tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14696837779714967232024-03-05T07:49:25.055-08:00Comics AppreciationKetlanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08588156788583883454noreply@blogger.comBlogger608125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-76757832368900037042021-03-13T05:58:00.003-08:002022-02-19T04:08:12.548-08:00Secrecy And A Friend Called Pete<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgRBYOp0uxD2R2XGxhkoFdweVIGUS5Ui__-9-pQGGo-pC54lPW5fPA84WrhhZIit7ukoit5zkKIQ_k9FKS3CIWQOme0Ip05jqAd3NbRVS7jBEXJduFXQjCophHH5yMWufNOq65FUHCrM/s289/therewillbetime.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="289" data-original-width="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisgRBYOp0uxD2R2XGxhkoFdweVIGUS5Ui__-9-pQGGo-pC54lPW5fPA84WrhhZIit7ukoit5zkKIQ_k9FKS3CIWQOme0Ip05jqAd3NbRVS7jBEXJduFXQjCophHH5yMWufNOq65FUHCrM/s0/therewillbetime.jpg" /></a></div><i><a href="https://poulandersonappreciation.blogspot.com/2020/10/narratives-and-explanations-ii.html">There Will Be Time</a>.</i><p>Jack<i> </i>Havig, time traveler, to Robert Anderson:</p><p>"'Uncle
Jack was the ideal guide and mentor. I'd no reason to disobey his
commands about secrecy, aside from some disguised bragging to my friend
Pete.' (p. 39)</p><p>Clark Kent's friend, Pete Ross, accidentally discovers his secret. </p><p>"'...the
necessity of keeping our secret...'" (p. 40) is a strong parallel
between the biographies of those two great Americans, Clark Kent and
Jack Havig. Kent inspires the Legion of Super-Heroes in the thirtieth
century. Havig builds the Star Masters civilization in later centuries.</p><p>Despite their powers, Kent and Havig keep the secret because its
necessity is impressed on them by their mentors, Jonathan Kent and Uncle
Jack, respectively. The <i>Smallville </i>TV series emphasizes the
deceit and duplicity involved in the secrecy which leads to a permanent
conflict between Clark Kent and his former friend, Lex Luthor. Clark
could have had a small team of friends, including Pete and Lex, working
with him - a much better arrangement. <br /></p>paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-78834437435276087402021-03-13T02:31:00.003-08:002021-06-04T09:44:05.973-07:00The Structure Of Two Series: The Sandman And Lucifer<div style="text-align: left;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxd-G3UFNoCHAcws1DvHKlamojqkKJyajo46zQXBYKXPIdvUGH3WIAAtQjt1Te8FjXPbKzxduHpB4rHFl1b9gYR_17Q5TSwA_lKEVQ1tBUNGy333Abgtf8uIYD_sxlIHrYdEn4sy3RGI/s196/thesandmanseasonofmistscover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="196" data-original-width="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicxd-G3UFNoCHAcws1DvHKlamojqkKJyajo46zQXBYKXPIdvUGH3WIAAtQjt1Te8FjXPbKzxduHpB4rHFl1b9gYR_17Q5TSwA_lKEVQ1tBUNGy333Abgtf8uIYD_sxlIHrYdEn4sy3RGI/s0/thesandmanseasonofmistscover.jpg" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "arial";">Neil Gaiman's monthly comic book, <i>The Sandman,
</i>was collected in ten volumes: three trilogies and an epilogue. Each
trilogy is one male point of view narrative, one female pov narrative and one
short story collection. The epilogue contains the "Wake" trilogy, its sequel
and sequels to the earlier Marco Polo and William Shakespeare stories. There are
related volumes, like <i>Sandman: The Dream Hunters, </i>an illustrated prose
story, but the collected monthly series is complete in ten volumes. However, an eleventh<i>
Sandman</i> comic book collection is P. Craig Russell's graphic adaptation of<i>
The Dream Hunters.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i> </i></span><span style="font-family: "arial";">Mike Carey's </span><span style="font-family: "arial";">
<i>Lucifer, </i>a direct sequel to <i>Season of Mists </i>in Gaiman's<i> The Sandman,</i>
is collected in eleven volumes, differently structured. The middle volume, 6 <i>The Mansions of the Silence,</i> is
the turning point when it is learned that God has left his creation. That turning
point divides the rest of the series into two groups of five volumes. Each of
these groups has a mid-point. In Volume 3, </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>A
Dalliance with the Damned, </i>Lucifer opens gates between his new creation and
every part of God's old creation.<i> </i>Lucifer welcomes immigrants but forbids
them to worship him or anyone else. Carey's Lucifer, unlike Milton's Satan,
wants not Godhood but freedom from either side of the God trip. A Satanic role
as Lord of Hell is in his past but had accreted around him and he had left it in
<i>The Sandman.</i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i> </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">In Volume 9, <i>Crux,</i> Michael's
daughter/God's grand-daughter, Elaine Belloc, creates a third universe. This
prepares her to succeed the departed God at the end of the series. Thus, the
three turning points of <i>Lucifer </i>are: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Lucifer liberates; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">his father
leaves; </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">his niece learns. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">By the end of<i> The Sandman,</i> the title character has
entered the realm of his sister, Death, and we do not see him again. By the end
of<i> Lucifer,</i> the title character has entered the Void between the worlds
and we do not see him again.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">These twenty two volumes should be read
together with related works by both authors plus<i> Swamp Thing</i> and<i>
Hellblazer. </i>John Constantine spun out of<i> Swamp Thing</i> into<i>
Hellblazer</i> just as Lucifer spun out of<i> The Sandman</i> into<i> Lucifer. </i>
Part of the Dreaming appeared in<i> Swamp Thing</i> before we saw more in<i>
The Sandman.</i> Such multi-authored bodies of work are necessarily variable in
quality but the particular works summarized here present continents of quality
in an ocean of quantity.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>Addendum (14 Nov 2010)</i>: A damned soul
becomes a Duke of Hell in <i>Lucifer</i> Vol 3 and Lord of Hell in Vol 9
and empties Hell in Vol 10. In Vol 11, a fallen cherub says of the angel Remiel,
"Former Lord of Hell - - which is something any schmendrick can add to his
resume these days." (1) So how many Lords of Hell have there been?</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";">It became necessary to distinguish
between Satan in <i>Hellblazer </i>and Lucifer in <i>The Sandman. </i>Each must rule
his own Hell or Hellish realm. This is possible because, in this scenario, the
hereafter is whatever it is imagined to be. At one stage, Lucifer co-ruled with
Beelzebub and Azazel. Later, Lucifer gave the Key to Hell to Morpheus who passed
it on to the angels Remiel and Duma. Later again, Duma gave it to Christopher
Rudd. After Rudd had emptied Hell, one last human soul gained access to the
place, thus becoming sole ruler of an otherwise empty realm: a farce following
the tragedy. Elaine's new universe has no Hell but Hell still exists later in
Andy Diggle's <i>Hellblazer </i>so the universe has split again. This happens in
comics as story lines converge and diverge. However, unless it is stated
otherwise, Satan continues to rule the <i>Hellblazer</i> Hell. Thus, there have
been nine "Lords of Hell":</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: "arial";"><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></span><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">Satan<br />
Lucifer<br />
Beelzebub<br />
Azazel<br />
Morpheus<br />
Remiel<br />
Duma<br />
Christopher Rudd<br />
Culver Harland</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial";">(<i>Insert, 30 Aug 2012</i>: Satan had two co-rulers in Garth Ennis' <i>Hellblazer</i> so maybe the total number is eleven?) </span></div> </div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial";"><i>15 Nov 2010</i>: Since the first addendum,
email correspondence with Mike Carey has disclosed that Garth Ennis writing <i>
Hellblazer </i>called his Lord of Hell "the First of the Fallen" in order to
keep alive the possibility that <i>Hellblazer</i> and <i>The Sandman</i> co-existed. They do co-exist somehow
but it is clear that their two Lords of Hell diverged. Ennis' "First" remains a
malevolent demon whereas Carey's Lucifer becomes an indifferent Nietzchean. The
First actively hates Constantine. Lucifer abandons his hate for Morpheus,
realising that all that really matters to him is the freedom of his own will. He
casually destroys beings who stand in his way but no longer seeks to destroy a
former opponent. His role in the "God and Devil" double act has tired him and
become clearly pointless whereas Ennis' First remains consumed by hatred both of
the divine and of the independent operator, John Constantine. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial";">(1) Carey, Mike, <a href="http://comicsappreciation.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/lucifer-evensong.html"><i>Lucifer: Evensong</i></a>,
New York, 2007, p. 92.</span><span style="font-family: "arial";"> </span></div></div><span style="font-family: "arial";"><i></i></span></div>paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-2070449863193524612021-01-02T02:43:00.001-08:002021-01-02T02:48:57.615-08:00A New Genre?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLOdGOs24o1z4hUC1gOYA0CMYkw_vI10T87lByVZH18T_oOcXVGkFzESfClqYs67eodigJaW_Trui4HYu8uJKSekmDcE3Iblg3uW8FYWyFvTR0SV1Y8ZKIRPPkKP0SaFuK7iH_wd5P7M/s215/thebookoftrespass.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="139" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLOdGOs24o1z4hUC1gOYA0CMYkw_vI10T87lByVZH18T_oOcXVGkFzESfClqYs67eodigJaW_Trui4HYu8uJKSekmDcE3Iblg3uW8FYWyFvTR0SV1Y8ZKIRPPkKP0SaFuK7iH_wd5P7M/w129-h200/thebookoftrespass.jpg" width="129" /></a></div><a href="https://thenestcollective.co.uk/artists/nick-hayes/">Nick Hayes</a>, <i><a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-book-of-trespass/nick-hayes/9781526604699">The Book Of Trespass</a> </i>(London, 2020).<p></p><p>Is this a new genre: a partly autobiographical, partly historical, documentary prose text, interspersed with illustrations, written and drawn by an author, illustrator and political cartoonist, partly covering the period when he was creating a graphic novel? Usually, I would be reading the graphic novel. This time, I am reading a prose account of its creation. Next, the book could be filmed, showing the author drawing pages of the graphic novel.</p><p>A story can be narrated, enacted or depicted. Thus, the three story-telling media are narrative, drama and sequential art, which can be creatively combined. Once, in a school where I worked, a drama group showed and discussed an animated film and, on a later visit, enacted a sequel, playing the parts of the screen characters. We need </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGQk9et3EMRK1rOKYxyxYlp8D0eOR_VeuQSmwKDxTeHayeWuiG2AiIxsQRe1V2JZRLru66f1dihiWwwK_BL2J3MTL4g9P0vTnT_tBeVGa0HEqi9zUEDmOG94fVCtwPeRmhAsPvIKTLV4/s300/thebookoftrespassinterior.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfGQk9et3EMRK1rOKYxyxYlp8D0eOR_VeuQSmwKDxTeHayeWuiG2AiIxsQRe1V2JZRLru66f1dihiWwwK_BL2J3MTL4g9P0vTnT_tBeVGa0HEqi9zUEDmOG94fVCtwPeRmhAsPvIKTLV4/s0/thebookoftrespassinterior.jpg" /></a>more multi-media creativity to which Nick Hayes could contribute.<br /></div><p></p>paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-43783623026771760062020-11-10T11:06:00.004-08:002020-11-21T14:48:43.478-08:00A Complicated Comics History II<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3nItSLRTNeMAX8oWzuedQWEjIBXxU2O-YuTwolM7sdM0w6fmTzaOtLSdz-nTFO-3uEW9dVmhICk05KH6yug0AN1uOi5eSdn4glxEH07Gb9-P_snLfPO8og0vps0Lqt0sFwNFwz3SBBg/s600/supermaninthesixties.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="387" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3nItSLRTNeMAX8oWzuedQWEjIBXxU2O-YuTwolM7sdM0w6fmTzaOtLSdz-nTFO-3uEW9dVmhICk05KH6yug0AN1uOi5eSdn4glxEH07Gb9-P_snLfPO8og0vps0Lqt0sFwNFwz3SBBg/s320/supermaninthesixties.jpg" /></a></div>Early issues of <i>JLA </i>downplayed Supes and Bats because both of these characters had so much coverage elsewhere. Nevertheless, Supes appeared every month in seven titles and could appear, even if briefly, in an eighth. But only one of those titles was about him as an adult and only about him as an adult all the way through. Thus, it was statistically unusual to find yourself reading a comic that focused solely on Superman.<p></p><p>Before and during the Crisis on Infinite Earths in the mid- to late 80s, <i>Superman </i>and <i>Superman in Action Comics </i>were solo Superman titles and <i>DC Comics Presents </i>was a regular Superman team-up title whereas, after the Crisis, <i>Superman </i>(first series), now called <i>Adventures Of Superman</i>, and <i>Superman </i>(second series), simply called <i>Superman</i>, were solo Superman titles whereas <i>Superman in Action Comics </i>had become the regular team-up title and, a few years later, became a thick weekly anthology for nearly a year. </p><p>For a while, when <i>Action </i>was monthly and neither a team-up book nor an anthology, a fourth monthly title and a quarterly were added to transform four monthlies and one quarterly into one weekly with continuous narrative although by different creative teams and the quality went into the Phantom Zone. Things have changed and changed again and I have no idea what is happening now. Alienate old readers as long as you can attract new younger readers if you can.<br /></p>paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-86004995938849683642020-10-31T15:58:00.001-07:002020-10-31T15:59:05.858-07:00What's Been Done With Watchmen<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xKFks0lr_ftlFBuW-9kTgvxqdQnKrgWWdMUF-1mK0aQsjsB9R1e71itJZzAklVf78DFFbEycawXYgnlND0ve2_Hj3yniBCuZPBsV7JhE9t1KL1sOi-vxzqY3veQPOR6LzCEdKJcerwA/s237/watchmen.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="237" data-original-width="213" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9xKFks0lr_ftlFBuW-9kTgvxqdQnKrgWWdMUF-1mK0aQsjsB9R1e71itJZzAklVf78DFFbEycawXYgnlND0ve2_Hj3yniBCuZPBsV7JhE9t1KL1sOi-vxzqY3veQPOR6LzCEdKJcerwA/w180-h200/watchmen.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>A prequel comic series.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A crossover comic series.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A feature film adaptation.</div><div style="text-align: left;">A TV series sequel.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The TV series brilliantly answers the question: "Who was Hooded Justice?"</div>paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-32382066314025530072020-07-05T08:29:00.001-07:002020-07-05T08:30:15.033-07:00Powers Unknown<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfSa3RRR44nEyIp9A0LYIJDaaMn1IhQmGkh_GD8kKp-VFi_nlWJvolUpWMGOqhkNL-GCkhOjCnXp-hqzxN3OMtIkVcq6dv07NDEZySGv3cpjafJy9LW4bU1cLKFJV4R4c8eyZrrh59kK9/s1600/thesandmanthewake.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUfSa3RRR44nEyIp9A0LYIJDaaMn1IhQmGkh_GD8kKp-VFi_nlWJvolUpWMGOqhkNL-GCkhOjCnXp-hqzxN3OMtIkVcq6dv07NDEZySGv3cpjafJy9LW4bU1cLKFJV4R4c8eyZrrh59kK9/s400/thesandmanthewake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>Copied from </i>Poul Anderson Appreciation: <br />
<br />
The
deal with the blog is that a single word or phrase in a work by Poul
Anderson can generate either a reflection or a comparison with a similar
word or phrase in a work by another author. We can move in any
direction although we always return to our source. And here is one
mysterious phrase:<br />
<br />
"The Taverners are as merciful as
their charter, or whatever it is that was once granted them by some
power unknown, allows them to be."<br />
-Poul Anderson, "Losers' Night" IN Anderson, <i>All One Universe </i>(New York, 1997), pp. 105-123 AT p. 108.<br />
<br />
There
could be a story about an inn-keeping couple at some place or time, the
punchline being that, right at the end of the story, they are appointed
as keepers of the Old Phoenix - but that alone would not be enough to
tell us who the power unknown is. Once appointed, do the Taverners
remain in the Old Phoenix or do they, like their guests, continue to
lead lives in one of the universes? The inn is outside all particular
cosmic times so they could always return to it at the moment they had
left.<br />
<br />
"...there are some powers that no one, not even the Endless, seeks to inquire into too deeply."<br />
-Neil Gaiman, <i>The Sandman</i>: <i>The Wake </i>(New York, 1997), p. 17, panel 4.<br />
<br />
Why
not? The Endless are anthropomorphic personifications of aspects of
consciousness and include Destiny, who knows all that was, is and will
be, although Delirium that was Delight claims:<br />
<br />
"...I know <b><i>lots </i></b>of things about <b><i>us</i></b>. Things not even <b><i>he </i></b>knows."<br />
-Neil Gaiman, <i>The Sandman</i>: <i>Season Of Mists </i>(New York, 1992), p. 29, panel 6.<br />
<br />
- pointing at Destiny.<br />
<br />
That might be a koan: What does Delirium know that Destiny does not?<br />
<br />
And does she know the powers unknown?paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-91790034905611124262020-07-04T14:00:00.001-07:002020-07-04T14:18:01.242-07:00The Watchmen TV Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOfohPqV-jilJZszeHehlpexo9IXkPILhWaRUpoTvSKnLlLiVc_x-ejeDLpFmf2g9ExWw3ytS_0X5EJ-vtUoNDNQM2N6Gk7glLBhrQIZLBHPtpRptNGZ7FMbI3eE-pcU9nUpYo0Z0dFQ/s1600/hoodedjustice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiOfohPqV-jilJZszeHehlpexo9IXkPILhWaRUpoTvSKnLlLiVc_x-ejeDLpFmf2g9ExWw3ytS_0X5EJ-vtUoNDNQM2N6Gk7glLBhrQIZLBHPtpRptNGZ7FMbI3eE-pcU9nUpYo0Z0dFQ/s400/hoodedjustice.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
OK. Far out. I didn't think I'd say this but: Far out.<br />
<br />
The attached image shows us the Hooded Justice of the TV series within the TV series: one totally different guy. (He looks exactly the same because of the costume.) The Awesome Mage's <i><a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=Watchmen">Watchmen</a> </i>had a comic within the comic so the TV sequel has a TV series within the TV series.<br />
<br />
I watched Episode 1 last year with <a href="https://poulandersonappreciation.blogspot.com/2020/01/distant-earth.html">Ketlan</a> and did not get into it yet. It takes some getting into. How does it connect with AM's original masterpiece? That takes time to transpire. For Father's Day this year, Aileen gave me the DVD set. Obviously, I was going to watch it and I also needed to read about the series to try to understand what these guys are doing. The actors speak very fast in very pronounced accents and make obscure references. Like a child watching a film, I have to accept that I do not understand a lot (yet).<br />
<br />
So far, I have watched the first 6 of 9 episodes. A lot is still difficult, especially Veidt's strange predicament. The horseshoe theme seems particularly incoherent but it was repeated so maybe its meaning will become clear. I understand that everything does eventually tie together. Episode 5 brilliantly shows how one of the new characters survived the New York event. The <i>Watchtower </i>was appropriate both because it was in AM's series and because <i>Watchtower </i>fits with <i>Watchmen.</i><br />
<br />
Episode 6 is riveting. The newly created origin story for the previously unidentified Hooded Justice:<br />
<br />
is as good as AM's <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2015/11/what-killing-joke-is-really-about.html">Joker origin story</a> (see also <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2014/01/is-one-bad-day-enough-to-drive-you-or.html">here</a>);<br />
explains the noose around the neck;<br />
explains that, even under the hood, HJ needs a painted eye mask as camouflage. (Watch it. Episode 6.)<br />
<br />
Captain Metropolis looks good. The other Minutemen are indistinct because we are seeing them through HJ's memories.<br />
<br />
In an earlier episode, a newsboy was announcing that the aliens were a hoax just before HJ's first appearance which is chronologically wrong but I think that that was because someone was remembering first the later event, then the earlier event.<br />
<br />
Dave Gibbons said that Damon Lindelof would do it right and it looks like Dave was right. I still have three episodes to watch and maybe the whole series to rewatch.<br />
<br />
Masked policemen seem bizarre, then make sense as a role reversal. paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-73057925061851356312019-12-25T15:40:00.000-08:002019-12-25T15:40:51.400-08:00Other Reading About Telepathy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBiQXiRs5GK9jmTNST14igyaT-9LInnpHJm1WBR7IqfONcnqt-WpxkeJ9b7Q0JtOicUDo49_yoC9p4-ymYR7TeF6o5Uq8K0a5JbmIbZYD4TBclYgRWQkdvexPwFQCJZNyX9FtP_qD1sOH/s1600/fablesarabiannights.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="180" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKBiQXiRs5GK9jmTNST14igyaT-9LInnpHJm1WBR7IqfONcnqt-WpxkeJ9b7Q0JtOicUDo49_yoC9p4-ymYR7TeF6o5Uq8K0a5JbmIbZYD4TBclYgRWQkdvexPwFQCJZNyX9FtP_qD1sOH/s400/fablesarabiannights.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
We saw <a href="https://poulandersonappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/12/why-aycharaych-talks-to-erannath.html" target="_blank">here</a> that a telepath who can read only surface thoughts talks to a prisoner in order to bring associations into his conscious mind.<br />
<br />
Thus, we read, in a book received as a present today:<br />
<br />
<i>D'jinn, disguised as a slave girl</i>: Gather all who serve Yussuf's ascendancy together tonight for an important meeting.<br />
<br />
<i>Sidi Nouman</i>: Is that <i><b>wise? </b></i>In the past we've never congregated more than two or three at a time. Those were <b><i>always </i></b>Yusuf's orders.<br />
<br />
<i>D'jinn</i>: No Matter. I simply needed to ascertain the fullness of the <b><i>list</i></b> which appeared in your mind the moment I inquired of them.<br />
I've captured it complete, and so you are of no further<i><b> use</b></i> to me, Sidi Nouman, famous abuser of horses.<br />
-Bill Willingham, <i>Fables</i>: <i>Arabian Nights (And Days)</i>, (Burbank, CA, 2006), p. 59, panels 5-6.paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-55452047323096177062019-12-10T10:18:00.002-08:002019-12-10T10:18:59.305-08:00A Fictional Language II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV0Z2jP3i6zr0pxiBhVKKRrh7TjMyiW615SeloHGH3-lvnuk8nDOT7BEgn4EY4ZEWPSX8Vsyi2rVYoD0jTcDUs-kugnqr1QmYr0597lBPX3L81gRHowALneggcPYNcWGEULetsrOk_yIm/s1600/klingon.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="202" data-original-width="250" height="321" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQV0Z2jP3i6zr0pxiBhVKKRrh7TjMyiW615SeloHGH3-lvnuk8nDOT7BEgn4EY4ZEWPSX8Vsyi2rVYoD0jTcDUs-kugnqr1QmYr0597lBPX3L81gRHowALneggcPYNcWGEULetsrOk_yIm/s400/klingon.png" width="400" /></a></div>
See <a href="https://poulandersonappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-fictional-language.html" target="_blank">A Fictional Language.</a><br />
<br />
I
know that some people are elaborating Klingon (see image) so maybe they
are way ahead of us here. Let me just try to demonstrate some more of
Alan Moore's ingenuity.<br />
<br />
<u>p. 14, panel 4</u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: D-duss maol olt? Fao Adam <b>AEL? </b>(How is he? Will Adam be well?)<br />
<br />
<i>Sardath</i>: Sa. Adam fao ael. Qu dral ol <i><b>VIER</b></i>, tertel bu. (Yes. Adam will be well. You can see him...)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 14, panel 5</u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: Iu, Sardath-cho, Ba <i><b>ONAMAO </b></i>qu! (Oh, Sardath. I love you!)<br />
<i>Sardath</i>: Ba onamao <i><b>QU</b></i> emsec, Alanna. (I love you too, Alanna.)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 15, panel 1</u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: <i><b>ADAM! </b></i>Iu, onamaol bu... (Adam! Oh, love they...)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 15, panel 3</u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: Qu fao zon ililoc huls <i><b>CHECHEDOR </b></i>Rann, di tomta <b><i>ILIOCTIBANI</i></b>. Olf fao doh rette <i><b>RANN </b></i>leps <i><b>THANAGAR</b></i>.
(You will be able to talk to the new Ambassadors to Rann, during the
Conference/negotiations. They will (or have?) come to Rann from
Thanagar.)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 15, panel 4</u><u> </u><br />
<i>Adam Strange</i>: <b><i>THANAGAR? </i></b>THOM <b><i>KATAR HOL? </i></b>(Thanagar? Not Katar Hol?)<br />
<br />
<i>Alanna</i>: Tho. Thom <b><i>KATAR HOL </i></b>ool <b><i>SHAYERA</i></b>. Olf fao <b><i>HAKKESTRANG! </i></b>(No. Not Katar Hol or Shayera. They are (will be?) Hawkpeople!)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 16, panel 1</u><br />
<i>Keela Roo</i>: Ael, Sardath-chat. Ol wa ililoc <b><i>THANAGARRU</i></b>
wo? <... (It is well, Sardath. Should we speak Thanagarru?) (Her
Thanagarru is represented by < and by similar signs which are not on
my keyboard.)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 16, panel 2</u><br />
<i>Sardath</i>: <b><i>ADAM-CHI! </i></b>Ol fa aeli qu fao ael! Olf fao <b><i>KEELA ROO </i></b>ep <b><i>SCIRA EK</i></b>, checheder leps <b><i>THANAGAR</i></b>... (Adam! It is good that you are well! These are Keela Roo and Scira Ek, ambassadors from Thanagar...)<br />
<i>Keela Roo</i>: < etc.<br />
<br />
<u>p. 16, panel 3</u><br />
<i>Keela Roo</i>: ...absorbacon-linked translator should simplify the discussions.<br />
(She holds a glowing pyramid which emits the sound "Veep" as it makes everyone present understand everyone else's speech.)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 17, panels 5-6</u><br />
<i>Adam Strange, </i>speaking
while running beyond the range of the absorbascon: Yes, yes. It's okay.
I know... "It's a dirty job... (VEEP!) ...claab <i><b>APOCHAN </b></i>masraut fao ol!" (Give it to the ape man.) (Or something like that.)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 28, panel 2</u><br />
<i>Adam Strange</i>: Lam <i><b>TALSA</b></i>, Keela Roo. Qu glispi <i><b>SARN</b></i>. (Good morning, Keela Roo. You look "sarn.")<br />
<i>Keela Roo</i>: Lam Talsa, Adam Strange. Bas Hakkestrange <b><i>ETHMET </i></b>glispi sarn. (Good morning, Adam Strange. But Hawkpeople <i>always</i> look "sarn.")<br />
<br />
<u>p. 28, panel 3</u><br />
<i>Keela Roo</i>: Ba murrn ililocta-unulacon bu... (VEEP)... so that we may talk more easily.<br />
<br />
<u>p. 34, panel 3</u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: <b><i>ADAM? </i></b>Voryegger ilioc <b><i>INGLISH? </i></b>(Adam? The monster speaks English?)<br />
<i>Adam Strange</i>: Uh, tra. Ol utu "<i><b>SMALSH-YEGGER</b></i>," aps <i><b>URTH</b></i>. (Uh, yes. He was "Swamp Thing" on Earth.<br />
<br />
<u>p. 35, panel 6</u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: <b><i>ADAM? </i></b>Duss ililoc qu ap Smalsh-Yegger? (Adam? What are you talking about with Swamp Thing?)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 36, panel 1</u><br />
<i>Adam Strange</i>: Ep <b><i>URTH</i></b>, epo <b><i>GOTHAMAGAR</i></b>, Smalsh-Yegger faor lurshastrang. Fao ol lurshastrang ep <b><i>RANN? </i></b>(On Earth, in Gotham City, Swamp Thing made vegetation. Will he make vegetation on Rann?)<br />
<br />
<u>p. 36, panel 2</u><u> </u><br />
<i>Alanna</i>: Mamoon. Iu, Smalsh-Yegger, <b><i>MAMOON</i></b>. (Please. Oh, Swamp Thing, <i>please.</i>)<br />
<br />
I
am starting to decipher more but enough is enough. One sentence of
Planha in Poul Anderson's "Lodestar" has made me revisit and
re-appreciate Alan Moore's Rannian dialogue.paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-5823114360041501782019-10-20T13:15:00.001-07:002019-10-21T05:38:24.194-07:00The Structure Of A Series: The Boys (90 Monthly Issues)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuF7toiWxkUVULLZgIFedeWfIQqBPYoM0GhKp19XA2XQU9Wa3UoMJHlYb_5edmKtBE7PixFfhlRS09yp18R7wy-ejrxXzXW6lOIo7BxsAzHwtaGWBE2kMtoX2Bbu_rjo3vtyz-DTRDhA/s1600/theboysno1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="215" data-original-width="156" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwuF7toiWxkUVULLZgIFedeWfIQqBPYoM0GhKp19XA2XQU9Wa3UoMJHlYb_5edmKtBE7PixFfhlRS09yp18R7wy-ejrxXzXW6lOIo7BxsAzHwtaGWBE2kMtoX2Bbu_rjo3vtyz-DTRDhA/s400/theboysno1.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
I: <i>The Name Of The Game </i>(1-6)<br />
<br />
II: <i>Get Some </i>("Get Some," 7-10; "Glorious Five Year Plan," 11-14)<br />
<br />
III: <i>Good For The Soul </i>("Good For The Soul," 15-18; "I Tell You No Lie, G.I.," 19-22)<br />
<br />
IV: <i>We Gotta Go Now </i>(23-30)<br />
<br />
V: <b><i>Herogasm </i></b>(miniseries, 1-6)<br />
<br />
VI: <i>The Self-Preservation Society </i>("The Self-Preservation Society," 31-34; "Nothing Like It In The World," 35-36, "La Plume De Ma Tante Est Sur La Table," 37; "The Instant White-Hot Wild," 38)<br />
<br />
VII: "What I Know," 39; "The Innocents," 40-43; "Believe," 44-47)<br />
<br />
VIII: <i><b>Highland Laddie</b></i> (miniseries, 1-6)<br />
<br />
IX: <i>The Big Ride </i>("Proper Preparation And Planning," 48-51; "Barbary Coast," 52-55; "The Big Ride," 56-59)<br />
<br />
X:<i><b> Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker </b></i>(miniseries, 1-6)<br />
<br />
XI: <i>Over The Hill With The Swords Of A Thousand Men </i>(60-65)<br />
<br />
XII: <i>The Bloody Doors Off </i>("The Bloody Doors Off," 66-71; "You Found Me," 72) paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-79005273223621032052019-06-12T02:11:00.000-07:002019-06-12T02:12:01.611-07:00Good Omens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36sR9cEczWNkDmsTEeo0c9ZMa_furmfB1l_VeEkvAGeG_Ov1XmFplUz4rSCW4M2apKibCMXF2Zw849IvcEOfNLM50CKiKg86_rnMQ3VcHO4DR1ClEGu3Pg4v8DhAs3-ZPxnLEIF1BEp8/s1600/goodomenscartoon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi36sR9cEczWNkDmsTEeo0c9ZMa_furmfB1l_VeEkvAGeG_Ov1XmFplUz4rSCW4M2apKibCMXF2Zw849IvcEOfNLM50CKiKg86_rnMQ3VcHO4DR1ClEGu3Pg4v8DhAs3-ZPxnLEIF1BEp8/s400/goodomenscartoon2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<i>Good Omens </i>is a TV series by Neil Gaiman based on a prose novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman so it is not comic-related except that Gaiman wrote comics. However, the cartoon credits and even the visuals with live actors generate a comics feel.<br />
<br />
A former Doctor Who acts so well as a hip demon that he is scarcely recognizable.<br />
<br />
Is the Antichrist necessary for Armageddon? Demons can break the rules. See "James Blish And The Antichrist," <a href="https://jamesblishappreciation.blogspot.com/2016/05/james-blish-and-antichrist.html">here</a>.paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-41982660458152292442019-06-12T01:54:00.001-07:002019-06-12T11:43:37.960-07:00The Time Travel Problem In Avengers: Endgame III<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8ITjj_HTuAr0cM_w0izFgY-BlONgtnVFhioyKip2isEUJbUmvGmJV7m32UUXmy-fJknVX1g5VTDAs3YverbBWfLbMwslp0G4-C6whRnNai0Vc2Y6tIhyphenhyphenLesvndq89oXhomU6skOTOFA/s1600/thanos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="147" data-original-width="342" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_8ITjj_HTuAr0cM_w0izFgY-BlONgtnVFhioyKip2isEUJbUmvGmJV7m32UUXmy-fJknVX1g5VTDAs3YverbBWfLbMwslp0G4-C6whRnNai0Vc2Y6tIhyphenhyphenLesvndq89oXhomU6skOTOFA/s400/thanos.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
See <a href="http://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-time-travel-problem-in-avengers_28.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Andrea argues that:<br />
<br />
the characters time travel from the present of Reality A to the past of Reality B and return to the present of Reality A;<br />
<br />
Thanos follows some of the heroes from the past of Reality B to the present of Reality A;<br />
<br />
therefore, the only discrepancy is that, if Rogers remained in the past of Reality B, then he should have aged into the present of B, not A.<br />
<br />
I think it also follows that Thanos' disappearance from Reality B prevents V in B?paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-29604333437072835942019-06-04T11:09:00.001-07:002019-06-04T13:23:07.731-07:00New Swamp Thing TV Series<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFryQWKr-P8QkwivyOm3w5i3aLEjhjzsFYqURdu8BZikvmPwN3rkFK969XOyO3WSGjPGue7YKXCpMMp2Oad6U3ouD5Ee_W-MZA6XwheYo5ju1gYYYBnfYlYazNs7m21Hd6TKYhuC2atI/s1600/swampthing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="162" data-original-width="311" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiFryQWKr-P8QkwivyOm3w5i3aLEjhjzsFYqURdu8BZikvmPwN3rkFK969XOyO3WSGjPGue7YKXCpMMp2Oad6U3ouD5Ee_W-MZA6XwheYo5ju1gYYYBnfYlYazNs7m21Hd6TKYhuC2atI/s400/swampthing.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
In this version, there was something going on in the swamp even before Alec Holland got to it.<br />
<br />
He says that he has seen an alien autopsy.<br />
<br />
Some of the characters have the same names but they are not the same characters, particularly not Abby. Are Anton and Gregori going to show up?paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-24198704936608512372019-05-08T01:53:00.000-07:002019-05-08T02:14:02.471-07:00The Cainites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEkLxQBn0KO19oezF2b413puPs-CYjMQq7iDm3hb25G5GdT91JeHBxmSPEosacah1AD630SwARL8DC1mn4yIJUUfHubngyZmIiB8N-Fbc_OoIRJzet3WDj9N4CVZOl_TivQus9tdfL1XF/s1600/thesandmancompleteseries.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="281" data-original-width="179" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuEkLxQBn0KO19oezF2b413puPs-CYjMQq7iDm3hb25G5GdT91JeHBxmSPEosacah1AD630SwARL8DC1mn4yIJUUfHubngyZmIiB8N-Fbc_OoIRJzet3WDj9N4CVZOl_TivQus9tdfL1XF/s400/thesandmancompleteseries.jpg" width="254" /></a></div>
I missed a point in the previous post about <a href="https://poulandersonappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/05/cain-in-two-universes.html" target="_blank">"Cain."</a> On the very next page in Neil Gaiman, <i>The Sandman: Season Of Mists</i> (New York, 1992) -<br />
<br />
<i>Lucifer</i>: Cain. You <i><b>must</b></i> know of the <i><b>Cainites</b></i>?<br />
<i>Cain</i>: Can't say that I do...<br />
<i>Lucifer</i>: Gnostic sect. Second century. They rejected the books of the New Testament in favor of the <i><b>Gospel of</b></i> <i><b>Judas</b></i>.<br />
-page 49, panel 1.<br />
<br />
<i>Lucifer</i>: <i><b>They</b></i> believed that <i><b>we</b></i> created the heaven and the earth, and that <i><b>you</b></i> were the persecuted party in that <i><b>unfortunate</b></i> affair with your brother. They<i><b> also</b></i> held that the way to <i><b>salvation</b></i> was to give way to <i><b>lust</b></i> and <i><b>temptation</b></i> in <i><b>all</b></i> things.<br />
-panel 2.<br />
<br />
<i>Lucifer</i>: And <i><b>no</b></i> greater <i><b>percentage</b></i> of them turned up <i><b>here</b></i> than of <i><b>any other religion</b></i>. Amusing, isn't it?<br />
<i>Cain</i>: I wouldn't know.<br />
-panel 3.<br />
<br />
The Wikipedia article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cainites" target="_blank">Cainites</a> mentions this issue of <i>The Sandman</i> as a popular cultural reference.<br />
<br />
Now maybe it is time to return to Poul Anderson's very different <a href="https://poulandersonappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/05/poul-andersons-cainites.html">Cainites</a>?paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-60288611825891303932019-04-28T13:42:00.000-07:002019-04-28T13:42:04.900-07:00The Time Travel Problem In Avengers: Endgame II<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2borIPVMmOFIE822jGTs-adHltYzDQOAtttgXT6v2Lqh0-oIaqwvwJ7p5ieHFCkC3rdEkuSSAl_a2B-llGw0673FTUeNMVs3aP-tCOZ3zriYaEJTWwVIBhtxWyv4HDBUd_DAzGMhyphenhyphenr9Y/s1600/avengersendgame2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2borIPVMmOFIE822jGTs-adHltYzDQOAtttgXT6v2Lqh0-oIaqwvwJ7p5ieHFCkC3rdEkuSSAl_a2B-llGw0673FTUeNMVs3aP-tCOZ3zriYaEJTWwVIBhtxWyv4HDBUd_DAzGMhyphenhyphenr9Y/s400/avengersendgame2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
See The Time Travel Problem In Avengers: Endgame I, <a href="http://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/04/the-time-travel-problem-in-avengers.html">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Just before V, Thanos detects the activities of one of the superhero teams that have traveled from 6 AV to times before V in order to extract the Stones;<br />
<br />
following this clue, Thanos travels to 6 AV, arriving shortly after the teams have returned;<br />
<br />
all those who had been dissolved at V are restored;<br />
<br />
Thanos and all his forces are dissolved.<br />
<br />
Therefore, in this timeline, Thanos, having been dissolved in 6 AV:<br />
<br />
does not travel back to just before V;<br />
<br />
does not cause V;<br />
<br />
does not live on another planet from V until 5 AV;<br />
<br />
is not killed on that planet by Thor.<br />
<br />
Yet these events have happened in this timeline in which Thanos arrives in 6 AV.<br />
<br />
Contradiction.paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-55349221827907917452019-04-28T12:40:00.002-07:002019-04-30T08:21:19.909-07:00The Time Travel Problem In Avengers: Endgame 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bY6fOwAw5jGZS7rUTDfGJ2Excr5W3IWUaJVnDKNr4V8k5uOlKNDKFLSAdx9zxCyeaP6P26xSlmQG9BoWArW0-ZuIpCtFo6_ALC1CkSJQ-6eVqaTMLHObfdAZNk5yRKNG8OU3KloU0x0/s1600/Avengers-Endgame-MCU-Rewatch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0bY6fOwAw5jGZS7rUTDfGJ2Excr5W3IWUaJVnDKNr4V8k5uOlKNDKFLSAdx9zxCyeaP6P26xSlmQG9BoWArW0-ZuIpCtFo6_ALC1CkSJQ-6eVqaTMLHObfdAZNk5yRKNG8OU3KloU0x0/s400/Avengers-Endgame-MCU-Rewatch.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
At the end of <i>Avengers: <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2018/05/infinity-war.html">Infinity</a></i><a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2018/05/infinity-war.html"> <i>War</i></a>, Thanos uses the Stones to cause 50% of living beings throughout the universe to dissolve into dust. For convenience, let us call this mass dissolution the "Vanishment"(V), let us call years after V "AV" and let us call events immediately before V "just before V."<br />
<br />
In <i>Avengers: Endgame </i>(I might not have all of these events in exactly the right order):<br />
<br />
five years elapse so we get to 5 AV;<br />
surviving superheroes find Thanos on another planet and Thor kills Thanos;<br />
Ant Man, who had not dissolved but had been trapped in the quantum realm for five objective years but five subjective hours (?), returns to the macrocosm;<br />
he suggests -<br />
<br />
superhero teams travel to times before V when it would be possible for each team to extract one of the Stones and bring them to the present which is now some time after 5 AV, say 6 AV;<br />
use the Stones to restore all the people who had been dissolved but do this in 6 AV;<br />
return each Stone to the moment from which it had been extracted.<br />
<br />
Thus, the past would not be changed: the history of each Stone would be uninterrupted and the six years between V and 6 AV would not be affected.<br />
<br />
What is wrong with this plan?paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-64933358662282027512019-04-27T16:41:00.001-07:002019-04-27T17:11:15.898-07:00Avengers: Endgame<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jcTBCNcuFwdRQeaK1AlJTe8-BgH6hV9MhOryxppKI9fm2ydBSok7QpyH13-t7M3QukfvwJ7fvPOScLR4-WOayjG5yXvtzU9h9i59RfGDmjnGkia82QQvtLHTsyDVsLvQFqHdSKnByxQ/s1600/avengersendgame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="220" data-original-width="229" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5jcTBCNcuFwdRQeaK1AlJTe8-BgH6hV9MhOryxppKI9fm2ydBSok7QpyH13-t7M3QukfvwJ7fvPOScLR4-WOayjG5yXvtzU9h9i59RfGDmjnGkia82QQvtLHTsyDVsLvQFqHdSKnByxQ/s400/avengersendgame.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
An ultimate feel good film. Also, an ultimate snatching victory from the jaws of apparent defeat film.<br />
<br />
A serious attempt is made to avoid time travel contradictions. However, if the stones had to be returned to the moments from which they had been taken, then surely the same should apply to Thanos? And his memory of his trip through time should have been erased?<br />
<br />
I had to run in and out during the credits so I do not know whether there was a mid-credits scene but will ask. It was good to sit till the end of the credits even though there was no post-credits scene. All those people deserve to have their names seen and some of the information is interesting.<br />
<br />
Clint loses Natasha but gets his family back. Contrast this with what happens to these characters in <i><a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Ultimates&max-results=20&by-date=true">The Ultimates</a>. </i>(Scroll down.)<br />
<i></i><br />
It feels like the interminable movieverse finally went somewhere. It had legs. We now know who we will not see again. paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-43412987136797309922019-03-19T01:11:00.000-07:002019-03-19T09:18:56.463-07:00Five Cessations Of Publication<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyqlH5iT4Lx3CvMhfbRoO390xrTpMsfNDEITITKwhmBTjbdhhm3qxInEZNlOWTML6Xt6Fh3qjunlAx01dwz7csDmAnsI7QyDjLo3pxDfGorFPKSDyyvxROfPyPKMj98dN3LQjdDJk_64/s1600/miraclemanno3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="280" data-original-width="180" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiyqlH5iT4Lx3CvMhfbRoO390xrTpMsfNDEITITKwhmBTjbdhhm3qxInEZNlOWTML6Xt6Fh3qjunlAx01dwz7csDmAnsI7QyDjLo3pxDfGorFPKSDyyvxROfPyPKMj98dN3LQjdDJk_64/s400/miraclemanno3.jpg" width="257" /></a></div>
(i) Fawcett Comics Captain Marvel.<br />
<br />
(ii) Mick Anglo's Marvelman.<br />
<br />
(iii) <i>Warrior </i>magazine with Alan Moore's Marvelman and V.<br />
<br />
(iv) Eclipse Comics where Marvelman had been renamed Miracleman and Alan Moore had completed his story but Neil Gaiman had not yet completed his sequel.<br />
<br />
(v) Marvel Comics Miracleman reprints.<br />
<br />
Still to be completed: Gaiman's Miracleman.<br />
<br />
Alan Moore's Miracleman is complete. Miracleman remembers being Marvelman who was an imitation of Captain Marvel who was an imitation of Superman.<br />
<br />
Moore wrote happy endings for <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=Whatever+Happened+To+The+Man+Of+Tomorrow?&max-results=20&by-date=true">Superman</a> and <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=Swamp+Thing">Swamp Thing</a> and ambiguous endings for Miracleman, <i><a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=Watchmen">Watchmen</a> </i>and <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=V+For+Vendetta">V</a> who is a masked avenger. The others are superheroes. (Moore super-powered a swamp monster.)paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-87711272683524195362019-03-15T20:56:00.002-07:002019-03-15T21:09:10.681-07:00Captain Universe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGP5npBj5zYb1cJT5XJyJCnsWN4lw4cDld307Fo6SyteT-_BPsl7FFclA-3zg0Ogv1AhLqoR1Q24R3W15GOYxVjMLocI1fzpLGXOtLfuKVQXJFmAmHK9mQdXj-nQ_CmpVzmtkhCMxlbnQ/s1600/captainuniverse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="264" data-original-width="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGP5npBj5zYb1cJT5XJyJCnsWN4lw4cDld307Fo6SyteT-_BPsl7FFclA-3zg0Ogv1AhLqoR1Q24R3W15GOYxVjMLocI1fzpLGXOtLfuKVQXJFmAmHK9mQdXj-nQ_CmpVzmtkhCMxlbnQ/s1600/captainuniverse.jpg" /></a></div>
The previous<a href="http://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2019/03/all-captains-and-men.html"> post</a> was meant to be comprehensive. However, although it followed a main line of development from Captain Marvel to Captain Marvel, it omitted, because I had forgotten, Mick Anglo's <a href="https://lxg.fandom.com/wiki/Captain_Universe">Captain Universe</a>, the Super Marvel, who says, "Galap," has also been adapted by Alan Moore and also has a similarly named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Universe">Marvel Comics counterpart</a> although this time by coincidence.<br />
<br />
Since Marvelman is "The Mightiest Man in the Universe," nothing about Captain Universe is original:<br />
<br />
Captain<br />
Universe<br />
Super<br />
Marvel<br />
an empowering wordpaulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-47460411261385765912019-03-15T12:55:00.000-07:002019-03-15T15:03:12.197-07:00All The Captains And Men<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEQLDwDp7-BwK5Le3gf5Dz5CA7Cz-DwWYYEM_Q-aumu6jN9ervtoT5m346nF8LRKxxR_1RHXB-DIqpNQ41yU_AoglyKOQGyY9G0Cbolv6ee1mOVUe_DGW83axL8KRpWVVbMYdpDXGQ1w/s1600/miracleman1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="208" data-original-width="244" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTEQLDwDp7-BwK5Le3gf5Dz5CA7Cz-DwWYYEM_Q-aumu6jN9ervtoT5m346nF8LRKxxR_1RHXB-DIqpNQ41yU_AoglyKOQGyY9G0Cbolv6ee1mOVUe_DGW83axL8KRpWVVbMYdpDXGQ1w/s320/miracleman1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<u>Another Attempted Summary</u><br />
<br />
Roy Thomas re-used Captain Marvel's original name, <a href="https://www.comixology.co.uk/Captain-Thunder-and-Blue-Bolt-Vol-1/comics-series/16944">Captain Thunder</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Anglo">Mick Anglo</a> adapted Marvelman as both Miracle Man and Captain Miracle.<br />
<br />
Alan Moore put a dead Miracleman in <i>Captain</i> <i>Britain </i>before he adapted Marvelman, then renamed him Miracleman.<br />
<br />
The original Captain Marvel was revived but then lost his name to a Marvel Comics character.<br />
<br />
Since Mick Anglo had used the word "Miracle" twice, this was an appropriate name change by Moore.<br />
<br />
Captain Marvel/Shazam says, "Shazam!"<br />
Marvelman and Miracleman say, "Kimota!"<br />
Miracle Man says, "Sun Disc."<br />
Captain Miracle says, "El Karim!"paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-88130357690919348412019-03-10T13:48:00.002-07:002019-03-10T13:48:52.617-07:00Miracleman And Captain Marvel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaq8fjAYmNtCyJf5A59efd7I5Qgvj6qumQsiBKpEN0ROg1-1U92aBp4pe4E9RmpndRnCOvQDKSPpiECddEtW_lcyRX1ouNyZIKO2kqmE8Pd21R6Pm0Unm69xFvc8iZttzjHBUlrGJhF8/s1600/captainmarvelandblockbustervideo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcaq8fjAYmNtCyJf5A59efd7I5Qgvj6qumQsiBKpEN0ROg1-1U92aBp4pe4E9RmpndRnCOvQDKSPpiECddEtW_lcyRX1ouNyZIKO2kqmE8Pd21R6Pm0Unm69xFvc8iZttzjHBUlrGJhF8/s400/captainmarvelandblockbustervideo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Although I recognize Alan Moore's <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=Miracleman">Miracleman</a> as the ultimate culmination of a superheroic lineage from Superman through the original Captain Marvel and Mick Anglo's Marvelman, I now accept the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) Captain Marvel as a spectacular addition to that tradition. Like MM, CM is a human being enhanced by alien technology.<br />
<br />
Whereas Miracleman starts in Thatcher's Britain and changes the world, this Captain Marvel starts in 1995 and pivotally affects the MCU. She is not in the same league as Miracleman but no one is, not even Doctor Manhattan who is an adaptation of Captain Atom. paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-14605736830211136772019-03-09T14:34:00.001-08:002019-03-09T14:36:53.473-08:00Captain Marvel And Blockbuster Video<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmxZCYBAHYXuvu6P-A_hbktee2VP9eIV3vQxSJ56uR30ln8rxuiuWOaMsvzRGy6SUNILA0fVBJ_iki-whCOP2CKABEOpZN3iXcwAUIJs9SK3kMst4ec0Gx5FR2RC4A_0KPpTx9u1IfVQ/s1600/captain-marvel-blockbuster-reference-1990s.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="674" data-original-width="1200" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSmxZCYBAHYXuvu6P-A_hbktee2VP9eIV3vQxSJ56uR30ln8rxuiuWOaMsvzRGy6SUNILA0fVBJ_iki-whCOP2CKABEOpZN3iXcwAUIJs9SK3kMst4ec0Gx5FR2RC4A_0KPpTx9u1IfVQ/s320/captain-marvel-blockbuster-reference-1990s.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
It was appropriate that Captain Marvel fell to Earth through the roof of Blockbuster Video. Apart from the fact that videos of the film will be sold in such shops:<br />
<br />
in the <a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/search?q=The+Ultimates&max-results=20&by-date=true"><i>Ultimates</i></a> (scroll down) comics, people watch videos of superhero fights;<br />
<br />
in the movieverse, films might be made of real superheroes like CM;<br />
<br />
in the<i> Ultimates</i>, the Ultimates (a better version of the Avengers) discuss who should act as them in films and Nick Fury says that he should be played by Samuel L. Jackson.<br />
<br />
Two levels of fiction interact with reality.paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-60664885115189478932019-03-09T10:03:00.002-08:002019-03-10T10:07:07.128-07:00Names And Origins<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfsK3CFDqcWcqE1oANmLMN8KBwRzt7oWQJdoXzXBeV7cgFn3usQeTWx4yl8gWDRCmPAQfXGKHyQmyOx_O5SstdXSQ9O6oqy4Ji9xx7Lhwhc6-kp7ayi1z_udCG3JDBzhyphenhyphenmg0hUQSHBI8/s1600/captainmarvel2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfsK3CFDqcWcqE1oANmLMN8KBwRzt7oWQJdoXzXBeV7cgFn3usQeTWx4yl8gWDRCmPAQfXGKHyQmyOx_O5SstdXSQ9O6oqy4Ji9xx7Lhwhc6-kp7ayi1z_udCG3JDBzhyphenhyphenmg0hUQSHBI8/s320/captainmarvel2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
The name of the Fawcett/DC Captain Marvel was appropriated by a Marvel character who, after changing both identity and gender, has become the Marvel screen equivalent of Wonder Woman with a pivotal role in the movieverse.<br />
<br />
<u>Some Origins</u><br />
<br />
<u>ET</u><br />
Superman<br />
Alan Moore's Marvelman/Miracleman<br />
Marvel Captain Marvel<br />
Silver Age Geeen Lantern<br />
Silver Age Hawkman<br />
Martian Manhunter<br />
Silver Surfer <br />
<br />
<u>Other Scientific Origins</u><br />
Mick Anglo's Marvelman: "atomic"<br />
Silver Age Atom: atomic <br />
The Flash: chemical<br />
Spider-Man: radioactive<br />
Firestorm: nuclear<br />
Captain Atom: atomic/quantum <br />
Doctor Manhattan: the intrinsic field<br />
<br />
<u>Mythological</u><br />
Wonder Woman: Amazon<br />
Aquaman: Atlantean<br />
The Submariner: Atlantean<br />
The TV <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_from_Atlantis">Man from Atlantis</a>: Atlantean<br />
<br />
<u>Supernatural</u><br />
Fawcett/DC Captain Marvel: magical<br />
Golden Age Green Lantern: magical <br />
The Spectre: a ghost<br />
Deadman: a ghost<br />
Golden Age Hawkman: reincarnationpaulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-89300878433845163192019-03-09T00:42:00.000-08:002019-03-09T12:54:07.900-08:00Captains Marvel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtKcNXKQxfrU32hkZzYnEq8xN0Uild3A5nwIjI2DH9uNt52GPFwxbssClkoKoOLSTbUO38Qrk52QhDYlf1yDFpF2eYE38t8jCRjQgQAOkRORAOVHq8sz-6i7AK3f3XhGr2uvxb0ThIGc/s1600/captainmarvel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="273" data-original-width="184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOtKcNXKQxfrU32hkZzYnEq8xN0Uild3A5nwIjI2DH9uNt52GPFwxbssClkoKoOLSTbUO38Qrk52QhDYlf1yDFpF2eYE38t8jCRjQgQAOkRORAOVHq8sz-6i7AK3f3XhGr2uvxb0ThIGc/s400/captainmarvel.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
I was warned that the <i>Captain Marvel</i> film was feminist propaganda but it's not. I was also told that Brie Larson said that she was not making the film for 40-year old white men (or something) but this is ok if she meant not <i>only for </i>40-year old white men.<br />
<br />
It is a quadruple origin story:<br />
<br />
CM;<br />
Nick Fury as we know him;<br />
the idea of, and name for, the Avengers;<br />
the Tesseract. <br />
<br />
<a href="https://comicsappreciation.blogspot.com/2013/05/shield.html">SHIELD</a> already exists with Agent Fury still with two eyes.<br />
<br />
Are the Skrulls and the Chitauri two different species in the movieverse?<br />
<br />
Also shown was the <i>Shazam </i>trailer although I missed the beginning of it. The original CM keeps failing to say his name. Is the boy who is criticizing him Billy Batson, i.e., have they split?, or someone else?<br />
<br />
Marvel Comics had a male Captain Marvel and a Ms. Marvel who became the Captain. In the film, CM is female from the start. <br />
<br />
<i>Captain Marvel </i>has two credits scenes. CM will return in the next Avengers film.<br />
<br />
Onward, Earthlings! And every other kind of beings! paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1469683777971496723.post-44046512598443947692019-02-17T09:02:00.002-08:002019-02-17T09:02:21.688-08:00Big Brother/Little Brother<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1MFfvWPvJVsNj3Yb99R_iLF2q9aeTq6ozfkvoxwK9rVqell39M1YY6qNmv_xQhQVXxlKZz0SfEqG9eUcXliiEane-lniUkf5wI9l1GRcHvfjMX5kra0fFV_Hh2Hoiyi1CBAGpWoVuUs/s1600/thesandmanseasonofmistscover2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP1MFfvWPvJVsNj3Yb99R_iLF2q9aeTq6ozfkvoxwK9rVqell39M1YY6qNmv_xQhQVXxlKZz0SfEqG9eUcXliiEane-lniUkf5wI9l1GRcHvfjMX5kra0fFV_Hh2Hoiyi1CBAGpWoVuUs/s200/thesandmanseasonofmistscover2.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
Death to Dream: <i><b>Hiya</b></i>, big brother.<br />
-Neil Gaiman, <i>The Sandman</i>: <i>Season Of Mists</i> (New York, 1992), p. 102, panel 3.<br />
<br />
Death to Dream: ...but the <i><b>dead </b></i>are <i><b>coming back</b></i>, little brother.<br />
-<i>op. cit</i>., p. 103, panel 5.<br />
<br />
Which? paulshackley2017@gmail.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17704115766930975286noreply@blogger.com0