeah, right. A Little Messagebank Mystery

Deputy Doo Dah Les Messagebank Walker This floated into The Nest during the week from a Magpie contact (trust The Pie, please ). I read with interest an article you put together some while ago with respect to Wellards possible involvement with certain councillors and some unusual behaviour with feed lots and land. Step forward to our dispute in relation to the Cattle holding yards near Oak Valley. Plenty of opposition from the locals, and for good reason, the submission by the developer (Gary Dixon & Co aka Ronmar Rural Pty Ltd) was an absolute shambles. I suspect they have been trying to strong-arm the planners at the TCC to get their way. Regardless, I thought that you may find it interesting that Les Walker excused himself from chairing the Planning Committee meeting that heard the case. He alleges that posts on social media (I presume the private Oak Valley Facebook page) indicate that he has a relationship with the developer. There certainly have been some comments, but none that anyone who has a thick skin but is innocent wouldnt deflect with a chuckle. Therefore, quite curious behavior from our deputy mayor who he is apparently seeking legal advice on the matter. Thats now on The Magpie watch list. An Historical Bit Of Doggerel For Our Coming Federal Election Season. Some observations defy time and changing fashion, never to lose their core truth. This from Jonathan Swift 250 years ago. Let them, when they once get in, Sell the nation for a pin; While they sit a-picking straws, Let them rave at making laws; While they never hold their tongue, Let them dabble in their dung We may, while they strain their throats Wipeour arses with their votes. And Another Timely Reminder Of These Political Times It applies just about everywhere.

This Is Just Fall-About Funny Motorbike fanciers, cant yet afford that souped-up, scream machine youve always dreamed of? Heres your answer in the meantime. This Week In Trumpistan

Just when you think Americas Chump In Chief cant sink any lower in his increasingly demented ramblings, this week was dominated by his attack on much-loved war hero Senator John McCain. While a young Donald dodged Vietnam because of alleged bone spurs made him unsuitable for the armed forces, pilot McCain was captured by the Viet Cong but remained loyal and unbreakable through years of imprisonment, deprivation and torture. Of course, McCain couldnt reply to Trumps barbs, hes been dead some months now. Trump denigrated McCain viciously, and for no real apparent reason except McCain wouldnt go along with his loopy policies the response to the attack came from across America and was instantaneous, as reflected by cartoonists on all side of the political divide.

Another ridiculous week has gone by, and somehow, were still here. Hit the comments page with your thoughts or just for silly fun. And sincere thanks to those who have supported this blog with a donation, times are a bit skinny at the moment, funds are always needed to defray costs; if you can help out, the how to donate button is below, it will be greatly appreciated.. http://www.townsvillemagpie.com.au/the-blather-storm-gathers-strength-the-astonisher-is-so-desperate-for-love-is-tinder-next/

[renaroo]

Wednesday Roundup

We have an interesting week! Not the least of which because of Saga’s newest volume release which I have been highly anticipating for months. There’s a lot of storylines beginning, ending, and everything in between this week, and we’ve got a spread between DC, Marvel and Indie. So let’s see how it plays out!

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, DC’s Detective Comics, Image’s Saga, DC’s Titans, DC’s Wonder Woman 

Marvel’s Amazing Spider-Man: Renew You Vows (2016- ) #6 Gerry Conway, Ryan Stegman, Jesus Aburtov

We’ve officially gone into territories that I honestly hadn’t expected for this series to take, that being the confirmation as of this issue that this is a parallel universe where the Superhero Registration Act and Civil War never happened. But... oddly enough it seems to also be a world where Conway is happily ignoring Slott’s miniseries that started Renew Your Vows because the X-Men, including ones we very much saw were dead in the mini, are well and alive and running the Xavier institute just fine. 

And just to add to weirdness, everyone’s in their 90s uniforms but Jean is married to Logan and they have an adorable daughter. How’s that supposed to work with my perception of reality? I have absolutely no idea, but Annie gets a possible future friend in little baby mutant so I think I can consider myself happy. 

It’s interesting to see Gerry Conway, who in many ways as I revisit the various comics of the past (as you may have noticed through my liveblogging here) really is fundamental for me personally in how I perceive Peter, MJ, and their relationship, is writing the first book I’ve been able to read in a long time that feels like them. And it’s not perfect marital bliss -- there’s conflict, opposition, and a sense of flaws that both of them bring to the table. 

Basically all the things that Slott and co. whined and bemoaned were gone simply because Peter and MJ tied the knot. y’know. Thirty years ago. 

Still enjoying the book, but I’m extra curious/worried where our cliffhanger leaves us. Also wow, poor Beast.

DC’s Detective Comics (2016- ) #954 James Tynion IV, Marcio Takara, Marcelo Maiolo

*long heralding sigh and a wistful look into the distance*

We’re smack in the middle of this storyline and I’m sure there’s a lot of things that will be better once it’s fully played out, but I’m running out of ways to defend Tynion’s run on ‘Tec. Mostly because for all the frustration that I have with people being way too critical of this run -- which there more than has been -- I’m getting less and less out of Tynion’s work that fills me with the joy and exuberance that helps me want to defend his comics to begin with.

Probably because I have always said his pacing is awful, his reveals have almost no setup, he repeatedly robs us of emotional catharsis, his views of morality are about as black-and-white as someone can get out of a high school creative writing class, and just structurally I’ve never enjoyed his arcs. 

What I do like from Tynion and have defended again and again is his understanding of the main team’s characters. The Belfry team, as written by him, have so many amazing character moments that they far outshine his stories and villains time and time again. He understands why people love these characters and he wants to share why he loves them, and that enthusiasm has repeatedly been a saving grace on issues that had everything else working against them during his run.

Soooooo This issue is completely devoid of those good things. Because our only goodguy left standing is Bruce. I continue to be... less than apathetic toward the Colony and the assassination of Jacob Kane’s character, or Ulysseus’ gamer-brat return. Bruce continues to be an IDIOT about this League of Shadows thing to the point that my brain breaks trying to figure out why in Detective Comics it seems like the World’s Greatest Detective can’t get a clue. And it all just blehhhhssss toward the middle. 

Now for the controversy. Because god forbid we not have controversy every week ‘Tec comes out. Cass’ reentry in the last two pages is awesome for the first page and stupid on the giant splash page. yes, she’s going to be the one to take down the League of Shadows, and she’ll probably FINALLY get to say one of her famous lines herself for once (IMAGINE). but Tynion or Takara one dropped the ball on that last page by having Cass holding bloody katanas and make it look like she had actually killed Shiva’s ninjas. If this was a mistake, DC is... itself again and we’ll have to ignore it. If it’s meant to make us doubt Cass and that she’s taken Shiva’s words to heart it’s a cheap cliffhanger and we know better. If if if, doesn’t matter, it’s not what it seems and it annoys me.

I was annoyed by this issue and outside of Takara’s continued excellent work in the art department this is going to be lost in the overall storyline of this arc like every single other middle issue Tynion has written for this run. Nothing was gained for this experience. 

Well, it gave me the energy to rant. And I know that’s what some of you come to this blog for, so it gave you that much. 

Image’s Saga (2012- ) Volume 7 Brian K. Vaughn, Fiona Staples

Few comics hit the milestones and accolades which Saga have without stumbling across bumps in the path, and that goes nearly triple when it comes to pushing the envelope with themes of interracial relationships, multiethnic found families, clashing cultures, war, sexual politics, and discussions of sexuality and gender all at once. 

But somehow, amazingly, Saga not only continues to maintain this path and always manages to find new and impressive ways to surprise me -- someone who I’d consider to be a pretty hardened veteran of nearly all forms of storytelling in comics at this point -- but it manages to make each punch still feel like a direct hit to my gut. 

There is so much anguish in the trials of our space opera family for this adventure, so much loss that it’s hard to pin down what hit me harder -- the loss of a long time friend, the sanity of a former dignitary, the home of a beloved survivor, the respect of a former mentor, or -- as Hazel herself so eloquently put it in the last pages of this volume -- the loss of things that never were, the missing energy of what could have been. 

There’s a lot throughout this, and as always Saga delivers. We continue to have one of the most badass trans women I’ve seen in comics to date, the fall from grace of Marko’s professed pacifism, and the fear of Sophie’s inevitable manipulations at the hand of The Will, something that will break my heart a thousand times more. 

Fiona Staples’ art is next level comic storytelling, but I also need to emphasize just what a fantastic writer Brian K. Vaughn truly is. As someone very aware and concerned about portrayal and voices of women in comics, I have to say that Vaughn is up there with Rucka as some of the few male writers that write female characters in a way that truly speak to me on a fundamental level.

DC’s Titans (2016- ) #10 Dan Abnett, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse

Our fight with the Fearsom Five comes to quite the stunning end, really utilizing all of our characters and their strengths as well as their weaknesses. But what really captured my attention here was just how well the comic did when it came to showing off how truly formidable the Five were, with maybe only Gizmo not getting a real moment to shine out of the entire lot. 

The Titans were believably taken down, but not without showing off their prowess first and foremost, an that’s really all I ask for in a story where our heroes ultimately don’t win -- that their strengths are still on display and it’s believable how the battles’ outcome got to where it was. 

Perhaps our Seventh Ranger’s late entry with Bumblebee really showing off her powers and surprising us all does seem like a cheap way to end a battle the Titans mostly lost, but I think that was softened by showing that, in return, Karen has lost something that we have spent many issues building up as being highly important to her: her family and the memories and love she holds for them. 

That plus the reintroduction of H.I.V.E. and Deathstroke has me very curious about just how the “Lazarus Contract” is going to play out here, especially with its title’s obvious signifiers. 

Very good issue through and through, really enjoyable.

DC’s Wonder Woman (2016- ) #20  Greg Rucka, Bilquis Evely, Romulo Fajardo Jr. 

I have been incredibly curious to see what is Veronica Cale’s motivations in all of this and why she wants to get to Themyscira so badly, and it seems as though our past and present storylines have finally come to a head, proving my suspicions correct that the two Doberman that Cale has with her are the twins -- though I thought they were common disguise and not binding of them thanks to a revamp of Circe.

Now, of course, if you follow me long enough to know my Wondy opinions, you know that Circe is by far my favorite villain in Diana’s rogues gallery, and so I have been very excited about her turn to come into Rucka’s reimagining. And it didn’t disappoint, I rather like her modern redux. 

And in all honesty, Rucka’s second time around with Veronica Cale has been delightful to see take form -- moving her motivations to something more powerful and more relatable than “women be jealous of other successful women” is just so much more engaging. There’s definitely been a lot learned since his last run of Wonder Woman and I appreciate it.

The art continues to be just beautiful for the past storylines, I mean beyond gorgeous and so colorful. Which just makes me dread the upcoming more dour, dark, and all around depressing take on the present. 

And if that isn’t a culmination of my feelings about comic trends in general I don’t know what is. 

If I didn’t think it’d be entirely unfair, I’d easily give this week to Saga which just continues to impress and amaze me every volume, but as I read it by volume rather than by monthlies, that seems completely unfair. 

Usually my weeks are difficult because there’s more than a few standouts but this week I didn’t really have anything that really stuck out to me. But, ultimately I’m going to give my pick of the week to Wonder Woman. Rucka’s past storylines are just a joy over and over again. 

[latestnews2018-blog]

We Don't Need 'Who Is America?' To Tell Us How Bad Things Are

New Post has been published on https://latestnews2018.com/we-dont-need-who-is-america-to-tell-us-how-bad-things-are/

We Don't Need 'Who Is America?' To Tell Us How Bad Things Are

His pants lowered to bare his buttocks, Georgia state Rep. Jason Spencer scuttled backward at his opponent, who was portraying an Islamic terrorist. “America!” Spencer bellowed. “I will turn you into a homosexual!” he tells the terrorist.

Welcome to the second episode of Sacha Baron Cohen’s Showtime comedy “Who Is America?” The premiere arrived last week on a wave of critical buzz, thanks to a torrent of outraged statements from conservative politicos who’d been fooled by the actor into advocating for the arming of small children.

But despite the anticipation, the debut ratings were dismal. Though the numbers edged up with encore and On Demand viewings, viewership was weak compared with the debuts of cable TV’s recent successful political comedies, like TBS’s “Full Frontal with Sam Bee” and HBO’s “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.” Even Comedy Central’s “The Opposition with Jordan Klepper,” canceled thanks to abysmal ratings after one season, started stronger than Baron Cohen’s new vehicle.

Why is “Who Is America?” opening with more of a whimper than a bang? Perhaps we’re tired of political humor, or it’s been too long since Baron Cohen’s last hit. Or perhaps this particular brand of comedic exposé has lost its appeal. After all, it’s not like we really need it anymore to grasp how bad things are.

Not that Sunday night’s segment with Spencer wasn’t jaw-dropping. The Republican lawmaker believed he was taking part in anti-terrorism training with an Israeli former military officer, Erran Morad (Baron Cohen in heavy, rather obvious makeup). Morad put Spencer through his paces, having him participate in exercises in which he yelled racial slurs as a diversionary tactic, performed an offensive parody of a Chinese tourist, and took an upskirt photo of a person in a burka to check for weaponry. 

It was an astonishing display, even for a politician previously best known for threatening a former Democratic state rep — a black woman — that she might “go missing” in the swamp due to her public support for removing Confederate statues. Spencer, who in May’s GOP primary lost his bid for a fifth term, put out a statement before this embarrassing footage aired, saying, “It is clear the makers of this film intended to deceive me in an attempt to undermine the American conservative political movement.”

But meanwhile, the party’s leader, President Donald Trump, was in the midst of a rather typical evening of tweeting: referring to his long-ago opponent in the presidential election as “Crooked Hillary,” then sending an all-caps threat of military engagement to President Hassan Rouhani of Iran. 

Of course, no statement needed to be issued to explain how the president was tricked into this unhinged behavior. With Trump leading the way, conservatives have become more and more comfortable showing their own asses unprompted. 

Sure, it’s still quite alarming to see lobbyists and congressional representatives eagerly advocate arming kindergartners with stuffed animal guns. In the most successful sketch from the premiere, Morad peddles a program, “Kinder-Guardians,” intended to solve America’s school shooting epidemic by arming schoolchildren as young as four. As a work of entertainment, the segment is masterful ― and it takes the gun debate in a daring direction by pulling in the right-wing fascination with Israel and its military culture.

Showtime

Gun rights advocate Philip Van Cleave participating in an fictional ad campaign for stuffed animal guns for children in the premiere of “Who Is America?”

The Republicans caught by the Kinder-Guardians trick are defensive and embarrassed, at least for now. Being fooled by a liberal comedian makes them look gullible. But then again, they really weren’t fooled into revealing much that didn’t already exist out in the open.

There was a moment, when “Da Ali G Show” and “The Daily Show” were in their prime, that comedy like this could be genuinely revealing. In the old-fashioned days of the aughts, seeing Baron Cohen or a “Daily Show” correspondent coax a shocking statement out of a public figure, or even a random person on the street, had the power to truly jolt us.  Comedy interviews stood to expose the depths of our fellow humans’ carefully hidden cravenness, bigotry, ignorance, extremism.

“Da Ali G Show” character Borat Sagdiyev, a Kazakh reporter also played by Baron Cohen, made a specialty of baiting subjects with his own professed anti-Semitism, racism and sexism. During a wine-tasting segment, he asked Norman Harris, the head of a Mississippi wine organization, whether the black waiter was “his slave.” Harris responded that slavery had been outlawed, which was a good thing. “For them,” he added. “For you, not so much!” Borat replied jovially. Harris agreed.

“That guy normally would never say that he thought it’s a shame that slavery doesn’t exist anymore,” Baron Cohen told The New York Times. “But because he’s in the room with somebody who’s totally naïve and seems to not mind that slavery existed, he was fully honest.”

By comfortably displaying racist views, a character like Borat made interviewees feel safe in revealing their own. In another interview, the comedian described the technique as “a dramatic demonstration of how racism feeds on dumb conformity as much as rabid bigotry.”

Now, 14 years later, that seems hard to dispute. We don’t even need to turn to edgy comedy for overt demonstrations of the phenomenon. Trump himself functions as an always-in-character version of what Baron Cohen pretends to be for a comedy show: a public figure who offers tacit encouragement for others to voice and enact bigotry by doing so himself.

Baron Cohen’s variety of comedic exposé was perfectly engineered for a time when the kind of middle-class white liberals who watched “Ali G” and “The Daily Show” weren’t confronted with the extremity of others’ views all the time. Back then, it was relatively easy to avoid people who think things were better before the Civil War or that, I don’t know, you should give high-powered weaponry to children on the cusp of learning to use a fork.

But we’re bathed in it now, in the ambient Pizzagate conspiracy theories and “build the wall” rants we face on every platform. We don’t need Borat to bust GOP officials and candidates when they’re recklessly posting racist memes to their own Facebook pages. 

As for random citizens, they easily can, and do, broadcast their own anti-Semitic, misogynistic, anti-gun control and racist views to Twitter ― no comedic sting required. During the second episode, NPR host Dr. Nira Cain-N’Degeocello, another Baron Cohen character, announces the construction of an enormous new community mosque to a meeting of Kingman, Arizona, residents. They respond with trembling outrage; one shouts that he identifies as “racist against Muslims,” and several more argue that they already tolerate black people, although they don’t like it. The scene felt gratuitously painful, an unfunny rehash of a racist debate we already know too well.

Then again, much of Baron Cohen’s shtick has always been a straightforward troll. In “Who Is America?,” he subjects Bernie Sanders to a mathematically incomprehensible presentation on how to move all of the 99 percent into the 1 percent while the senator, with a single-mindedness familiar to those who followed the 2016 Democratic primary, steered the conversation back to his stump speech. This showed nothing new about Sanders, but Baron Cohen didn’t seem to be aiming to.

Showtime

“Bachelor” star Corinne Olympios poses as an aid worker who helped combat an ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. She didn’t perform such service, and the scene for the second episode of “Who Is America?” was filmed in front of a green screen.

Aside from Morad’s interviews with conservative officials and activists, Baron Cohen’s antics seemed tame, even pointless, compared with the charged conversations we deal with daily in real life. Take the segment in which one-time “Bachelor” star Corinne Olympios, while endorsing a fake charity supposedly providing relief for an Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, blankly reads a script for an ad urging people to support child soldiers by providing them with training and equipment. Yes, yes, reality stars will do anything for attention; it’s hard to recall a time when such a revelation would have rocked anyone to their core.

In “Who Is America?,” Baron Cohen repeatedly whiffs on opportunities to illuminate what bizarre things people really would support. Why send an absurd parody of a lefty NPR host to the home of GOP local bigwigs? Without exactly giving a flattering read to the Trump-supporting couple, it does offer them an opportunity to politely condemn behavior that most on the left would also decry, like forcing a young girl to stand while urinating. The takeaway is muddled at best. Getting liberals to cosign those choices on camera ― that might be a coup.

Resurrecting his particular brand of stunt comedy journalism ― honed in a very different cultural and political context ― for a Trump era already awash in gleeful incompetence, extremism and trolling, might seem like a perfect fit for the times. Instead, it’s outdated. (Perhaps that’s partly due to the outdated writers’ room, which consists entirely of men, including one who lost his job on “Inside Amy Schumer” after publicly bragging about choking his ex and sending hordes of sexist trolls after female writers.)

We also must ask whether his approach could be as harmful as it is informative and entertaining. Baron Cohen’s provocations have always raised the question of whether the end of exposing prejudice justifies the means of recreating it, and the evidence is piling up that comic bigotry may only make people more comfortable with the real thing. Take the spillage of Reddit Nazism-for-lolz into genuine radicalization and violence. Take Trump himself.

GOP politicians certainly haven’t become less openly racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Islam and sexist than they were when Baron Cohen first started scamming them in the early aughts. And given how far-right shit-posting has likely helped accommodate the country to outright white nationalism, I found myself wondering uncomfortably whether the guns-for-kids stunt on “Who Is America?” might not also be absorbed into the political debate. Maybe irony can move the  Overton Window, too. 

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[dillonstoltzfus-blog]

Natalie Hess, Jamie Anne Cross.

Science Fiction has actually ended up being a lot portion of our society that symbols from this are all around us, in movie, TELEVISION, video game and also music. This is cattle breeding area it goes without saying and also the locals enjoy to eat beef as well as possess it merely barbequed, spiced and also seared or even in an agitation such as chili, accompanied by edge meals and also condiments. Sometimes the best way to begin these tales is actually coming from the end, opt for the twist then operate back, thinking about all the ideas you could offer the viewers without uncovering the fact. Pals, associates as well as educators make great viewers and could highlight methods which your plot twist carries out certainly not make good sense or even undermines your story. Deter and also think of where this's going, and then consider a substitute ending. 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There were opportunities that his children would get involved in warmed arguments with their instructors on exactly how precisely the tale truly goes. In this lesson, our company analyse The Present of the Magi by Holly making use of a story theme, which you could use to describe your personal twist tales eventually in the training course. He vows to offer his viewers, the most effective that an Indian passion marital relationship can use. Concepts including a fundraiser at a racecourse, where all the cash made use of as well as elevated on this specific time get contributed to a charitable organization that involves every person's communication as to picking the charitable organization this should go to by the end. The modular concept from Spin Banner Stands products produce this optimal for just about any sort of circumstance. As you get even more seasoned with news writing, you'll discover how to interweave quotes into your tale or, even better, create them the foundation on which you create your story. The place, labelled Evan," fascinates viewers over a one-minute-and-40-second romance with a cooling twist. TL; DR-- My Roanoke Ordeal" has finished, and also Section 6" notes the start of real scary account to follow. The only trouble using this is that you additionally stretch the tale itself and this is certainly not an excellent indicator. Let's maintain our fingers crossed as well as really hope Passion Aaj Kal carries redemption to the Bollywood film society. As in films, this choice of ending for a work of fiction provides a feel-good finishing for the viewers. Yet this account has a twist to this. You view, as devoted as Mary was to Ned and also as long as she liked him, her lifestyle along with Ned for all those many years left her along with an unaddressed beef concerning him. Your objective, ought to you choose to accept this, is actually to have these characters as well as make your personal unpleasant surprise ending. Whether he's an experienced phony or simply ignorant, the questionable storyteller does not tell the complete story. In each circle write your characters (or even thoughts) regarding the story (or even main style). EC Comics coming from the 1950s were well-known for their spin closings if you're not controling out detailed quick accounts. Among other jobs he is actually appreciated also for 4 of his other primary contributions to literature: The Pickwick Papers, The Life and Adventures of Nicolas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Store and also Oliver Twist. This could be achieved through integrating a video recording show right into one's streamer display screen layout along with Media Spin. Due to the fact that you can not feel what she says, the Hallucinator still works for plot twists. He feels he is in love with her, yet he is actually likewise restless to find out what she appears like. Naturally, we all like a good enigma and also often our team could certainly not aid however made complex and also knowledgeably created stories in order to rear the level of unpleasant surprise in a tale. I am actually article writer and publisher from amusement internet sites, composing good articles with great material and getting ideal reaction coming from my viewers this time around i am writing one movie in write-up in short articles factory, becasue i passion to create the posts. To reduce a lengthy story quick - and also to promote you to see the film - Oliver is sent out away and also satisfies the Artful Dodger - consequently the account unfurls. That at risk psyche develops an excellent setup twist gadget because just about anything might possess happened. Maybe she has POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER, which distracts her coming from a vital item from area details. We all identify with reduction, grief, dissatisfaction, irritation - ensure that feelings are actually effective elements in your tale. This likewise implies that you typically aren't heading to be actually changing your tale as you release the payments. For even more wonderful gathering ideas and also dishes, Sandee Lembke coming from Theme Celebration invites you to see her website. The music tells a story, it outlines the weather, regarding a affluent or bad guy, about crazy affection that is actually now passing away. Place all of it with each other and also you don't obtain a lot space to tell the definitely exciting parts of the story. The Rewards from Being an Introvert author, Stephen Chbosky, also demonstrates Charlie's emotional chaos throughout the story. The Variation unit is likewise light in weight so that carries out certainly not demand a soldiers from folks to obtain traits in position. She told him that his genuine dad was among 4 males whom she will had sex with at an overindulgence in 1967, which is actually already a less-than-romantic tale. This course is for authors who have a specific interest in knowing the best ways to develop stories with a twist - for usage in either short stories or even novels. Although his story is actually motivated by a Hollywood motion picture, he informed the movie decently. . As her 'streams of consciousness' present her impressive switch off the grief-stricken dowager to a lady which has discovered the responsible enjoyment of a difficult discovery that she is currently without her partner's drowning command, there is actually a clever twist by the end. Below is actually the plot opening that the examines avoided you (as well as by all means, stop reading if you don't want looters). A very removaling tale along with a twist at the end which will definitely offer every child a crystal clear understanding of the harsh realities of battle. An audience left too far in the dark by edge of the tale are going to be actually a dissatisfied reader. There were actually opportunities that his children would enter hot controversies with their instructors on how exactly the tale actually goes. In this particular training, our team evaluate The Present of the Magi by Henry making use of an account design template, which you can easily make use of to detail your personal twist stories later in the course. He promises to offer his viewers, the most ideal that an Indian affection marriage could supply.

[lythraeinteractivestorytelling]

Art movement research

I went to the Tate Modern Museum in London to research some of the artwork of the movement chosen. The art pieces that they had on the walls were produced by Andy Warhol, the most iconic artist in the Pop Art movement.

Mao Tse-Tung 1972, Andy Warhol

What I noticed about these paintings was the bright colours used and also the amount of variations of this same piece with the face of Mao Tse-Tung, the Chinese communist leader at that time. The technique that Andy Warhol used was silkscreen, that is why he was able to create multiple pieces of his work without taking him so long.

Marilyn Diptych, 1962, Andy Warhol

In this other piece we can see the same colour portrait produced 20 times by the same technique as I mentioned before. Andy Warhol created the piece after Marilyn Monroe died from overdose. He related this art piece with fame and death. We can see a huge contrast between the colour images and the black and white panel, which starts fading slowly to the right. This represents the mortality of the actress and how she fades away.

Self-Portrait, 1967, Andy Warhol

Another piece created with the same technique, but this time using his own image. This piece is one of a series of self-portraits. As the display caption of the artwork says, we can recognise that it is Andy Warhol but it is painted in such a way that it makes it difficult to capture human qualities. The intention was to become sort of anonymous and evasive.

The museum had various small panels where they were projecting some quotes from different artists. This one from the american artist, defines his own artwork, as he didn’t paint them manually but used other techniques such as silkscreen which permitted him to create a large amount of artwork in a short period of time.

Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into the Met. Museum?, 1989, Guerrilla Girls

What Do These Artists Have In Common?, 1985, Guerrilla Girls

Women Artists In The Andy Warhol And Tremaine Auctions At Sotheby’s, 1989, Guerrilla Girls

I found some interesting posters by Guerrilla Girls in the section where all the work of Pop Art artist was displayed. The Guerrilla Girls were an anonymous group of radical feminists from America. They were artists that fought discrimination. They produced a series of posters to expose racism and sexism to conscience society. In their posters they include some Pop Art elements, like the banana, previously seen in one of Andy Warhol’s work.

Victor Pivovarov

Another interesting artwork that I found was a collection of three pieces that looked like a comic, which remind me of the Pop Art movement. It has black outlines, clear figures and everyday objects which made me think that it fell into that category. I couldn’t research these artworks online, they are very difficult to find and the official page of the Tate can not display the images because of copyright restrictions. But I came up with the name of an artist, Viktor Pivovarov which falls into the Moscow Conceptual Art category. Most of the work he has of this type was created around 1992, which makes me feel that he got some inspiration from the Pop Art movement. 

Two Women Holding Flowers, 1954, Fernand Léger

Fernand Léger was a french painter, sculptor and filmmaker that belonged to the Cubist art movement. There was some characteristics of his art like the simplified figures, bold lines and vivid colours which defines him as the precursor of Pop Art.

Street Art, 2016

This is a painting I found in Ladywell. There is some influence from Andy Warhol which also use the image of Marilyn Monroe in his artwork. It has plane colours, black outlines and a clear representation of the figure which are some of the characteristics of Pop Art artworks.

I did some research online to find more of the artwork of this movement and other different artists involved.

POP ART

Pop art was born in England in 1950 as a rebellion against abstract expressionism artists. Their work was considered overrated and over intense by Pop Art artists. They wanted to change the abstraction and transform it into real world daily elements which were clear and distinguishable.

Autumn Rhythm, 1950, Jackson Pollock

Pollock. J. (1950). ‘Autumn Rhythm’ [Online] Available At: https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/57.92/

In England, the Independent Group was formed by artists, painters, sculptors which had a similar perspective in terms of fine art. They wanted to connect with the people making art about real life. Some of their work was collages made out from cut outs from comics, magazines and advertisements.

They started getting some influences from the American life and the American Dream but transmitted it with irony in their artwork. The style and ideas were different from the American Pop Art ones, which were more emblematic and more daring.

Just what is it that makes today's homes so different, so appealing?, 1956, Richard Hamilton

Hamilton. R. (1956). ‘Just what is it that makes todays home so different, so appealing?’ [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hamilton-just-what-was-it-that-made-yesterdays-homes-so-different-so-appealing-upgrade-p20271

In the United States, Pop Art appeared after WW ll during America’s economic boom. It was the start of revolution, the era of rock music, free speech and civil rights.

In 1960, Americans started to give popularity to cigarettes, alcohol and sex. They started to sell and advertise them more, which built a generation of consumers.

Andy Warhol was a good reflection of what the United States was at the time, a mass production machine. With the Silkscreen process he was able to create a lot of pieces of work which wouldn’t take as much effort or time compared to hand painted artworks. He started to push the idea of having mundane objects as art, to see them from a different point of view by taking them away from the shelves of kitchen, for example, and displaying them in a gallery.

Main characteristics of the movement

Pop Art artists transformed the material realities of everyday life to popular culture, most of the influences came from television, magazines and comics.

The Art movement coincided with the Pop music phenomenon of the 1950’s and 1960’s  which was associated with fashion. Peter Black designed album covers for Elvis Presley and the Beatles. He also used actresses like Brigitte Bardot in his artwork, while in the United States, Andy Warhol used the image of Marilyn Monroe.

The main characteristics of this movement were the techniques and themes drawn from popular culture like comic books, advertising and everyday objects. The colours used (predominantly yellow, red and blue) were more colourful if we compared them with other art movements.

Silkscreen printing was a very popular technique for mass production. The shapes were cut out from a stencil, which blocked the other parts of the canvas when applying paint over the layer. This way, multiple stencils were used, to apply different colours or shapes on top of the canvas. Another element used in this method was photography, which gave you the ability of making a few different variations of pictures, most common portraits.

Soph. B. (2012). ‘Silk Screening’ [Online] Available At: http://tigger-soph11.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/silk-screening-equipment-process-when.html

The technique that Roy Lichtenstein developed was based on the comic strip. The style consisted in black outlines, bold, colours and tones rendered by Benday dots (a method used in comic books to print tones of skin in the 50’s and the 60’s) using a stencil. He also used a rotatable easel and wood rulers which gave him a lot of control of the work.

Benday dots are used today in our culture and we commonly see them on mangas. It is also a cheaper way of printing that doesn't require much ink.

Lichtenstien. R. (1961). ‘Ben Day dots’ [Online] Available At: https://legionofandy.com/2013/06/03/roy-lichtenstein-the-man-who-didnt-paint-benday-dots/

The features of most of Pop Art artworks were clear lines, sharp paintwork and clear representations of symbols, people and objects from the popular culture.

Some of them were hand painted, some using a collage of photographs  and others made by techniques that would allow mass production.

Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962, Andy Warhol

Warhol. A. (1962). ‘Campbells Soup Cans’ [Online] Available At: https://www.inexhibit.com/marker/ny-andy-warhol-campbells-soup-cans-works-1953-1967-moma/

This is one of the last artwork that Andy Warhol actually hand painted before moving to the silkscreen technique. The only thing that he didn’t paint, was the ‘Fleur de Lis’, which he hand stamped at the edge of the end of the cans. He replicated the same image, the only thing the varied from one image to the other was the label that indicated which flavour of soup it was. The can itself is a mundane object that people saw everyday in their cupboards, but it has a different perspective when hang on the wall of a gallery. That was one of the ideas of the movement, to take daily elements and put it on gallery wall so people would pay attention to them and see them from a different perspective, as art.

Cow wallpaper, 1966, Andy Warhol

Warhol. A. (1966). ‘Cow Prints’ [Online] Available At: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Cow_wallpaper_-_Andy_Warhol.jpg

Banana, 1966, Andy Warhol

Warhol. A. (1966). ‘Banana’ [Online] Available At: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/28/velvet-underground-banana_n_4170126.html

Whaam!, 1963, Roy Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein. R. (1963). ‘Whaam!’ [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/lichtenstein-whaam-t00897

Drowning Girl, 1963, Roy Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein. R. (1963). ‘Downing Girl’ [Online] Available At: http://www.artsz.org/lichtenstein-pop-art-drowning-girl/

Ohhh... Alright..., 1964, Roy Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein. R. (1964). ‘Ohhh.. Alright...’ [Online] Available At: http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/1964/roy-lichtenstein-a-retrospective

I Can See the Whole Room … and There's Nobody in It!, 1961, Roy Lichtenstein

Lichtenstein. R. (1961). ‘I can see the whole room... and theirs nobody in it!’ [Online] Available At: http://www.scottedelman.com/2013/04/14/i-can-see-roy-lichtenstein-and/

Roy Lichtenstein used to get his inspiration from comic books. He used to take the exact comic panel and copy it and colour it. Sometimes he would change the hair or some elements like the name of the characters. Taking out the panel from outside the comic and making it an art piece made it lost its original context and people are able to view it differently. This is similar to what Andy Warhol did with the soup cans paintings.

Pop Shop lll, 1989, Keith Haring

Haring. K. (1989). ‘Pop Shop III’ [Online] Available At: http://www.haring.com/!/art-work/835#.WfHi32i0NPY

The main characteristics of Keith Haring's art are the simplicity, the use of vivid colours and black bold outlines. Most of his artwork had social messages and was made for public work. He produced a big amount of artworks for charities and hospitals.

Beauty Knows No Pain Woman with a Vacuum, 1966-1972, Martha Rosler

Rosler. M. (1972). ‘Beauty know no pain woman with a vacuum’ [Online] Available At: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/826480969087019342/

Martha Rosler's work is made by collage images, mostly from magazines. Her artwork presents social and political criticism.

Ruined Heart, 1964, Delia Cancela

Cancela. D. ‘Ruined Heart’ [Online] Available At: http://citymagazine.rs/clanak/pop-art-zene-u-prvom-planu/cancela

In this piece, Delia Candela represents the feeling of a heartbreak. She painted a red heart with missing parts on a canvas and broken pieces of the heart attached with silk ribbons to the bottom edge outside of the canvas.

The Only Blonde in the World, 1963, Pauline Boty

Boty. P. (1963). ‘The only blonde in the world’ [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/boty-the-only-blonde-in-the-world-t07496

Pauline's artworks were very critiqued due to the expression of joy in confident femininity and female sexuality. She has a free style of painting.

Look out!, Marjorie Strider

Strider. M. (1964). ‘Look out!’ [Online] Available At: https://www.artsy.net/artwork/marjorie-strider-look-out

Girl with Radish, 1963, Marjorie Strider

Strider. M. (1963). ‘Girl with Radish’ [Online] Available At: https://www.wikiart.org/en/marjorie-strider/girl-with-radish-1963

Marjorie Strider´s art was influenced by pinups girls. She also created 3D artworks and soft installations.

Influences of Pop Art

The influence of pop art ideas spread through different types of art forms. We can see pop art artwork in album covers, advertising, design, architecture and fashion.

LOVE,  Robert Indiana

Indiana. R. (1973). ‘LOVE’ [Online] Available At: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_(sculpture)

Happy Rizzi House Germany

Rizzi. J. (1950). ‘Happy Rizzi House’ [Online] Available At: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Rizzi_House

80s Building and Rubiks Cube, 1981

Popcentury. (1981). ‘80s Building and Rubiks Cube’ [Online] Available At: http://www.popcenturysite.com/content/80s-building-and-rubiks-cube

Venus in Sequins, 2011-2012, Philip Colbert

Colbert. P. (2011). ‘Venus in Sequins’ [Online] Available At: http://www.todayandtomorrow.net/2011/06/08/venus-in-sequins/

This collection is inspired by mundane objects taken out of context with vivid colours and black bold outlines. 

The Souper Dress, 1960, Campbell’s Group Company

Campbell. (1960). ‘The Souper Dress’ [Online] Available At: https://laughingsquid.com/the-souper-dress-a-warhol-inspired-pop-art-paper-dress-by-campbells/

The inspiration of this dress came from the paintings that Andy Warhol made of the famous Campbell Soup cans.

Iceberg Collection, 2011

Phelps. N. (2010). ‘Iceberg’ [Online] Available At: https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/spring-2011-ready-to-wear/iceberg

In this collection we can see a big influence of Roy Lichtenstein’s work by the use of comic style drawing and Benday dots.

Versace Spring/Summer, 1991

Hayford. A. C. (2015). ‘TOP TEN ANDY WARHOL INSPIRED COLLECTIONS’ [Online] Available At: http://www.hungertv.com/feature/top-ten-andy-warhol-inspired-collections/

The pattern of this dress is designed with some similar work that Andy Warhol produced with Marilyn Monroe ’s portrait.

Slips-Ons, 2015, Takashi Murakami & Vans

Murakami. (2015). ‘Takashi and vans’ [Online] Available At: https://www.vans.com/murakami.html

Converse All Stars Chuck Taylor

Converse. (n/a). ‘All Stars chuck Taylor’ [Online] Available At: http://www.sarenza.co.uk/converse-chuck-taylor-all-star-pop-art-hi-w-s754988-p0000021589

Jeremy Scott’s McDonald’s Uniform Collection, 2014, Moschino

Scott. J. (2014). ‘McDonalds Uniform Collection’ [Online] Available At: https://www.milanoimai.com/surf-life-saving-raceday/

This collection represents the consumerism and big mass production companies with vibrant colours.

Milan Fashion Week, 2009, Agatha Ruiz de la Prada

Ruiz. A. (2009). ‘Milan Fashion Week’ [Online] Available At: https://www.pinterest.com/okiesweetie708/agatha-ruiz-de-la-prada/

This collection also uses bright colours and simplicity of figures like the heart.

Cartoon Purse

Link: https://2dbags.co/

These bags usually come in bright and happy colours, they are also design as if they were 2D with black bold outlines. 

Archer Cartoon

Floyd Prod. (2017). ‘Archer’ [Online] Available At: http://archer.wikia.com/wiki/Season_7

This cartoon is similar of the artworks that artists like Lichtenstein and Marjorie Strider, which is influenced by the popularity of comics.

Zofies Verden (world)

Nestor. G. (2006). ‘Zofies verden’ [Online] Available At: https://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zofies_verden

This is a panel from a book that has an influence of the style of Roy Lichtenstein.

Grand Theft Auto Vice City

Rockstar games. (2002). ‘GTA: Vice City’ [Online] Available At: http://gta.wikia.com/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto:_Vice_City

Hello Kitty Cafe

Sanrio. (2011). ‘Hello kitty Cafe’ [Online] Available At: https://sanriodigital.com/products/mobile/hello-kitty-cafe

Neko Atsume

Hit-Point. (2015). Neko Atsume: ‘Kitty Collector’ [Online] Available At: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/neko-atsume-kitty-collector/id923917775?mt=8

Yellow Submarine, The Beatles

Beatles. (2012). ‘Yellow Submarine’ Video[Online] Available At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vefJAtG-ZKI&feature=youtu.be

The Beatles - Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds Beatles. (2015). ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ Video [Online] Available At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_64MBkiEIw&feature=youtu.be

In some of these videos I found some kind of pop art features like human figures with black outline and the bright colours.

Whaam! Game, 2012, Alastair Low

Whaam! game video Low. A. (2012). ‘Whaam Game’ Video[Online] Available At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpa5qFFDLdY

I found that someone made a game based on one of Roy Lichtenstein most famous artworks, ‘Whaam!’.

Ohhh.. Alright, kitty... , 2017, Fat Cat Art

Fat Cat Art (2017). ‘Ohhh.. Alright, kitty...’ [Online] Available At: http://fatcatart.com/2017/01/lichtenstein-ohh-kitty/?lang=en

I wanted to finalise my research with this fan art of Lichtenstein’s piece made by Fat Cat Art.

Feedback 20th October 2017

Tate. (2017). ‘POP ART’ [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/pop-art

Tate. (2017). ‘Andy Warhole’ Biography [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andy-warhol-2121

Ranker. (2008). ‘The Best Pop Art Artist’ Artists Lists [online] Available At: https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-pop-art-artists/reference

Ranker. (2008). ‘Famous Pop Art Artwork’ List [Online] Available at: https://www.ranker.com/list/pop-art-art-and-artwork/reference

Pennington. J. (2014). ‘What did Roy Lichtenstein mean’ Question and Answer [Online] Available At: https://www.quora.com/What-did-Roy-Lichtenstein-mean-by-I-can-see-the-whole-room-and-theres-nobody-in-it

Anirudh. (2014). ‘10 Most Famous Painting By Andy Warhole’ List Article [Online] Available At: https://learnodo-newtonic.com/andy-warhol-famous-paintings

Tate. (2017). ‘Who Is Yayoi Kusama’ Article [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/kids/explore/who-is/who-yayoi-kusama

Wolf. J. (2017). ‘Pop Art Movement Overview and Analysis’ Internet Article [Online] Available At: http://www.theartstory.org/movement-pop-art.htm

Adriana. (2016). ‘The Influence of Art History on Modern Design’ Article [Online] Available At:

https://pixel77.com/art-history-modern-design-pop-art/

Hall. H. (2015). ‘Inside the marginalised world of women and Pop Art’ Article [Online] Available At:

http://www.stylist.co.uk/life/first-look-at-the-tate-modern-new-show-puts-women-at-the-forefront-art-feminism-women-london-gallery

Martinique. E. (2017). ‘Who Are the Pop Art Women We Should Know?’ Article [Online] Available At:

https://www.widewalls.ch/pop-art-women/

Lebowitz. R. (2016). ‘11 Female Artists Who Left Their Mark on Pop Art’ Article [Online] Available At:

https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-11-female-artists-who-left-their-mark-on-pop-art

Tate. (2017). ‘Do Women Have To Be Naked To Get Into the Metro. Museum?’ [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/guerrilla-girls-do-women-have-to-be-naked-to-get-into-the-met-museum-p78793

Tate. (2017). ‘Who are GuerrillaGirls?’ [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/guerrilla-girls-6858/who-are-guerrilla-girls

Tate. (2016). ‘Guerrilla Girls’ Article [Online] Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/g/guerrilla-girls

Tate. (2016). ‘Andy Warhole’ Online Entry [Online] Available At; http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/warhol-self-portrait-t01288

Tate. (2017). ‘Hit Me with a Hammer’ [Online} Available At: http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/pivovarov-he-hit-me-with-a-hammer-and-burst-into-tears-t14797

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[classicfilmfreak]

New Post has been published on http://www.classicfilmfreak.com/2017/10/05/the-devil-and-miss-jones-1941/

The Devil and Miss Jones (1941) starring Jean Arthur and Charles Coburn

A neglected little masterpiece full of charm and good humor.

You would be in good company with many of the characters in this little comedy, The Devil and Miss Jones.  The head of the shoe division in Neeley’s department store, named, simply enough, Mary Jones (Jean Arthur), is a tower of strength, offering advice and encouragement to all.  Her boyfriend, Joe O’Brien (Robert Cummings), recently fired from the store, is a labor union organizer often in need of reassurance.  A darlingly sweet clerk, Elizabeth (Spring Byington, in a soft, unfussy role this time, for a change) is at the forefront in converting one of the villains in our little story.

The first of these, whom you might not at first like, is J. P. Merrick (Charles Coburn), supposedly the richest man in the world.  Among his holdings is Neeley’s department store, where he poses as just another clerk to expose agitators and fire incompetents, or those who simply offend him.  For those due a comeuppance, he records their names in his little “doomsday” pocket notepad.

The second villain, unredeemable as it will prove and who is Merrick’s first notepad entry to be fired, is the nasty shoe department section manager, known frostily only as “Mr. Hooper” (Edmund Gwenn, cast against his usual type of affability and benevolence).

Although The Devil and Miss Jones is an RKO film, the main title opens like a Universal movie, with Coburn, a scowl on his face and surrounded by flames, obviously the “devil” of the title, with appropriate demonic music by Roy Webb.  The camera pans right, to Arthur, her halo and innocent smile accompanied by contrasting angelic music.  She looks to her right, spies Coburn and blows heartily, putting out his flames and deepening his scowl.

Producer Frank Ross and screenwriter Norman Krasna (nominated for an Oscar) borrowed $600,000 from the bank to make the The Devil and Miss Jones, the first of two starring Arthur.  The second and last film in the short-lived production company was A Lady Takes a Chance (1943), opposite John Wayne.

The Devil and Miss Jones opens as three limousines, viewed from a low camera beneath towering New York skyscrapers, arrive at a stately mansion.  A solemn-faced businessman emerges from each of the first two cars and two from the third: Edwin Maxwell (the opera board chairman in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, 1936), Montagu Love (Henry VIII in The Prince and the Pauper, 1937); Richard Carle (Gaston in Ninotchka, 1939) and Charles Waldron (General Sternwood in The Big Sleep, 1946).

With portentous music, the large glass doors of the mansion are opened by the butler, George (S. Z. Sakall, Carl in Casablanca, 1942).  He leads the quartet of gentlemen into a great hall where they sit nervously and wait . . . and wait.

Presently, J. P. Merrick enters and the four men, clearly yes-men of the first order, mull over a front-page newspaper showing an effigy of their boss during a recent union demonstration.

“I pay you a great deal,” an angry Merrick tells them, “to take care of my interests and my privacy.  I want my privacy.  I haven’t had my photograph in a newspaper in twenty years.”

After Merrick has abruptly dismissed the men, a detective they have hired, Thomas Higgins (Robert Emmett Keane, Burton in Boys Town, 1938), enters with a scheme to expose the department store culprits—in “two or three weeks,” after his wife has had a baby, of course.  Merrick discharges him.  He thinks he can assume Higgins’ name and do a better job himself, undercover, in two or three days.

Merrick arrives at work as Thomas Higgins and reports to Hooper, who immediately irritates him.  Afterward, Higgins will write in his notepad, “Fire Station Manager.”

Higgins is assigned to slippers, and is quickly encouraged by Mary, head of the shoe department: “Don’t forget people can always do without slippers.  They have to be convinced.”

He at first refuses to take his lunch hour, because at home he pampers a weak stomach with milk and Graham crackers and carries pepsin-flavored chewing gum in his coat pocket.  But upon Mary’s insistence, he takes the hour off, asking to just sit withElizabeth, that he isn’t hungry.

After much persuasion, he reluctantly takes the tuna fish popover she offers him, her own “invention,” she says.  After a bite or two, she asks him how he likes it.  “I don’t know yet,” he replies.  When he finishes the popover, he admits, “Tastes good.”

During the day, an irate young man, Joe O’Brien, handcuffs himself to a heating pipe, protesting the firing of him and other employees who tried to organize and announcing a union meeting that evening.  He is hauled away by two store detectives.

Before all the employees, tears in her eyes, Mary gives an emotional testimonial, asking Higgins to stand as an example of how Neeley’s will discard him for a younger man.  Higgins looks about, perplexed, irritated and disbelieving.  Afterward, Elizabeth purrs, “You were wonderful.”  He replies, “I didn’t do anything.”

When he returns home after work, he tells George no more Graham crackers: he wants a lunch of tuna fish popovers to take to work next day in a shoe box.  When George protests that the chef has never made popovers, Merrick barks, “Then get one who does.  If certain people can make them on a little gas strove, then that idiot downstairs ought to be able to make them.”

Next day, Elizabeth asks Mary to ask Higgins to go with her to Coney Island with Mary and Joe.  He agrees when he discovers that Hooper has been taking her out.  Higgins brings from his cellar a bottle of his finest wine, label removed, to impress his new-found friends, but they find it awful, preferring the “wine” made by the grandfather of Joe’s iceman, who stomps on the grapes in the bathtub with his feet.  “Why didn’t he take his socks off?” Higgins surmises.

In a long sketch, Higgins wanders away from the group in search of the bathhouse where he had exchanged his street clothes for swimming attire.  In trying to sell his expensive watch to make a phone call to his chauffeur, he is deemed suspicious by a policeman (Regis Toomey, Sanders in His Girl Friday, 1940) and brought before a police station sergeant (Edward McNamara, another police sergeant in Arsenic and Old Lace, 1944).  Joe and Mary arrive shortly.  Joe uses his legal knowledge to intimidate the policemen into releasing Higgins.

At the end of the Coney Island visit, Joe gives up on crusading for the employees and discards his list of four hundred names, those who support unionizing.  Higgins hands it to Mary, who suggests he keep it.

On the return from Coney Island, Mary finds the real Higgins’ business card which the masquerading Higgins accidentally drops, identifying him as a spy for the department store.  She tells a stunned Joe, who suggests she “get him” in the store the next day—and retrieve the list of names.

In a comic sequence, Mary finds the heaviest possible shoe in the stock room to use to knock out Higgins, hesitating more than once until she is saved the trouble when a heavy riding boot falls from the top shelf and renders him unconscious.

Higgins is revived and hauled to the store manager, Mr. Allison (Walter Kingsford, Dr. Walter Carew in the Dr. Kildare series, 1937-1947).  Higgins speaks up for the employees, which changes Mary’s mind about him.  When Allison agrees to concessions if they can prove there are four hundred employees who support unionizing, Higgins produces the list from his coat pocket.  Allison reneges and insults Higgins.  In a scene worthy of the Marx Brothers, Mary takes a flying leap across Allison’s desk, retrieves the list and she and Higgins run about the office, each eating half the shared list.  Joe struggles with Hooper.  Mary later commandeers the store intercom and calls for all employees to leave their work and unite in a protest.

From his mansion, Higgins slips unnoticed among the protesters and says he has arranged a meeting between Merrick’s board of governors and representatives of the employees.  Still unaware of Higgins’ true identity, Mary, Joe and Elizabeth file into the boardroom with Higgins.  The yes-men out-yes themselves in agreeing with Merrick when he supports points made by the workers.

Elizabeth is brought to tears by an insult and leans against Higgins.  The board members rush to his aid.  “Are you all right, Mr. Merrick?”  “Are you hurt, Mr. Merrick?”  Stunned by the much-delayed revelation, Elizabeth pulls away, Mary slides down the wall in a scream and Joe faints.

But all is resolved.  Next scene, in an ocean liner ballroom, employees and executives dance together, Merrick and Joe with their new brides.  And to a chorus of “He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” sung for Merrick, everyone is off to Honolulu.

The obvious star of The Devil and Miss Jones is Charles Coburn, alternating brilliantly between the wicked Merrick—lovable, somehow, even then—and the strong but affable Higgins.  He earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor, although he is more than “supporting.”  He would win a much-deserved Oscar two years later for The More the Merrier, also with Arthur.

Although Coburn steals the limelight in The Devil and Miss Jones, the others handle their parts well.  Jean Arthur is her usual dependable self—did she ever give a weak performance?  Robert Cummings’ dramatic limitations as an actor aren’t, by the nature of the comedy, here exposed, and his strongest suit as a light comedian is boyishly displayed.  Spring Byington is, as said earlier, “soft” and “sweet.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bnw87j_ow78