#howard chiang

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

After Eunuchs: Science, Medicine, and the Transformation of Sex in Mondern China by Howard Chiang

goodreads

For much of Chinese history, the eunuch stood out as an exceptional figure at the margins of gender categories. Amid the disintegration of the Qing Empire, men and women in China began to understand their differences in the language of modern science. In After Eunuchs, Howard Chiang traces the genealogy of sexual knowledge from the demise of eunuchism to the emergence of transsexuality, showing the centrality of new epistemic structures to the formation of Chinese modernity. From anticastration discourses in the late Qing era to sex-reassignment surgeries in Taiwan in the 1950s and queer movements in the 1980s and 1990s, After Eunuchs explores the ways the introduction of Western biomedical sciences transformed normative meanings of gender, sexuality, and the body in China. Chiang investigates how competing definitions of sex circulated in science, medicine, vernacular culture, and the periodical press, bringing to light a rich and vibrant discourse of sex change in the first half of the twentieth century. He focuses on the stories of gender and sexual minorities as well as a large supporting cast of doctors, scientists, philosophers, educators, reformers, journalists, and tabloid writers, as they debated the questions of political sovereignty, national belonging, cultural authenticity, scientific modernity, human difference, and the power and authority of truths about sex. Theoretically sophisticated and far-reaching, After Eunuchs is an innovative contribution to the history and philosophy of science and queer and Sinophone studies.

Mod opinion: I haven't heard of this book before and while it does sound interesting I feel that it might be too specific for my own interest in academic trans literature, but I am excited to hear that a book like this exists.

[balu8]

Wolverine and Venom

Marvel Comics Presents #118: Claws and Webs

by Howard Mackie (W.); Sam Kieth (P./I.); Mike Thomas (C.) and Janice Chiang (L,)

Marvel

[vintagegeekculture]

there was Chinese interest in the Out Of Asia theory, in both the Republic, Chiang Republic and People’s Republic periods before the Out Of Africa theory became commonly accepted. Was the 1954 Yeti expedition done just from the Nepalese-Indian side or were the American agents and “anthropologists” given access on the Sino-Tibetan side of the Himalayan border?

During the early part of this century, it was absolutely believed for a long time that the deserts of Western China were the most likely place of human origins, as seen in this migration map from 1944, made from the best available knowledge of the time:

Remember, the oldest fossil remains at this point were in China, where Homo erectus was discovered (originally known by his initial place of discovery in Chungkotien Cave, nicknamed "Peking Man"). The discovery of Australopithecus and Homo habilis in Olduvai Gorge and South Africa, which place human origins in Africa, were not until the 50s and 60s, so it seemed entirely reasonable that Homo sapiens evolved in Western China.

The idea that China's desert regions were the origin of modern humans and culture is seen a lot in pop culture from 1900-1950, mainly because there were tremendous explorations in the region, especially Aurel Stein's expedition of 1908, who ventured into the Taklamakan Desert to find the Dunhuang Caves and Khara-Khoto, a city destroyed completely by Genghis Khan and vanished in the desert.

If you've ever heard of Roy Chapman Andrews and his famous expeditions in the 1920s, it's worth noting that he ventured into the Gobi Desert looking for human remains....not dinosaurs, and the discovery of dinosaur eggs was an unexpected surprise.

For that reason, there was a short lived Silk Road Mania that seemed to be a smaller scale predecessor to the pop culture dominating Egyptomania of the 1920s. It's bizarre to read adventure and fantasy fiction of the 1910s-1920s that features mentions of Silk Road peoples like the Kyrgyz, Sogdians, Tajik, Uigurians, and Tuvans. The best example I can think of would be the Khlit the Kossack stories of Harold Lamb (who also wrote a biography of Tamerlane), which together with Tarzan and Tros of Samothrace, formed the core inspiration for Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian.

The most interesting example of this would be A. Merritt's Dwellers in the Mirage, which featured a lost city in Xinjiang that was the home of the Nordic race, who worshipped their original religion, the kraken-like squid devil god Khalkru. It was widely believed in this era that Nordics emerged from Central Asia originally, and while it's easy to write this off as turn of the century racialist claptrap pseudohistory (along with Hyperborea legends), in this case, it is actually true: a branch of the Indo-European family lived in West China, and 5,000 year old redheaded mummies have been found in the region. As usual, A. Merritt was right on the money with his archeology, more so than other 1920s authors. After all, his "Moon Pool" was set around the just discovered ruins of Nan Madol, the Venice of Micronesia.

Jack Williamson's still chilling Darker Than You Think in 1948 was also set in the Silk Road/Central Asian region, as the place the race of shapeshifters emerged from, Homo magi, who await the coming of their evil messiah, the Night King, who will give them power over the human race.

H. Rider Haggard set "Ayesha: the Return of She" (1905) in Xinjiang, among a lost Greek colony in Central Asia (no doubt based on Alexandria on the Indus, a Greek colony in modern Pakistan that was the furthest bastion of Greek Culture). This was also two years after the Younghusband Thibetan Expedition of 1903, where the British invaded Tibet. At the time, the Qing Dynasty was completely declining and lost control of the frontier regions, and the power vacuum was filled by religious authority by default (this is something you also saw in Xinjiang, where for example, the leader of the city was the Imam of Kashgar).

This is one of the many British invasions they have attempted to cram down the memory hole, but if you ever see a Himalayan art piece that was "obtained in 1903-1904" ....well, you know where it came from.

Incidentally, there's one really funny recent conspiracy theory about paleontology, fossils, and China that I find incredibly interesting: the idea that dinosaurs having feathers is a lie and a sinister plot spread by the Communist Chinese (who else?) to make American youth into sissy fancylads, like Jessie "the Body" Ventura. How? By lying to us and making up that the manly and vigorous Tyrannosaurus, a beast with off the charts heterosexuality and a model for boys everywhere, might have been feathered like a debutante's dress. What next - lipstick on a Great White Shark? The long term goal is to make Americans effeminate C. Nelson Reilly types unable to defend against invasion. This is a theory that is getting steam among the kind of people who used to read Soldier of Fortune magazine, and among abusive stepfathers the world over.

...okay, are you done laughing? Yeah, this is obvious crackpottery and transparent sexual pathology, on the level of the John Birch Society in the 60s saying the Beatles were a Communist mind control plot. Mostly because animals just look how they look, and if it turned out that the ferocious Tyrannosaurus had feathers and looked like a fancylad Jessie Ventura to you, well, that's your problem and mental baggage, really.

I was left scratching my head over this one. But there is (kind of) something to this, and that is that a huge chunk of recent dinosaur discoveries have been in China. I don't think it has anything to do with a Communist plot to turn American boys into fancylads, but more to do with a major push in internal public investment in sciences in that country, and an explosion of Chinese dinosaur discoveries. If you want to see a great undervisited dinosaur museum, go to the Zigong Dinosaur Museum in Sichuan.

Pop quiz: what living scientist has named more dinosaur discoveries? It's not Bakker or Horner. The greatest living paleontologist, Xu Xing, which is why a lot of recently found dinosaurs are named things like Shangtungasaurus.

[batbabydamian]

DC May 2024 Solicitations - Comics Featuring Damian! 🦇

BATMAN #147

5/7/2024

Written by Chip Zdarsky

Art and Cover by Jorge Jimenez

Variant Covers: Kendra “Kukka” Lim (1:25), Stevan Subic (1:50), Jorge Jimenez, Yasmine Putri

With no allies, no weapons, and almost no hope...can Batman fight back before Zur makes a true devil's bargain? The world is about to know Zur's true power! Him and.. his new sidekick? "Dark Prisons" continues!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #9

5/14/2024

Written by Joshua Williamson

Art and Cover by Simone Di Meo

Variant Covers: Gleb Melnikov, Howard Porter, Simone Di Meo (1:25), Ivan Tao(?)

Who will be Gotham's true protector? The people of Gotham will decide! While his father fights for his life, Damian now knows Shush's secrets, and it's only created more problems for him as a high school student and as Robin! Can the Dynamic Duo find each other before it's too late?

THE BOY WONDER #1 of 5

5/7/2024

Written by Juni Ba

Art and Cover by Juni Ba

Variant Cover: Cliff Chiang, Juni Ba (1:25)

The young prince Damian Wayne was raised to be the heir to the fearsome League of Assassins -to follow in the footsteps of his deadly mother, Talia, and the Demon's Head himself, his grandfather Ra's al Ghul. But everything changed when his father, the Batman, reclaimed him and brought him back to Gotham City. As Robin, young Damian suddenly discovered he was merely one of a number of princes, preceded in the role by his "brothers" Nightwing, Red Hood, and Red Robin...and Damian doesn't care to be merely anything. But when his father is forced to leave the city on urgent business, and a rash of abductions is accompanied by whispers of a demon stalking Gotham's dark alleys, Damian will find himself battling alongside his adoptive brothers- and in the process, learning what the mantle of Robin really means! Visionary writer/artist Juni Ba makes his mark on the timeless story of Batman and Robin, synthesizing the characters' complex history into an accessible and heartrending fairy tale!

WONDER WOMAN #9

5/21/2024

Written by Tom King

Art and Cover by Daniel Sampere

Variant Covers: Julian Totino Tedesco, Stjepan Seijic, Irvin Rodriguez (1:25)

The ultimate test! As Sovereign's grip on Wonder Woman's psyche tightens, she retreats into the arms of Steve Trevor. Will their love for the ages prove victorious over the web of Amazon lies weaved in Man's World? Plus, Trinity lets the dogs out!

[poemaseletras]

ENCONTRE UM AUTOR:

Envie sugestões. Leia uma citação no modo aleatório.

Autores Desconhecidos

Adélia Prado

Adrian Tchaikovsky

Affonso Romano de Sant’anna

Alain de Botton

Albert Einstein

Aldous Huxley

Alexander Pushkin

Amanda Gorman

Anaïs Nin

Andy Warhol

Andy Wootea

Anna Quindlen

Anne Frank

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Aristóteles

Arnaldo Jabor

Arthur Schopenhauer

Augusto Cury

Ben Howard

Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Benjamin Rush

Bill Keane

Bob Dylan

Brigitte Nicole

C. JoyBell C.

C.S. Lewis

Carl Jung

Carlos Drummond de Andrade

Carlos Fuentes

Carol Ann Duffy

Carol Rifka Brunt

Carolina Maria de Jesus

Caroline Kennedy

Cassandra Clare

Cecelia Ahern

Cecília Meireles

Cesare Pavese

Charles Baudelaire

Charles Chaplin

Charlotte Nsingi

Cheryl Strayed

Clarice Lispector

Claude Debussy

Coco Chanel

Connor Franta

Coolleen Hoover

Cora Coralina

Czesław Miłosz

Dale Carnegie

David Hume

Deborah Levy

Djuna Barnes

Dmitri Shostakovich

Douglas Coupland

Dream Hampton

E. E. Cummings

E. Grin

E. Lockhart

EA Bucchianeri

Edith Wharton

Ekta Somera

Elbert Hubbard

Elizabeth Acevedo

Elizabeth Strout

Emile Coue

Emily Brontë

Ernest Hemingway

Esther Hicks

Faraaz Kazi

Farah Gabdon

Fernando Pessoa

Fiódor Dostoiévski

Florbela Espanca

Franz Kafka

Frédéric Chopin

Fredrik Backman

Friedrich Nietzsche

Galileu Galilei

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

George Orwell  

Hafiz

Hanif Abdurraqib

Helen Oyeyemi

Henry Miller

Henry Rollins

Hilda Hilst

Iain Thomas

Immanuel Kant

Jacki Joyner-Kersee

James Baldwin

James Patterson

Jane Austen

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Jean Rhys

Jean-Paul Sartre

Jeremy Hammond

JK Rowling

João Guimarães Rosa

Joe Brock

Johannes Brahms

John Banville

John C. Maxwell

John Green

John Wooden

Jojo Moyes

Jorge Amado

José Leite Lopes

Joy Harjo

Juan Ramón Jiménez

Juansen Dizon

Katrina Mayer

Kurt Cobain

L.J. Smith

L.M. Montgomery

Leo Tolstoy

Lisa Kleypas

Lord Byron

Lord Huron

Louise Glück

Lucille Clifton

Ludwig van Beethoven

Lya Luft

Machado de Assis

Maggi Myers

Mahmoud Darwish

Manila Luzon

Manuel Bandeira

Marcel Proust

Margaret Mead

Marina Abramović

Mario Quintana

Mark Yakich

Marla de Queiroz

Martha Medeiros

Martin Luther King

Mary Oliver

Mattia

Maya Angelou

Mehdi Akhavan-Sales

Melissa Cox

Michaela Chung

Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

Mitch Albom

N.K. Jemisin

Neal Shusterman

Neil Gaiman

Nicholas Sparks

Nietzsche

Nikita Gill

Nora Roberts

Ocean Vuong

Osho

Pablo Neruda

Patrick Rothfuss

Patti Smith

Paulo Coelho

Paulo Leminski

Perina

Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Phil Good

Pierre Ronsard

Platão

Poe

R.M. Drake

Raamai

Rabindranath Tagore

Rachel de Queiroz

Ralph Emerson

Raymond Chandler

René Descartes

Reyna Biddy

Richard Kadrey

Richard Wagner

Ritu Ghatourey

Roald Dahl

Robert Schumann

Roy T. Bennett

Rumi

Ruth Rendell

Sage Francis

Séneca

Sérgio Vaz

Shirley Jackson

Sigmund Freud

Simone de Beauvoir

Spike Jonze

Stars Go Dim

Steve Jobs

Stephen Chbosky

Stevie Nicks

Sumaiya

Susan Gale

Sydney J. Harris

Sylvester McNutt

Sylvia Plath

Sysanna Kaysen  

Ted Chiang

Thomas Keneally

Thomas Mann

Truman Capote

Tyler Knott Gregson

Veronica Roth

Victor Hugo

Vincent van Gogh

Virgílio Ferreira

Virginia Woolf

Vladimir Nabokov

Voltaire

Wale Ayinla

Warsan Shire

William C. Hannan

William Shakespeare

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Yasmin Mogahed

Yoke Lore

Yoko Ogawa

[transmutationisms]

hii, do you have any book recommendations on the history of chinese medicine?

survey text:

Routledge Handbook of Chinese Medicine (2022). Lo, Vivienne & Stanley-Baker, Michael. ISBN: 9781135008970

better texts:

Mao's Bestiary: Medicinal Animals and Modern China (2021). Chee, Liz P. Y. ISBN: 9781478011903

China and the Cholera Pandemic: Restructuring Society under Mao (2021). Fang, Xiaoping. ISBN: 9780822988076

The Invention of Madness: State, Society, and the Insane in Modern China (2018). Baum, Emily. ISBN: 9780226580616

Know Your Remedies: Pharmacy and Culture in Early Modern China (2020). Bian, He. ISBN: 9780691179049

The Politics of Chinese Medicine Under Mongol Rule (2016). Shinno, Reiko. ISBN: 9781138781191

After Eunuchs: Science, Medicine, and the Transformation of Sex in Modern China (2018). Chiang, Howard Hsueh-Hao. ISBN: 9780231185783

Mass vaccination: citizens' bodies and state power in modern China (2019). Brazelton, Mary Augusta. ISBN: 9781501739989

Forgotten Disease: Illnesses Transformed in Chinese Medicine (2017). Smith, Hilary A. ISBN: 9781503603448

Pulse Diagnosis in Early Chinese Medicine: The Telling Touch (2010). Hsu, Elisabeth. ISBN: 9780521516624

Health Care in Eleventh-Century China (2015). Sivin, Nathan. ISBN: 9783319204277

The Evolution of Chinese Medicine: Song Dynasty, 960--1200 (2009). Goldschmidt, Asaf Moshe. ISBN: 9780415426558

[urbaneturtle]

Random Comic Panel of the Week #122

Random Comic Panel of the Week #122: Ghost Rider (Marvel, 1992) by Ron Wagner, Mike Witherby, Gregory Wright, Janice Chiang, and Howard Mackie

Ghost Rider (Marvel, 1992) by Ron Wagner, Mike Witherby, Gregory Wright, Janice Chiang, and Howard Mackie

[monkeyjaw]

Year in Review (by way of books) 2023

Books and Comics/Graphic Novels 2023

January

The Doubtful Guest – Edward Gorey (illustrated book/graphic novel)

The Promised Neverland: Volume 6 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu(manga)

The City and the City – China Mieville

Sandman Volume 6: Fables and Reflections – Neil Gaiman, various artists (graphic novel)

Sandman Volume 7: Brief Lives – Neil Gaiman, Jill Thompson, Vince Locke (graphic novel)

The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas – Frederick Douglas, read by Charles Turner

The Sandman Volume 8: World’s End – Neil Gaiman, various artists (graphic novel)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy 2: The Golem’s Eye – Jonathan Stroud

The Man Who Fell To Earth – Dan Watters, Dev Pramanik (graphic novel)

The Carpet People – Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs

Hikaru no Go Volume 15: Sayanara – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 16: The Chinese Go Association – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Witch Hat Atelier Volume 1 – Kamome Shirahama (manga)

February

The Sandman Volume 9: The Kindly Ones – Neil Gaiman, Marc Hemple, various artists (graphic novel)

Titus Groan – Mervyn Peake, read by Simon Vance

Paper Girls Volume 3 – Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang (graphic novel)

Beastars Volume 1 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

Revenge of the Librarians – Tom Gauld (graphic novel)

Lucifer Volume 1: Devil in the Gateway – Mike Carey, Peter Gross (graphic novel)

Saint Young Men Volume 1 – Hikaru Nakamura (manga)

The Sandman Volume 10: The Wake – Neil Gaiman, Michael Zulli, Jon Muth, Charles Vess (graphic novel)

Hikaru no Go Volume 17: A Familiar Face – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson

Beastars Volume 2 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

Woman World – Aminder Dhaliwal (graphic novel)

Black Paradox – Junji Ito (manga)

Beastars Volume 3 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

March

Lucifer Volume 2: Children & Monsters – Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Ryan Kelly (graphic novel)

Doomsday Book – Connie Willis, read by Jenny Sterlin

Moonshadow – J.M. DeMatteis, Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams (graphic novel)

The Magic Fish – Trung Le Nguyen (graphic novel)

Sleepless Volume 2 – Sarah Vaughn, Leila Del Luca (graphic novel)

The Monkey Prince Volume 1: Enter the Monkey – Gene Luen Yang, Bernard Chang (graphic novel)

Unbroken – Lauren Hillenbrand, read by Edward Hermann

Thrawn: Ascendancy 2: The Greater Good – Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson

Thud! – Terry Pratchett, read by Stephen Briggs

April

Operation Mincemeat – Ben McIntyre

Beastars Volume 4 – Paru Itagaki (manga)

Parasyte Volume 2 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand – Helen Simonson

The Promised Neverland Volume 7 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Parasyte Volume 3 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

The Wheel of Time Bk 4: The Shadow Rising – Robert Jordan

Twig – Skottie Young, Skyle Strahm (graphic novel)

Spring Rain: a graphic memoir – Andy Warner (graphic novel)

The Multiversity – Grant Morrison, various artists (graphic novel)

The Promised Neverland Volume 8 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Goldie Vance Volume 2 – Hope Larson, Jackie Ball, Brittney Williams (graphic novel)

Team of Rivals (Abridged) – Doris Kearns Goodwin, read by Richard Thomas

Stretching the Heavens – Terry L. Givens

May

The Promised Neverland Volume 9 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Parasyte Volume 4 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Parasyte Volume 5 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Conan Volume 1 – Robert E. Howard, L. Sprage De Camp, Lin Carter

Parasyte Volume 6 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 10 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Penric’s Demon – Lois McMaster Bujold, read by Grove Gardner

Kamen Rider: The Classic Manga Collection - Shōtarō Ishinomori, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (manga)

 Parasyte Volume 7 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (manga)

Parasyte Volume 8 – Hitoshi Iwaaki (manga)

Maggy Garrison – Lewis Trondheim, Stephane Oiry (graphic novel)

Double Cross – Ben McIntyre

The Promised Neverland Volume 11 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

June

The Promised Neverland Volume 12 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 13 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

My Hero Academia Volume 1 – Kohei Horikoshi (manga)

Think Again – Adam Grant

Adventure Game Comics Volume 1: Leviathan – Jason Shiga (graphic novel)

Ranma ½ Volume 35 – Rumiko Takahashi (manga)

Ranma ½ Volume 36 – Rumiko Takahashi (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 14 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Thrawn Ascendancy Volume 3: Lesser Evil – Timothy Zahn, read by Marc Thompson

Leviathan Wakes – James S.A. Corey

The Man Without Talent – Yoshitsaru Tsuge (manga)

July

A Bride’s Story Volume 3 – Kaoru Mori (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 15 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

The Promised Neverland Volume 16 – Kaiu Shirai, Posuka Demizu (manga)

Almost American Girl – Robin Ha (graphic novel)

The Woman Who Smashed Codes – Jason Fagone

The Swamp – Yoshiharu Tsuge (manga)

The Wheel of Time Book 5: The Fires of Heaven – Robert Jordan

A Bride’s Story Volume 4 – Kaoru Mori (manga)

Pulp – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (graphic novel)

Locke & Key: Small World – Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Breaking Cat News – Georgia Dunn (graphic novel)

August

Labyrinth Coronation Vol 1 – Ryan Ferrier, Simon Spurrier, Daniel Bayliss (graphic novel)

A Bride’s Story Volume 5 – Kaoru Mori (manga)

Worst Journey In the World Volume 1 – Sara Airress (graphic novel)

Best American Comics 2016 – various artists, writers, edited by Roz Chast (graphic novel)

Labyrinth Coronation Volume 2 – Ryan Ferrier, Simon Spurrier, Daniel Bayliss (graphic novel)

Hikaru no Go Volume 19: One Step Forward! – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 20: The Young Lions – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Thirsty Mermaids – Kat Leyh (graphic novel)

Criminal: Coward – Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips (graphic novel)

Parable of the Sower – Octavia E. Butler, read by Lynne Thigpen

Hikaru no Go Volume 21: Great Expectations – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 22: China vs. Japan – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Hikaru no Go Volume 23: Endgame – Takeshi Obata, Yumi Hotta (manga)

Dead Boy Detectives Vol. 1: Schoolboy Terrors – Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Gary Erskine (graphic novel)

Dead Boy Detectives Vol 2: Ghost Snow – Toby Litt, Mark Buckingham, Gary Erskine (graphic novel)

Seek You – Kristen Radtke (graphic novel)

John Constantinte Hellblazer Volume 2: The Devil You Know – Jamie Delano, David Lloyd, Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)

September

Once & Future Volume 5: The Wasteland – Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora (graphic novel)

The Once and Future Witches – Alix Harrow

The Sandman Presents: The Deadboy Detectives – Ed Brubaker, Bryan Talbot, Steve Leialoha (graphic novel)

Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham – Mike Mignola, Richard Pace, Troy Nixey, Dennis Janke (graphic novel)

Free Country: A Tale of the Children’s Crusade – Neil Gaiman, various writers, artists (graphic novel)

Man’s Search For Meaning – Victor E. Frankl, read by Simon Vance

John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 1: Original Sins – Jamie Delano, Mark Buckingham, Richard Piers Rayner (graphic novel)

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? – Roz Chast (graphic novel)

Edge of Spider-Verse – Dan Slott, Jason Latour, various artists/writers (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 1: Greater Power – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

John Constatine Hellblazer Volume 3: The Fear Machine – Jamie Delano, Alfredo Alcala, Mark Buckingham, Mike Hoffman (graphic novel)

Cosmic Odyssey – Jim Starlin, Mike Mignola, Carlos Garzon (graphic novel)

October

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. –edited by Clayborne Carson, read by LeVar Burton

Spider-Women – Robbie Thompson, Jason Latour, various artists (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 2: Weapon of Choice – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Gender Queer – Maia Kubata (graphic novel)

Black Orchid Book 1 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)

Black Orchid Book 2 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)

Black Orchid Book 3 – Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (graphic novel)

Tombs – Junji Ito (manga)

Locke & Key: The Golden Age – Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Wraith – Joe Hill, Charles Paul Wilson III (graphic novel)

A Great and Terrible King – Marc Morris, read by Ralph Lister

The Birds and Don’t Look Now – Daphne du Maurier, read by Peter Capaldi

My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Spider-Gwen Volume 3: Long-Distance – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

The Birds & Other Stories – Daphne du Maurier

November

John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 4: The Family Man – Jamie Delano, Grant Morrison, various artists (graphic novel)

The Feng Shui Detective Agency – Nury Vittachi

Delicious in Dungeon Volume 1 – Ryoko Kui (manga)

The Saga of Swamp Thing Volume 1 – Alan Moore, Stephen Bisette, John Totleben (graphic novel)

Spider-Verse – Dan Slott, various writers/artists (graphic novel)

Breakfast With Socrates – Robert Rowland Smith

Harleen – Stjepan Sejic (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 4: Predators – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 5: Gwenom – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Flipped – Wendelin Van Draanen

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Kai Bird, Martin J. Sherwin, read by Jeff Cummings

Spider-Man, Spider-Gwen: Sitting in a Tree – Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Latour, Sara Pichelli, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

December

John Constantine Hellblazer Volume 5: Dangerous Habits – Garth Ennis, Jamie Delano, various artists (graphic novel)

My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 1 – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Birds of Prey Volume 1 – Chuck Dixon, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, various artists (graphic novel)

My Solo Exchange Diary Volume 2 – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Shuna’s Journey – Hayao Miyazaki, translated by Alex Dudok de Wit (manga)

When Stars Are Scattered – Victoria Jemison, Omar Mohamed (graphic novel)

My Alcoholic Escape From Reality – Nagata Kabi (manga)

Dune Messiah – Frank Herbert, read by Simon Vance, Euan Morton, Scott Brick, Katherine Kellgren

Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12)  - Patricia Briggs

Lore Olympus Volume 1 – Rachel Smythe (graphic novel)

Diary of a Young Girl – Anne Frank, read by Selma Blair

Lore Olympus Volume 2 – Rachel Smythe (graphic novel)

Spider-Gwen Volume 6: The Life of Gwen Stacy – Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (graphic novel)

Hungry Ghosts – Anthony Bourdain, Joel Rose, various artists (graphic novel)

I read 156 books and graphic novels in 2023. 119 graphic novels, 37 books. 25 non-fiction, 131 fiction. 69 graphic novels, 50 graphic mangas. 15 re-reads.

Starting in March with Unbroken, I started reading a number of books about World War II. I think I had, as ever a goal to read more non-fiction and since there are so many books on the 2 World Wars, they are often the ones that I’m able to check out from the library without a super long wait list. Then Oppenheimer came out this summer so I was more intrigued and decided to read the basis for the film (which is atypical for me outside of comics). Following Unbroken I read a few spy books, Operation Mincemeat and Double Cross in May by Ben McIntyre that were super interesting.

I had previously read The Confidence Men about 2 British POWs from WWI who escaped a Turkish POW camp by (among other things) a Ouija board. I had started reading The Diary of Anne Frank/Diary of a Young Girl sometime this past year I think and finally finished it near the end of the year and Victor Frankl’s Man’s Search For Meaning in October. I started listening to The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in November or December and read for my family’s book club The Woman Who Smashed Codes about Elizabeth Friedman and her husband who developed cryptology in the US between World War I and II and was treated pretty wretchedly by the US government for her efforts. This was in no small part due to J. Edgar Hoover, who seems to be more and more a villain every time I have the misfortune of encountering him in books and other media.

A manga series I had started last year, The Promised Neverland, I’m close to finishing (I believe there are 20 volumes, which isn’t super long for a manga series. Full Metal Alchemist is 20-something volumes if I remember correctly) and I finally finished Hikaru no Go about a teenager who accidentally finds himself competing in the Japanese game Go due to a haunted Go board in his grandfather’s attic. A web comic that my wife got me interested in, Lore Olympus, retells the story of Persephone and Hades with a combination of contemporary and antiquity culture. The comic is broken up into “seasons” and the second season was recently finished so I wanted to read up to that point while waiting for the end of the third season. Unfortunately, it was long enough ago that I had read up to the end of the first season I ended up having to start over. But this was good as there were a number of things I caught the second time through and appreciated more on a re-read.

      I also read the 4th and 5th Wheel of Time books for the second time this past year, which was an interesting experience. There were a lot of things I remembered incorrectly because of the 25ish years since I read them initially. I don’t think I’m going to read the entire series all the way through again, but I might read book 6. I finished re-reading The Sandman (partly due to the release of the Netflix series) and went on a kick of other Vertigo (an imprint of DC Comics that focused on non-superhero books, more adult and more creator-controlled that is now largely if not entirely defunct) titles (the Dead Boy Detectives, Hellblazer, Swamp Thing). Don’t know where I’ll go with that. Also read a decent amount of Spider-Verse comics (mostly Spider-Gwen but one big crossover book that was sort of the culmination of the Spider-Verse storylines (I think?)) that was interesting. Spider-Gwen is a great comic that has yet to lead to the frustration I felt with the later Miles Morales books.

      Nagata Kabi’s memoirs about self-esteem, her fraught relationship with her parents, alcoholism and eating problems is both interesting and very frustrating. I am very lucky to not have hardly any of her emotional, mental and health issues that are wound up together but reading her mangas it is hard not to want to shake her when she seems to recover from one life-threatening catastrophe only to work herself into another. I’m morbidly curious about her later volumes about pancreatitis.

      Lastly, there were some books on Arthur and some non-fiction or books by African-American authors that I had intended to start or finish that I’m dragging my heels on. We’ll see what happens in the next year with that.   

[haveyoureadthistransbook]

Trans*historicities edited by Leah DeVun and Zeb Tortorici

goodreads

This issue offers a theoretical and methodological imagining of what constitutes trans* before the advent of the terms that scholars generally look to for the formation of modern conceptions of gender, sex, and sexuality. What might we find if we look for trans* before trans*? While some historians have rejected the category of transgender to speak of experiences before the mid-twentieth century, others have laid claim to those living gender-non-conforming lives before our contemporary era. By using the concept of trans*historicity, this volume draws together trans* studies, historical inquiry, and queer temporality while also emphasizing the historical specificity and variability of gendered systems of embodiment in different time periods. Essay topics include a queer analysis of medieval European saints, discussions of a nineteenth-century Russian religious sect, an exploration of a third gender in early modern Japanese art, a reclamation of Ojibwe and Plains Cree Two-Spirit language, and biopolitical genealogies and filmic representations of transsexuality. The issue also features a roundtable discussion on trans*historicities and an interview with the creators of the 2015 film Deseos . Critiquing both progressive teleologies and the idea of sex or gender as a timeless tradition, this issue articulates our own desires for trans history, trans*historicities, and queerly temporal forms of historical narration. Contributors. Kadji Amin, M. W. Bychowski, Fernanda Carvajal, Howard Chiang, Leah DeVun, Julian Gill-Peterson, Jack Halberstam, Asato Ikeda, Jacob Lau, Kathleen P. Long, Maya Mikdashi, Robert Mills, Carlos Motta, Marcia Ochoa, Kai Pyle, C. Riley Snorton, Zeb Tortorici, Jennifer Louise Wilson

Mod opinion: I haven't read this yet, but if I was ever able to get my hands on a copy I would love to read it.

[balu8]

Marvel Comics Presents #100: Mutant Dreams

by Howard Mackie; Sam Kieth; Tim Vigil; Glynis Oliver and Janice Chiang

Marvel

[marvelman901]

Ghost Rider vol 3 68 (1995)

Brood Feud II

A Hunting

Written by Howard Mackie

Penciled by Salvador Larroca

Inked by Sergio Melia

Colors by John Kalisz

Lettered by Janice Chiang

Ghost Rider (Daniel Ketch), Wolverine and Gambit located and defeated the Brood Queen...

[shadethechangingman]

[ID: Eight comic book covers from titles published by DC and Vertigo.

1. The cast of Hero Hotline running at the viewer, an image of the Trinity floats above them. The comic title and DC logo at the top of the image, and Villains line the borders.

2. Text at the top right reads The Psycho. A man in a cap and skull-like mask stands holding a smoking gun. He is faced to the right but looking at the viewer. Psychedelic images float around him, including a skull, some fish, flowers, and the devil.

3. Text at the top reads Giantkiller. A Kaiju/human hybrid with black and red skin standing against a red sky over a dead Kaiju, holding his blade downwards and looking at the viewer.

4. Text at the top says Major Bummer, the first Inaction Hero. An impossibly muscular man looks bored, sitting slumped in an armchair watching TV, surrounded by junk food and comics. Behind him, aliens and supervillains are fighting and civilians are huddled in fear.

5. Text at the top says Chain Gang War. Three armed and masked men are standing huddled together, the two closest to t he front shooting their guns forward, while the third is holding his upright. Bullets are striking the wall behind them. A black chain goes down the left side of the cover, connecting to the title text.

6. Text at the top reads Menz Insana, in a triangle border. In the lower part of the triangle is a painted bust of a cartoon man with a balloon shaped head winking at the viewer, next to a detached image of a floating pair of gloves snapping on where his arms would be. A pale woman in a red dress, hat, and shoes with red hair is standing to the right of the triangle.

7. Text at the bottom reads Mighty Love. Navy blue lineart of a man and a woman in a superhero suit gripping eachothers hands and jumping into eachother. Behind their heads is a orange rectangle, and behind their torsos is a red splatter.

8. Text over the entire cover reads Beware the Creeper. There is a woman with wild red hair jumping through the middle, over a cityscape of 1920s Paris at the bottom. The sky is bright green.

End ID]

been reading a lot this week!

1. Hero Hotline by Bob Rozakis and Stephen DeStefano - It’s... fine......... DC’s comedy titles are something i read against my better judgement. i actually thought i would like this one more but it had a much more serious tone than i expected, which I guess i should be less surprised about since I’m pretty sure I learned about it while reading Wild Dog in the same Action Comics. Really enjoyed the character designs on this one though.

2. The Psycho by James Hudnall and Dan Brereton - great character designs esp the protag, probably wont revisit unless to look at pictures caus the plot was actually pretty whatever.

3. Giantkiller by Dan Brereton - I loved this! Beautiful art, Yochu and Jill were both great. devastated to realize i missed out on a hardcover copy and now i have to wait for a collector to part with theirs OTL i did pick up a copy of the monster field guide

4. Major Bummer by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke - Ya another one I dont think i’ll revisit... I love how Mahnke draws really grotesque muscle man but there wasnt really anything like. enjoyable about it actuallyyy actually wait the blonde guy was funny.

5. Chain Gang War by John Wagner and David Johnson - I actually thought this was an original/out-of-continuity so (spoilers?) Slade showing up and getting locked in a basement prison for the entire run and the random Azbat appearance was kind of like huh ok... Interesting ig, to have it set in-universe and people go after revenge in a totally non superhero way.

6. Menz Insana by Christopher Fowler and John Bolton - Beautiful art but. hm. im not sure how to describe the experience on this one... frankly it could be 

7. Mighty Love by Howard Chaykin - So so so bad. I forgot why everyone told me he sucked so i read it anyway and was like Oh. Ohhh

8. Beware The Creeper by Jason Hall and Cliff Chiang - Somewhat interesting overall? I actually waited a bit before writing this so I think i forgot a bit already. Usage of shitty topes but ive seen other comics do it much worse, Cliff Chiang’s art helps with it imo

(Queued post from November 2022)

[missfay49]

Monarch of the air

An address delivered by Madame Chiang when she made the official presentation of a Chinese painting to the American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force, in Chungking on April 17, 1942. The gift was received by Squadron Leader James H. Howard, representing the "Flying Tigers." The ceremony was sponsored by the Chinese American Institute of Cultural Relations of which Dr. H. H. Kung is the president.

Dr. Kung and friends: As honorary president of the Chinese-American Institute of Cultural Relations, I take great pleasure in presenting on behalf of this Institute a souvenir to the American Volunteer Group oft he Chinese Air Force, through their representative, Squadron Leader James H. Howard.

Squadron Leader Howard, you represent the American Volunteer Group who are affectionately known throughout the length and breadth of China as the "Flying Tigers" because of their superb courage and fearlessness in combating the Japanese marauders. This souvenir, however, is a painting of eagles by the well-known artist, Hsu Shih-chi. But it is particularly appropriate as a gift to you, the American Volunteer Group, because the eagle is your own national emblem as well as a blood brother of the airmen, and they both move with the same grace, swiftness and accuracy. Also the eagle with its telescopic vision can unerringly detect his objective while soaring high in the sky. So can the American Volunteer Group.

The eagle is credited with being the only work of creation, feathered or unfeathered, that can gaze defiantly at the setting sun of Japan and proudly at the dawning sun of China whose rays enfold them in a warm and appreciative glow. Thus, with the strength and ferocity of the tiger, you possess the added attributes of the eagle, the monarch of the air.

19

I shall not embarrass you by singing your praises, but it would be ridiculous affectation to refrain from any allusion to your amazing record. During the first World War of the Lafayette Escadrille, fighting in France, won well-deserved fame when they shot down fifty-seven planes in less than two years. You, the American Volunteer Group fighting in China, have destroyed more than two hundred Japanese planes in less than four months. This is as it should be, for with your technical skill and intensive training you have satisfied even the super-standard demanded by your commander, General Chennault, and have magnificently carried on the fighting tradition of the Lafayette Escadrille.

You have shown resolute endurance and cold courage that have enabled you to face the worst inferno of anti-aircraft fire and enemy guns. You have had to face the worst. You have put such fear into the hearts of the Japanese that they dread to meet you though they vastly outnumber you.

I should like to pause for a moment here to salute the spirit of Robert Short, the first American airman to fight and die for China - in 1932 during the Shanghai outrage. He may well be called the harbinger of the American Volunteers. The memory of Robert Short, and those of the American Volunteer Group who gave their all in unselfish devotion to China's freedom and the greater freedom of humanity, lives and is enshrined in the hearts of the Chinese people. China claims them as her own for they have watered the roots of our national renaissance with their blood and strengthened our morale by their young, noble, and ardent spirit.

This souvenir and scroll will serve as symbol of sisterhood linking our two great Democracies across the Pacific. As honorary Commander oft he American Volunteer Group, I take special pride that these gifts carry with them the abiding affection and admiration of the Chinese people for our Group, the American knights of the air, who have so signally proved themselves to be without fear and without reproach.

20

[brookston]

Holidays 2.2

Holidays

Amarillo Day (Texas)

Ayn Rand Day

Battle of Mysunde Day (Denmark)

Battle of Stalingrad Anniversary Day

Bonza Bottler Day

Chris Kyle Day (Texas)

Commemoration of the Batepá Massacre (São Tomé and Principe)

Constitution Day (Philippines)

Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)

Feast of Torches

Femminiello Pride Day (Italy)

Filbert Day (French Republic)

George III Day (University of King’s College)

Grand Central Station Day

Groundhog Day  (a.k.a. ... 

Badger Day

Brewhog Day

Groundhog Job Shadow Day

Hedgehog Day

”I Got You Babe” Day

Marmot Day (Alaska)

When the Bear Wakes Up Day (Croatia, Serbia)

HarryStrong Day

Howard Johnson Day

Hromnice (Czech Republic)

International CHD2 Awareness Day

International Sex Education Day

Inventor’s Day (Thailand)

Lung Leavin’ Day

Mad Pelagius Day (Elder Scrolls)

Mindfulness Day

National Agriculture Day (Argentina)

National Brendan Day

National Brown Dog Day

National Catcher’s Day

National Change Your Windshield Wipers Day

National Frank Day

National Indigenous Day (Colombia)

National League Baseball Day

National River Day

National Space Technology Day (Iran)

Neuroblastoma Awareness Day (Australia)

Play Your Ukulele Day

Purification Day

Record of a Sneeze Day

Remember Gene Kelly Day

Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day

Self-Renewal Day

Serpent Day (Celtic)

Sled Dog Day

Sonam Locher (Sikkim, India)

Trader’s Day (Poland)

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Day (Mexico/US)

Treaty of Tartu Day (Estonia)

Twintail Day (Japan)

Veja Diena (Day of Wind; Ancient Latvia)

Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad Day (Russia)

Wives' Feast Day

World Day for Consecrated Life

World Ostrich Day

World Tutu Day

World Ukulele Day

World Wetlands Day (UN)

Youth Day (Azerbaijan)

Zippo Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Brewhog Day

California Kiwi Fruit Day

Crêpes Day (France)

Heavenly Hash Day

Rolling Rock "33" Day

South African Wine Day

Tater Tot Day

1st Friday in February

Bubble Gum Day [1st Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Give Kids a Smile Day [1st Friday]

Go Red For Women Day [1st Friday]

National Black Nurses’ Day [1st Friday]

National Wear Red Day (a.k.a. Wear It Beat It) [1st Friday]

NSPCC Number Day (UK) [1st Friday]

Old Socks Day (Italy) [1st Friday]

Pi Mod Appreciation Day [1st Friday]

School Crossing Guard Appreciation Day (Florida) [1st Friday]

Working Naked Day [1st Friday]

Pliny the Younger Day [1st Friday] (Original Date: Moved to March 22 in 2024)

Independence & Related Days

Constitution Day (Philippines)

1st Assembly of Parliament of UK of Great Britain and Ireland; 1801)

Festivals Beginning February 2, 2024

Alaska Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival (Anchorage, Alaska) [thru 2.3]

Athens Wine Weekend *Athens, Georgia) [thru 2.4]

Aukland Gin Festival (Auckland, New Zealand) [thru 2.4]

Bones & Barrels (Central Point, Oregon) [thru 2.4]

Chiang Mai Flower Festival (Chiang Mai, Thailand) [thru 2.4]

Chocolate Lovers Festival (Fairfax, Virginia) [thru 2.4]

Englewood Seafood & Music Festival (Englewood, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Enumclaw Wine & Chocolate Festival (Enumclaw, Washington) [thru 2.3]

Everglades Seafood Festival (Everglades City, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Fire and Ice Winter Fest (Lava Hot Springs, Idaho) [thru 2.3]

Gourd Festival (Casa Grande, Arizona) [thru 2.4]

GroundUP Music Festival (Miami Beach, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Holtville Carrot Festival (Holtville, California) [thru 2.10]

Mar-Del Watermelon Convention (Cambridge, Maryland) [thru 2.3]

Mardi Gras Galveston (Galvesten, Texas) [thru 2.13]

Naples Seafood & Music Festival (Naples, Florida) [thru 2.4]

National Harbor Restaurant Week (National Harbor, Maryland) [thru 2.11]

Olympia Funk Festival (Olympia, Washington) [thru 2.4]

Saint Martin Carnival (Marigot, Saint Martin) [thru 2.14]

ScotiaCon (Glasgow, Scotland) [thru 2.5]

The Thunderdome (Tacoma, Washington) [thru 2.4]

Treasure Coast Ribs, Wings and Music Festival (Vero Beach, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Waterfront Fine Art & Wine Festival (Scottsdale, Arizona) [thru 2.4]

Winterlude (Gatineau, Canada) [thru 2.19]

Feast Days

Adalbard or Ostrevant (Christian; Saint & Martyr)

Candlemas  (a.k.a. ... 

Bear Goddess Day (Euro-Pagan; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Candelaria Festival (a.k.a. Virgen de la Candelaria; Puno, Peru)

Candlemas Sabbat (Everyday Wicca)

Chandeleur Candlemas (France)

Chasing Crows Day

Crêpe Day (France)

Dia de la Candelaria (Mexico)

Feast of Candelaria (Bolivia)

Feast of Our Lady of Navigators (Brazil)

Feast of the Holy Encounter (Western Christianity)

Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Western Christianity)

Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Western Christianity)

La Fete de la Chandeleur (Canada, France)

Le Jour des Crepes (Crepes Day; France)

Mariä Lichtmess (Liechtenstein)

Matka Boska Gromniczna (Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle; Poland)

Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)

Quarter Day (Scotland)

Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)

Yemanja (a.k.a. Our Lady of Navigators; Candomblé)

Celebration of Yemanja (Candomblé, the Sea Goddess)

Charming of the Plough (Pagan)

Columbanus of Ghent (Christian; Hermit) [Belgium, brewers]

Cornelius the Centurion (Christian; Saint)

Dabucuri ucuqui, (Initiation Rites of the Young Men; to Jurupari, South American Guarani/Tupi God)

Day of the Virgin of Candelaria [Canary Islands; Tenerife, Spain]

Festival of Juno Februa (Ancient Rome)

George Loring Brown (Artology)

Groundhog Day (Pastafarian)

Imbolc, Day 2 (a.k.a. Oimelc; Celtic, Pagan) [1 of 8 Festivals of the Natural Year]

James Joyce (Humanism; Writerism)

Jeanne de Lestonnac (Roman Catholic)

Lady Day (Everyday Wicca)

Lawrence, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican Church)

Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries, Day 2 of 3 (Ancient Greece festival honoring Ceres, Demeter, Persephone, and Proserpine)

Martyrs of Ebsdorf (Christian; Martyrs)

Michaelangelo Cerquozzi Artology)

Our Lady of Suyapa (Honduras)

Oya’s Day (Pagan)

Raya (Muppetism)

Roger Corman Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Sébastien Bourdon (Artology)

Sophocles (Positivist; Saint)

Wand Dedication Day (Shamanism)

Wives’ Feast Day (Northern England)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [7 of 71]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because it's always cold and miserable on February 2. Unless you live in Australia, in which case it's hot and miserable.)

Premieres

Altered Carbon (TV Series; 2018)

Batman: Bad Blood (WB Animated Film; 2016)

The Benny Goodman Story (Film; 1956)

Cinema Paradiso (Film; 1990)

A Clockwork Orange (Film; 1972)

The Coo-Coo Bird Dog (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1949)

The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (Novel; 1970) [Arthurian Saga #1]

feed the Kitty (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Ghost in the Shell (Anime Film; 1996)

The Great Train Robbery (Film; 1979)

Il Nano e la Strega (a.k.a. King Dick; Animated Italian Film; 1975)

In a Dark Wood Wandering, by Hella S. Haasse (Novel: 1949)

The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1998) [Discworld #22]

Little Black Sambo (ComiColor Cartoon; 1936)

Long Day’s Journey into Night, by Eugene O’Neill (Play; 1956)

Louise, by Gustave Carpenters (Opera; 1900)

The Midnight Special (Music TV Series; 1973)

Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Novel; 1962)

Napoleon Blown-Aparte (The Inspector Cartoon; 1966)

Night Life in Tokyo, featuring Hashimoto (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1961)

The Nutcracker, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, choreographed by George Balanchine (US Ballet; 1954)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Film; 2008)

Oliver’s Army, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1978)

Pam & Tommy (TV Mini-Series; 2022)

Pick-Up, by Charles Willeford (Novel; 1955)

The Point!, by Harry Nilsson (Animated TV Special; 1971)

The Port of Missing Mice (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1945)

Powerless (TV Series; 2017)

Sonnets to Orpheus, by Rainer Maria Rilke (Poems; 1923)

South Pacific (Broadway Musical; 1949)

Susie Q, recorded by Dale Hawkins (Song; 1957)

The Thief's Journal, by Jean Genet (Novel; 1949)

Tomcat Combat (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1959)

A Trick of the Tail, by Genesis (Album; 1976)

Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1602)

Ulysses, by James Joyce (Novel; 1922)

When G.I. Johnny Comes Home (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1945)

Whose Body?, by Dorothy L. Sayers (Novel; 1923) [1st Perter Wimsey]

Today’s Name Days

Bodo (Austria)

Marija, Marijan, Svjetlana (Croatia)

Nela (Czech Republic)

Leegi, Säde (Estonia)

Aamu, Jemina, Lumi (Finland)

Théophane (France)

Bodo, Mariä Lichtmess, Stephan (Germany)

Ipapanti, Ypapante, Ypapanti (Greece)

Aida, Karolina (Hungary)

Maurizio, Sabatino (Italy)

Spīdola, Spidols (Latvia)

Kantvydas, Rytis, Valdemaras, Vandenė (Lithuania)

Jomar, Jostein (Norway)

Joanna, Korneliusz, Maria, Miłosława (Poland)

Inna (Russia)

Erik, Erika (Slovakia)

Candelaria, Purificación (Spain)

Aleta, Aletha, Alethea, Alida, Alita, Lita (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 33 of 2024; 333 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 5 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 23 (Bing-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 23 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 22 Rajab 1445

J Cal: 3 Grey; Threesday [3 of 30]

Julian: 20 January 2024

Moon: 50%: 3rd Quarter

Positivist: 5 Homer (2nd Month) [Sophocles)

Runic Half Month: Elhaz (Elk) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 44 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 12 of 28)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 2.2

Holidays

Amarillo Day (Texas)

Ayn Rand Day

Battle of Mysunde Day (Denmark)

Battle of Stalingrad Anniversary Day

Bonza Bottler Day

Chris Kyle Day (Texas)

Commemoration of the Batepá Massacre (São Tomé and Principe)

Constitution Day (Philippines)

Day of Youth (Azerbaijan)

Feast of Torches

Femminiello Pride Day (Italy)

Filbert Day (French Republic)

George III Day (University of King’s College)

Grand Central Station Day

Groundhog Day  (a.k.a. ... 

Badger Day

Brewhog Day

Groundhog Job Shadow Day

Hedgehog Day

”I Got You Babe” Day

Marmot Day (Alaska)

When the Bear Wakes Up Day (Croatia, Serbia)

HarryStrong Day

Howard Johnson Day

Hromnice (Czech Republic)

International CHD2 Awareness Day

International Sex Education Day

Inventor’s Day (Thailand)

Lung Leavin’ Day

Mad Pelagius Day (Elder Scrolls)

Mindfulness Day

National Agriculture Day (Argentina)

National Brendan Day

National Brown Dog Day

National Catcher’s Day

National Change Your Windshield Wipers Day

National Frank Day

National Indigenous Day (Colombia)

National League Baseball Day

National River Day

National Space Technology Day (Iran)

Neuroblastoma Awareness Day (Australia)

Play Your Ukulele Day

Purification Day

Record of a Sneeze Day

Remember Gene Kelly Day

Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Day

Self-Renewal Day

Serpent Day (Celtic)

Sled Dog Day

Sonam Locher (Sikkim, India)

Trader’s Day (Poland)

Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Day (Mexico/US)

Treaty of Tartu Day (Estonia)

Twintail Day (Japan)

Veja Diena (Day of Wind; Ancient Latvia)

Victory of the Battle of Stalingrad Day (Russia)

Wives' Feast Day

World Day for Consecrated Life

World Ostrich Day

World Tutu Day

World Ukulele Day

World Wetlands Day (UN)

Youth Day (Azerbaijan)

Zippo Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Brewhog Day

California Kiwi Fruit Day

Crêpes Day (France)

Heavenly Hash Day

Rolling Rock "33" Day

South African Wine Day

Tater Tot Day

1st Friday in February

Bubble Gum Day [1st Friday]

Fry Day (Pastafarian; Fritism) [Every Friday]

Give Kids a Smile Day [1st Friday]

Go Red For Women Day [1st Friday]

National Black Nurses’ Day [1st Friday]

National Wear Red Day (a.k.a. Wear It Beat It) [1st Friday]

NSPCC Number Day (UK) [1st Friday]

Old Socks Day (Italy) [1st Friday]

Pi Mod Appreciation Day [1st Friday]

School Crossing Guard Appreciation Day (Florida) [1st Friday]

Working Naked Day [1st Friday]

Pliny the Younger Day [1st Friday] (Original Date: Moved to March 22 in 2024)

Independence & Related Days

Constitution Day (Philippines)

1st Assembly of Parliament of UK of Great Britain and Ireland; 1801)

Festivals Beginning February 2, 2024

Alaska Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival (Anchorage, Alaska) [thru 2.3]

Athens Wine Weekend *Athens, Georgia) [thru 2.4]

Aukland Gin Festival (Auckland, New Zealand) [thru 2.4]

Bones & Barrels (Central Point, Oregon) [thru 2.4]

Chiang Mai Flower Festival (Chiang Mai, Thailand) [thru 2.4]

Chocolate Lovers Festival (Fairfax, Virginia) [thru 2.4]

Englewood Seafood & Music Festival (Englewood, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Enumclaw Wine & Chocolate Festival (Enumclaw, Washington) [thru 2.3]

Everglades Seafood Festival (Everglades City, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Fire and Ice Winter Fest (Lava Hot Springs, Idaho) [thru 2.3]

Gourd Festival (Casa Grande, Arizona) [thru 2.4]

GroundUP Music Festival (Miami Beach, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Holtville Carrot Festival (Holtville, California) [thru 2.10]

Mar-Del Watermelon Convention (Cambridge, Maryland) [thru 2.3]

Mardi Gras Galveston (Galvesten, Texas) [thru 2.13]

Naples Seafood & Music Festival (Naples, Florida) [thru 2.4]

National Harbor Restaurant Week (National Harbor, Maryland) [thru 2.11]

Olympia Funk Festival (Olympia, Washington) [thru 2.4]

Saint Martin Carnival (Marigot, Saint Martin) [thru 2.14]

ScotiaCon (Glasgow, Scotland) [thru 2.5]

The Thunderdome (Tacoma, Washington) [thru 2.4]

Treasure Coast Ribs, Wings and Music Festival (Vero Beach, Florida) [thru 2.4]

Waterfront Fine Art & Wine Festival (Scottsdale, Arizona) [thru 2.4]

Winterlude (Gatineau, Canada) [thru 2.19]

Feast Days

Adalbard or Ostrevant (Christian; Saint & Martyr)

Candlemas  (a.k.a. ... 

Bear Goddess Day (Euro-Pagan; Starza Pagan Book of Days)

Candelaria Festival (a.k.a. Virgen de la Candelaria; Puno, Peru)

Candlemas Sabbat (Everyday Wicca)

Chandeleur Candlemas (France)

Chasing Crows Day

Crêpe Day (France)

Dia de la Candelaria (Mexico)

Feast of Candelaria (Bolivia)

Feast of Our Lady of Navigators (Brazil)

Feast of the Holy Encounter (Western Christianity)

Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple (Western Christianity)

Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Western Christianity)

La Fete de la Chandeleur (Canada, France)

Le Jour des Crepes (Crepes Day; France)

Mariä Lichtmess (Liechtenstein)

Matka Boska Gromniczna (Mother of God of the Blessed Thunder Candle; Poland)

Our Lady of the Candles (Filipino Catholics)

Quarter Day (Scotland)

Virgin of Candelaria (Tenerife, Spain)

Yemanja (a.k.a. Our Lady of Navigators; Candomblé)

Celebration of Yemanja (Candomblé, the Sea Goddess)

Charming of the Plough (Pagan)

Columbanus of Ghent (Christian; Hermit) [Belgium, brewers]

Cornelius the Centurion (Christian; Saint)

Dabucuri ucuqui, (Initiation Rites of the Young Men; to Jurupari, South American Guarani/Tupi God)

Day of the Virgin of Candelaria [Canary Islands; Tenerife, Spain]

Festival of Juno Februa (Ancient Rome)

George Loring Brown (Artology)

Groundhog Day (Pastafarian)

Imbolc, Day 2 (a.k.a. Oimelc; Celtic, Pagan) [1 of 8 Festivals of the Natural Year]

James Joyce (Humanism; Writerism)

Jeanne de Lestonnac (Roman Catholic)

Lady Day (Everyday Wicca)

Lawrence, Archbishop of Canterbury (Anglican Church)

Lesser Eleusinian Mysteries, Day 2 of 3 (Ancient Greece festival honoring Ceres, Demeter, Persephone, and Proserpine)

Martyrs of Ebsdorf (Christian; Martyrs)

Michaelangelo Cerquozzi Artology)

Our Lady of Suyapa (Honduras)

Oya’s Day (Pagan)

Raya (Muppetism)

Roger Corman Day (Church of the SubGenius; Saint)

Sébastien Bourdon (Artology)

Sophocles (Positivist; Saint)

Wand Dedication Day (Shamanism)

Wives’ Feast Day (Northern England)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Butsumetsu (仏滅 Japan) [Unlucky all day.]

Lucky Day (Philippines) [7 of 71]

Uncyclopedia Bad to Be Born Today (because it's always cold and miserable on February 2. Unless you live in Australia, in which case it's hot and miserable.)

Premieres

Altered Carbon (TV Series; 2018)

Batman: Bad Blood (WB Animated Film; 2016)

The Benny Goodman Story (Film; 1956)

Cinema Paradiso (Film; 1990)

A Clockwork Orange (Film; 1972)

The Coo-Coo Bird Dog (Color Rhapsody Cartoon; 1949)

The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (Novel; 1970) [Arthurian Saga #1]

feed the Kitty (WB MM Cartoon; 1952)

Ghost in the Shell (Anime Film; 1996)

The Great Train Robbery (Film; 1979)

Il Nano e la Strega (a.k.a. King Dick; Animated Italian Film; 1975)

In a Dark Wood Wandering, by Hella S. Haasse (Novel: 1949)

The Last Continent, by Terry Pratchet (Novel; 1998) [Discworld #22]

Little Black Sambo (ComiColor Cartoon; 1936)

Long Day’s Journey into Night, by Eugene O’Neill (Play; 1956)

Louise, by Gustave Carpenters (Opera; 1900)

The Midnight Special (Music TV Series; 1973)

Mother Night, by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (Novel; 1962)

Napoleon Blown-Aparte (The Inspector Cartoon; 1966)

Night Life in Tokyo, featuring Hashimoto (Terrytoons Cartoon; 1961)

The Nutcracker, by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, choreographed by George Balanchine (US Ballet; 1954)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Film; 2008)

Oliver’s Army, by Elvis Costello (Song; 1978)

Pam & Tommy (TV Mini-Series; 2022)

Pick-Up, by Charles Willeford (Novel; 1955)

The Point!, by Harry Nilsson (Animated TV Special; 1971)

The Port of Missing Mice (Mighty Mouse Cartoon; 1945)

Powerless (TV Series; 2017)

Sonnets to Orpheus, by Rainer Maria Rilke (Poems; 1923)

South Pacific (Broadway Musical; 1949)

Susie Q, recorded by Dale Hawkins (Song; 1957)

The Thief's Journal, by Jean Genet (Novel; 1949)

Tomcat Combat (Woody Woodpecker Cartoon; 1959)

A Trick of the Tail, by Genesis (Album; 1976)

Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare (Play; 1602)

Ulysses, by James Joyce (Novel; 1922)

When G.I. Johnny Comes Home (Noveltoons Cartoon; 1945)

Whose Body?, by Dorothy L. Sayers (Novel; 1923) [1st Perter Wimsey]

Today’s Name Days

Bodo (Austria)

Marija, Marijan, Svjetlana (Croatia)

Nela (Czech Republic)

Leegi, Säde (Estonia)

Aamu, Jemina, Lumi (Finland)

Théophane (France)

Bodo, Mariä Lichtmess, Stephan (Germany)

Ipapanti, Ypapante, Ypapanti (Greece)

Aida, Karolina (Hungary)

Maurizio, Sabatino (Italy)

Spīdola, Spidols (Latvia)

Kantvydas, Rytis, Valdemaras, Vandenė (Lithuania)

Jomar, Jostein (Norway)

Joanna, Korneliusz, Maria, Miłosława (Poland)

Inna (Russia)

Erik, Erika (Slovakia)

Candelaria, Purificación (Spain)

Aleta, Aletha, Alethea, Alida, Alita, Lita (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 33 of 2024; 333 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 5 of 2024

Celtic Tree Calendar: Luis (Rowan) [Day 13 of 28]

Chinese: Month 12 (Yi-Chou), Day 23 (Bing-Shen)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 23 Shevat 5784

Islamic: 22 Rajab 1445

J Cal: 3 Grey; Threesday [3 of 30]

Julian: 20 January 2024

Moon: 50%: 3rd Quarter

Positivist: 5 Homer (2nd Month) [Sophocles)

Runic Half Month: Elhaz (Elk) [Day 9 of 15]

Season: Winter (Day 44 of 89)

Zodiac: Capricorn (Day 12 of 28)

[chillingcinemachronicles]

The 5 Best Movie on netflix Right now

1. Arrival

Year: 2016 Runtime: 1h 56m Director: Denis Villeneuve

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

The French-Canadian director guided Amy Adams to one of her best performances in this sharp sci-fi film about an alien invasion that says more about the people on Earth than the interstellar visitors. Based on a short story called “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, Arrival asks how we would communicate with an alien species, led by a linguist played by Adams. A time-twisting narrative made this a smash hit, along with Villeneuve’s undeniable craftsmanship.

2. Call Me by Your Name

Year: 2017 Runtime: 2h 6m Director: Luca Guadagnino

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

One of the best films of the 2010s, this drama stars Timothée Chalamet as a boy who discovers his own sexuality when he’s wooed by an older man, played by Armie Hammer. Delicate and moving, this is a remarkable drama because of how true it feels, anchored by great performances throughout, not just from the two leads but the amazing Michael Stuhlbarg too.

3. Backdraft

Year: 1991 Runtime: 2h 17m Director: Ron Howard

People who saw this movie at the right age seem to have continued love for it. Ron Howard brings a grounded, taut craft to ensemble piece about Chicago firefighters trying to track down a serial arsonist. The hit film ($150 million+ for a movie like this is unthinkable nowadays) has a great early ’90s cast that includes Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Glenn, Robert De Niro, and many more, but it’s the fire scenes that make it memorable. You can feel the heat.

4. Cinderella Man

Year: 2005 Runtime: 2h 24m Director: Ron Howard

After the Oscar-winning success of their previous collaboration, it made perfect sense that Russell Crowe and Ron Howard would want to work together again, but this follow-up sports drama didn’t have quite the same impact. It’s a solid drama elevated by great work from Crowe, Renee Zellweger and Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti (his only nod, believe it or not), as they tell the story of James J. Braddock, a heavyweight boxing champ.

5. The Power of the Dog

Year: 2021 Runtime: 2h 6m Director: Jane Campion

Lights, camera, VPNaction! Elevate your movie nights with NordVPN. 🎥🔒secure your connection and Download NordVPN . Click now to unlock global cinematic thrills!

The film that finally won an Oscar for Jane Campion for directing is one of the most acclaimed in the history of the streaming giant. Campion helmed this adaptation of the novel of the same name by Thomas Savage, the story of a vicious landowner (Benedict Cumberbatch) who torments the new wife (Kirsten Dunst) of his brother (Jesse Plemons). A drama that plays like a thriller, this gorgeously rendered period piece unpacks themes of toxic masculinity and manipulation in a way that makes it impossible to turn away. It’s not just one of the best Netflix Original films, it’s one of the best, period, of the 2020s so far.