tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post112425334680748569..comments2024-01-01T05:14:46.672-05:00Comments on Double Articulation: Meme Week (Part 1): My Desert Island ComicsJim Roeghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16381244745309535742noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-50464363309987379582022-01-30T20:56:54.442-05:002022-01-30T20:56:54.442-05:00Lovve thisLovve thisBrianahttps://www.brianacooper.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124461911464663312005-08-19T10:31:00.000-04:002005-08-19T10:31:00.000-04:00Hey, Richard,Awesome comments--thanks!a small bare...Hey, Richard,<BR/><BR/>Awesome comments--thanks!<BR/><BR/><I>a small barely noticable frame at the bottom of the scene (easily mistaken for a rat) where we see what I presume to be Bandit's mental image of himself before this clearly superior canine - tiny, inferior, and easily dismissable.</I><BR/><BR/>That's a great reading of that detail--I hadn't seen it a all. It makes perfect sense too, since the ambiguity about who or what the animal in that little panel is supposed to be allows us to see it not even only as WE4 (which is the best reading of it, I think) but also as suggesting Bandit himself (they're facing the same direction)--somthing that suggests the similar positions of these "antagonists" and the dreadfulness of the fact that they're fighting each other rather than the real architects of the battle. The additional fact that it looks like a rat is cool too, since it reminds us of the rat biorgs--possibly the most significant animal group to "anchor" the satire. <BR/><BR/>About Flex Mentallo: I did read it, a long, long time ago back in floppy form--it was a gift from my best friend. To be honest, though, I can't remember it too well. I am now rifling through my comic boxes to find it (I know it's here somewhere!). Your coments on your site and the link you provide to The (unbelievable!) Annotated Flex Mentallo (at http://www.earthx.org/node/3) really have me thinking--fanstic stuff. I'll no doubt have a couple of cents to add at some point. Thanks a lot for the really insightful comments! Have you posted your whole desert island list anywhere? If not, I'd love to hear your other picks anyway!Jim Roeghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16381244745309535742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124392815340874092005-08-18T15:20:00.000-04:002005-08-18T15:20:00.000-04:00WE3 is a fave, of course, and a great comparison t...WE3 is a fave, of course, and a great comparison that I curse you for beating me to; it's not in my own personal top five, but I cannot contest it's astonishing way of synthesizing a basic and touching tale of animals searching for a home with fantastically innovative (and necessary) storytelling techniques. One of my favorite details can be found in the collage sequence detailing the confrontation between Bandit and WE4 - a small barely noticable frame at the bottom of the scene (easily mistaken for a rat) where we see what I presume to be Bandit's mental image of himself before this clearly superior canine - tiny, inferior, and easily dismissable. It's those various little touches which give one an idea of what makes WE3 so special. Plus talking animals never hurt (I've always been under the impression they all sound like Stephen Hawking, but each with a slightly different emotional resgister that'll come across to any human listeners).<BR/><BR/>Dovetailing both notions of "desert island" desirables and Morrison/Quitely collaborations, FLEX MENTALLO ranks as either one or two on my list (neck and neck with SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING, natch). Ever had the chance to read it? It's only four issues long, but feels like it contains the universe plus a few extraneous pieces that <I>should've</I> been included. If various people have mentioned Burroughs in association with Grant's sprawling large epics, in terms of intersecting levels of reality and fiction (creator, character, and fabricator all interact within the text, leaving the reader with the ultimate, probably unanswerable, question of "who created who?") and sheer formal elegance, Nabokov's PALE FIRE seems a more appropriate analogue for FM. I read it once a month, and, to use a tired cliche, I never fail to discover new layers within it. <BR/><BR/>Gotta run, stuff to be done.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124375715824020972005-08-18T10:35:00.000-04:002005-08-18T10:35:00.000-04:00Yeah, "Pog" is one of the greats, isn't it? Your ...Yeah, "Pog" is one of the greats, isn't it? Your post prompted me to reread it--what a heartbreaker. I loved McManus's art too; haven't seen anything by him lately though. And while we're on the subject of anthropomorphism, the other book that I most wanted to include on this list was WE3, a book that does really interesting things with the talking animal convention and which is one of the most moving books I've read in a long while. Like "Pog," it's power is in its (deceptive) simplicity. (And I agree: that Pog dialogue is amazing.) Thanks for commenting Richard. Off to re-read Swamp Thing now...!Jim Roeghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16381244745309535742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124308267764241002005-08-17T15:51:00.000-04:002005-08-17T15:51:00.000-04:00The Swamp Thing trade is a fantastic pick. One of...The Swamp Thing trade is a fantastic pick. One of the definite memories I have involving comics is getting SAGA as a present on 1995's Christmas Eve (tending, as we did, to open 90% of our gifts once midnight hit and exhilirating X-Mas Eve became another rather forgettable X-Mas Day) and racing through it when my family came home from the celebration - I think I stayed up til 4 AM reading it. I can think of few comics I've read that match the intensity of the Arcane returns/Hell arc (a certain panel - "...everything bad within three-hundred miles finds itself heading toward Louisiana" - finds its way to my mind at the oddest moments) . Naturally, the veggie-tale sex ish which ends the trade gets well-deserved praise ("check out them metaphorical details!"), but the oft-overlooked POG is probably my fave - Moore's exquisite playfulness with the language (I wish I could get paid for writing ingenious puns), the various POGO references (Moore playing on Kelly's oft-quoted "the enemy is us" in the final pages), plus the delightful art by Shawn McManus (where is he anyway?). And talking animals, of course - any work that includes anthropomorphic critters gets my immediate attention.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124301047399554642005-08-17T13:50:00.000-04:002005-08-17T13:50:00.000-04:00"whereas learning how to make love to a vegetable ..."whereas learning how to make love to a vegetable might turn out to be surprisingly practical information."<BR/><BR/>Lol. I missed that line on the first read through.Hate Filled Posterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00965492342916144479noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124291983063976192005-08-17T11:19:00.000-04:002005-08-17T11:19:00.000-04:00Ha--no kidding! I could use a 36-hour day, myself...Ha--no kidding! I could use a 36-hour day, myself. I look forward to your list!Jim Roeghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16381244745309535742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604760.post-1124289951961161762005-08-17T10:45:00.000-04:002005-08-17T10:45:00.000-04:00I need more time in the day. I'll try to have mine...I need more time in the day. I'll try to have mine up this weekend if I think about it.Hate Filled Posterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00965492342916144479noreply@blogger.com