China Miéville noticed a fine piece of propaganda in an article comparing Egypt to Iran:
[P]ro-American dictatorships have more moral scruples.
In other words, pro-American dictators kill with love, anti-American dictators kill with hate.
Blog
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Claptrap
A few days ago I talked on the phone with Rina Ayuyang and Thien Pham. We talked about my new comic Trans-Utopia, Uncivilized Books, and many other comics related topics. It was pretty fun. The conversation was recorded. It’s now available here. -
New Comics at Uncivilized Books
I meant to post this sooner but various things conspired to prevent it. This is just a brief note that new comics are now available on the Uncivilized Books site. All of these debuted at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival and are now available for purchase via the magic of the interwebs:
Diary is the follow up to Gabrielle Bell’s acclaimed L.A. Diary. This pamphlet continues Gabrielle’s autobiographical project with stories set in Minneapolis, New York and California. The star of the book is ‘Manifestation’, Gabrielle’s ‘adaptation’ of the notorious Scum Manifesto. Tom Kaczynski contributes a one-page introductory comic.
KLAGEN: A HORROR briefly considers the movements and practices of the death cult which has silently infiltrated every level of society throughout our world. Drawn in dirty gray and black, it sheds no more light than is prudent and gives no false hope. One closes this small book feeling that although we live in God’s house, God has not been home for a long, long time.
The long awaited fourth part of the well received Trans series of books (which includes Trans-Alaska, Trans-Siberia and Trans-Atlantis). The cartoon journey through philosophy, pop-culture, politics and the occult arrives at its destination: Utopia…
I’ll have a longer post on Trans-Utopia and utopias in general soon.
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Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival 2010
I’ll be at the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Festival today, so if you’re in New York, stop by! Loads of new mini-comics debuting from my micro-publishing ‘venture’ Uncivilized Books:
DIARY by Gabrielle Bell
Diary is the follow up to Gabrielle Bell’s acclaimed L.A. Diary. This pamphlet continues Gabrielle’s autobiographical project with stories set in Minneapolis, New York and California. The star of the book is ‘Manifestation’, Gabrielle’s ‘adaptation’ of the notorious Scum Manifesto. Tom Kaczynski contributes a one-page introductory comic.
KLAGEN: A HORROR by Jon Lewis
KLAGEN: A HORROR briefly considers the movements and practices of the death cult which has silently infiltrated every level of society throughout our world. Drawn in dirty gray and black, it sheds no more light than is prudent and gives no false hope. One closes this small book feeling that although we live in God’s house, God has not been home for a long, long time.
TRANS-UTOPIA by me
The long awaited fourth part of the well received Trans series of books (which includes Trans-Alaska, Trans-Siberia and Trans-Atlantis). The cartoon journey through philosophy, pop-culture, politics and the occult arrives at its destination: Utopia…
Also available for the first time in New York:
THE PETRIFIED CATALOGUE by Dan Wieken
The Petrified Catalogue is a collection of macabre illustrations rendered in obsessive detail. It’s an imaginary bestiary depicting the remains of creatures excavated from remote prehistory and the depths of the unconscious.
All of the above will be available on the Uncivilized Books site a few days after the show.
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Popeye vs Paul The Octopus
drawn by E. C. Segar Graham Harman is one of my favorite living philosophers. I read his blog daily. So, it is with a very heavy heart that I must denounce this recent post: one of the most ridiculous polls ever conducted. I agree that the question polled, “Should a permanent shrine be erected in memory of Paul the Octopus?”, is ridiculous. It’s the off handed remark that mr. Harman makes after bringing attention to the poll that really chafes:
Should a “permanent shrine” be erected in honor of Popeye?
Why bring Popeye into it? Or, why not be more precise? Surely he doesn’t mean Popeye, star of Elzie Crisler Segar’s Thimble Theater, one of the finest American newspaper adventure comic-strips? Is it Popeye, the protagonist of the Fleisher Studio’s animated cartoons? Or, does he mean Popeye the character played by Robin William’s in Robert Altman’s film Popeye? It Popeye’s Chicken & Biscuits, the chain of fast food restaurants? Perhaps he means Jimmy “Popeye” Doyle the fictional detective from The French Connection?
Maybe he objects (no pun intended) to “permanent shrine” and not Popeye? Should it be a temporary shrine? Or maybe not a shrine at all but a monument? An obelisk? A pyramid? Which is it? I for one would endorse a “permanent shrine” to Popeye… especially if it were designed by Richard McGuire:
‘Popeye and Olive’ by Richard McGuire
