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JohnnyEnzyme JohnnyEnzyme @lemm.ee
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Notes from a hot October:

So... if you've kept up with my previous ditherings, then you know that I'm trying to help an elderly friend ("Calvin") in my place hang on to what's his. Me, I've known him for ~12yrs, but, really... that doesn't matter. More like if I can possibly help someone, then that's how that works, even if I wind up neglecting my favorite blog / community. Community!

But man, this shit has been a trial. For real.

I mean, for one, this funny guy evidently didn't pay his electric bill for a godamn year And every time I talk to him about that now, I keep reminding him to pay his bill and fix his service, naturally. Me, I've tried contacting The Illuminating Company myself, but so far it seems that you have to be the actual approved phone# / acct# in order to access even the simplest of details about a person's account. Eh, okay.

I'm just worried in general, tho. Me and a friend did a whirlwind grand-cleansing of his apt for the upcoming annual inspections, but what's that going to matter if he gets kicked out due to not paying his rent, you know? (even though he has the money?)

It's just bloody-hell ridoinkulous.

And yes, every verdammt day I talk to him and beg him to take care of this stuff, and he says "yes, sure I will," and then he does nothing.

It's just... I'm not sure how to better describe this complete mess. It's almost like Cal's got this passive-aggressive need to take down anyone who cares about him.

I'm just lost, honestly, and my stress levels are through the roof. I really don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do, here.

(sorry about my language, above...)

EDIT: FFS, he's 75yo. He's not 90yo. All of this would make more sense if Cal was 90yo...

1

Super-Dumped! (so where did Wonder Woman go wrong, anyway...?)

Funny, I was browsing some of my old posts at the evil empire, and was reminded of this hilarious mini-comic.

Now, there's sort of a hidden backstory here, in that after I got to the States, I was pretty much a loyal DC/Marvel fan until they just... I dunno... kept recycling their content and using their characters as puppets?

For example-- they'd make a huge song & dance about killing off a character, only to later bring them back perfectly intact via whatever bullshit excuse, some issues later. It pretty much hammered home the idea that all these characters were just licensed properties (tm), and not representative of real people.

Dense as I was, it did become clear as a comics reader that my needs just weren't being met anymore, even late-teen as I was. That's roughly around the time that I started exploring American-indie/alt comix, such as Cerebus the Aardvark, Love & Rockets, and several others.

It was like the spirit of the Indie 60's / 70's comix finally found a bigger foothold with the public, roughly starting with the mid-to-late 80's. I mean, that was a big win for the likes of ME, man! :D

But also, and later, it kind of \inclined me to cast my gaze even further, because let's face it folks-- 'Indie' & 'Alt' comix can still be pretty crap am Ende des Tages. ("at the end of the day?") (I'm thinking I'd really like to learn German after I'm 'good enough' with French, as they're pretty-much the two closest relatives of modern English)

Oh... right so-- probably the biggest reason I'm sharing this HERE, a place devoted almost exclusively to Euro comics, one we've built painstakingly by hand, mind you, is that I... 'don't mind a good ol' ribbing upon what once was.'*

\* Spoken in heavily Irish brogue, haha

ANYWAY, I feel you've endured FAR more than enough. Here's the story:

-----> https://imgur.com/a/dave-coopers-bizzaro-world-super-dumped-xi144QU <-----

Today's theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nOrAJTu3R4

1

From out of nowhere, here's a small comics tribute to our lovely Lemmy-sphere and Fediverse. (18 total)

Well? It's about time, eh?

[!](https://i.imgur.com/UIodgUK.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/lb6CgAz.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/a7NVOtQ.jpeg)

Now if there's a theme here, at least it's expressed in different ways, yeah? Lol

[!](https://i.imgur.com/SMS9Jgi.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/2kBi4yz.png) [!](https://i.imgur.com/6dGRobb.png)

[!](https://i.imgur.com/XRLLpL4.png) [!](https://i.imgur.com/4lrMBpP.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/RhCzxIN.png)

[!](https://i.imgur.com/6jQ8oRB.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/gP2IGZB.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/NJHCynY.jpeg)

[!](https://i.imgur.com/Us5X23i.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/trcG9bD.png) [!](https://i.imgur.com/cDpgBmZ.png)

Yes yes, it's a total departure from Euro comics, but I just felt like... somehow the time was NOW?

[!](https://i.imgur.com/6xMaeJJ.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/ZNsLa4n.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/tLrIcXS.jpeg)

TBC, these were all collected from various excellent comics communities across the Lemmy-sphere, such as:

...and prolly a couple others, hey!

Theme song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qvTFnLwWOM

0
Designs for the martial arts training dummy in Dune
  • Really nice writeup!

    I wish I'd read Dune recently, but it's been some years, and everything Dune-related sort of blends together in my mind in to an amorphous fog. That's based on reading books 1-4, I think. They weren't hard to read for me, but they contained so many ideas and content that I feel I'd almost need an academic course to put everything in perspective and examine the various themes properly.

    Sort of the anti-Star Wars in a way. XD

    Actually one of the reasons I love the work of Philip K. Dick is because he introduces all these great, forward-looking ideas in bite-sized chunks. For example, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep is just a novelette, but it contains some fascinating ideas, such as the Penfield Mood Organ, the Cult of Mercer and the Connection Box, the desperate urge for dwellers to own a pet (even if it's a robot), the whole quandary of what a 'Replicant' is anyway, and so forth.

    So to me, both Dune and the Blade Runner world were serious, worthy material to springboard various series and movies, while SW and to a lesser extent Star Trek I question, here and there.

    Bah. Rant over.

  • Random thoughts adhered to towards Archibald T--
  • Haha, that was a bit of a wacky post above. Yesterday I finished off a *huge* job on Calvin's apartment, treated myself to some of his fine booze, and spirited *up*, I decided to make a post here on a really cool blog I'd discovered, above.

    Oh, my head...

    Anyway, yeah, I think you have the spirit of scanlation. Other definitions you'll find online. It's a bit of a touchy subject, as we don't want to take away proper royalties to the creators, you know? Part of why we say 'extracts are fine, but no pirated links!' in the sidebar.

    Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm fully "back" yet, but we'll see. I really appreciate your focus on Jodo's Dune series lately, and in any case, there's a HUGE archive of posts here for anyone wanting more EGN+ content! :D

  • Random thoughts adhered to towards Archibald T--
  • Now if you've detected a pattern 'pon that, then you're probably not wrong upon good-ol' Ma's co-pain in the arse! (get it, hur-hur-hur) [i.e. it's French word-play upon "copain," the female form of "decent friend" IIRC] [bah, I hate gender]

    Anyway, for a real update, my friend / patient "C" is headed towards assisted living. Now why I need to choose best succession choice almost seems like Jefferson Davis checking his army strategists upon how to make a good home. Completely clueless, I should think?

  • Random thoughts adhered to towards Archibald T--

    (I LOVE this blog)

    1. I've absolutely no idea what a 'scanlation' means, so I guess that's a wash! (top link)

    2. Yeah, baby! (all those snipped Tintin panels) [link]

    3. "Nobody likes Gaston?!?" (whaaaat?)

    4. GAS-lighting! With dear ol' Captain Kirk! https://sundaycomicsdebt.blogspot.com/2017/01/requested-adaptations-asterix-gaslighter.html

    In clumsily colluding, I guess... eh, well, what was the question again??

    3
    I might be out for a while.
  • Whups, I'm pretty sure I'd meant to reply the above as a PM. I've re-addressed you as "Nacky" above, and will now take things to PM. :S

  • I might be out for a while.
  • Shit, I am very sorry to hear that! How is Calvin now that he´s back at home? How are you doing yourself? Write me a private message anytime but first, take all the time you need to take good care of both of you.

    Hi, Nacky. It's been a real trial, the past couple days.

    Cal is still in the Cleveland Clinic hospital as per this morning, and he seems to be sleeping now in the afternoon. I'll check on him in a couple hours, and it's now around 8PM Hamburg-time if I read the clock right.

    We also have an upcoming apartment inspection this Monday-through-Friday, and his place is absolutely ridiculous.

    I don't know what to do about all that...
    Me, if I didn't have this verdammt disease, it would be so easy... just do a 'whirlwind' upon his apt to please the inspectors.

    Oh, on top of that, there's some coincidental bullshit about Cal's electricity going out due to provider switch, this weekend. So now we're working by candle-light. Bloody hell, mate!

  • I might be out for a while.

    My dear friend and apartment bldg-mate "Calvin" collapsed in front of my eyes just now, but we've just now safely packed him off to the ER.

    Now, Calvin... he's 75yo, but with a feisty attitude that I've come to especially appreciate. <3

    Anyway, I sent him off with his celly, my best charger, and some bites of delicious lasagna which I'd been preparing for him, before he collapsed.

    In fact, that's the baffling thing-- the fact that he'd just been released from the hospital THIS VERY MORNING after tripping and knocking himself out on Saturday.

    Unfortunately, on top of all that, I have some other personal issues going on all at the same time.

    Ugh, when it rains it pours. Quand il pleut, il pleut à verse, haha.

    @Nacktmull, I'm truly, totally honored that you agreed to help with this sub-lemmy. You are like the wind in my sails, even if that's a cheesy analogy, lol.

    Btw, in terms of the racist / automatic-hatred towards certain peoples we've recently seen here-- it is absolutely NOT tolerated anymore, as directly observed on the Sidebar.

    Still, it's a WIP (work-in-progress), so let's see how it goes...

    Thanks so much to our loyal readers and creators. <3

    8
    ***Is There not a Better Way?*** (a plain comment upon bureaucracy) (Mathieu) (6 pages)
  • Haha, Gilliam definitely comes to mind, and I loved Brasil.

    Unfortunately, the first book as a whole might not be for you, as it's pretty much built around the theme of mysterious pages directly mirroring the overall comics' pages. That said, it does some other funny stuff, too.

  • Leto´s Pentacycle - Vehicle design for Jodo´s Dune
  • Orange Catholic Bible: Thou shalt not make a machine in the likeness of a human mind.

    Leto: Never! But I can use their heads to cruise around like a boss!

    Haha, awesome. <3

    I noticed a forth (less professional looking) style that does not really fit any of the three and I wonder who made them.

    NiceI I'm a big fan of 'sketch-like' art done by a master hand, and yeah, I like the Dog-Beings, an expression that I found here:

    https://www.duneinfo.com/unseen/jodorowskys-dune-uncovered/1

    Also, I thought I'd found something insightful below (the idea that possibly they were by Jodo himself), but it appears... not?

    https://dangerousminds.net/comments/sketches_for_jodorowskys_dune_i

    Still, I really like that artist's work, whoever they are!

  • Heathcliff without Heathcliff 10/9/2024
  • Oh?
    (bouncy-mate! Bouncy!)

  • Is There not a Better Way? (a plain comment upon bureaucracy) (Mathieu) (6 pages)

    I'll be honest-- outside of my champion B&W artist-hero Jaime (i.e. Mexican-American Jaime Hernandez), I really do love fine, water-colored comics. But then... dash-it-all, THEN I demand a nuanced, real-world storyline on top of that! I mean, how ungrateful can one get??

    Which brings us to this little "JC Acquefacques" classic, which I really didn't like at first. Well, at least for me, I felt it strangling, Kafkaesque, horribly dated, annoying, and just plain irrelevant, TBH. But then... page after page... I started smirking, then giggling, then finally... my eyes just blazed with admiration. (is that a phrase? well now it is!)

    ----> https://imgur.com/a/6luNkBt <----

    YES, I know... not everyone's going to like this niche, meta series, which tends to express itself in rather 50-ish terms, but for those interested--

    LBK: https://www.lambiek.net/artists/m/mathieu_m.htm BDT: https://www.bedetheque.com/auteur-201-BD-Mathieu-Marc-Antoine.html

    EDIT: hahaha, there's even a song for this one:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA142IsjQiE

    3
    Heathcliff without Heathcliff 10/9/2024
  • ultra violent

    I mean... now I feel guilty.

    Yet, as everyone learned from Roger Rabbit, cartoon characters are made from the finest latex-rubber products in the universe! (eh, provided there's no "dip" lurking in the area)

  • Leto´s Pentacycle - Vehicle design for Jodo´s Dune
  • Wow, that's pretty boss. oO
    (is it Moeby, or other artist?)

    Bonus points for using five surplus BB-8's for the tyres! :P

  • I miss this style

    (that's the Oct 2nd, 2018 Heathcliff, in case the image doesn't show up <backup link>)

    I've kvetched about this before, but I can't help but wonder if the comic sort of hit a peak somewhere between the late teens and early 20's, around when SOLRAD did a fascinating article series on Orangecat.

    For example, in the above strip, we see a fairly tight view of the situation, with well-drawn (if simple) art, and a clever, easily comprehensible premise. To be clear, though-- I'm not here to complain about the cartoon going in a gonzo, surreal direction in recent years, I'm moreso a bit chagrined by the art quality slacking off a bit, affecting the overall quality.

    You can compare yourself at the archive, which is also a really cool resource that goes all the way back to 2002, about four years in to writer-artist Peter Gallagher's tenure. Notice any differences?

    To me, it seems like the camera typically zooms out more in recent strips, with the characters usually being smaller... even a bit lumpier, and more brusquely drawn. Now does that work with the current style? Sure, I can concede that. Just that I miss the superior linework and artistry of prior years, even if it was more of a straight-gag comic at the time. Okay, rant's over. :P

    There's been a clear evolution, in any case. I wonder where it will lead...

    0
    Heathcliff without Heathcliff 10/9/2024
  • Ah, a return to the roots (with a twist). Good to see.

  • by John Howe
  • See my link here, pls.

  • *The Legend of Durynk*, from ***Czech History & Legends*** (2 pages) [mature]
  • Ah, sweet. I see it also works for galleries, too.

    Couple things with that, tho: 1) the images are surprisingly tiny on that page, so it would be nice if they could at least 'fit to width,' 2) you can't click on them to blow up, instead needing to right-click, opening image in new tab.

    The reason I bring those nitpicks up is because often I share a range of pages in a single Imgur gallery in order to make it easier for others to read a sequential story.

  • If you could, how would you deprogram an extreme conservative?
  • I'm not sure that's really the opposite side, in reality.

  • *The Legend of Durynk*, from ***Czech History & Legends*** (2 pages) [mature]
  • Ah, I've even read some of those!

    So cool to see comics devoted to different cultures' backstories, even if they don't sell like Superman, Avengers, etc.

  • How are you doing with your communities?
  • About a week ago, I posted some pages from a graphic novel I'd been reading ("Falafel with Hot Sauce"), which concerned neighborly strife in an Israeli community. My focus (which I talked about) was the rather wild interpersonal dynamics going on, which ultimately ended on a high, empathetic note.

    What I naively wasn't expecting was for a group of users from a rather notorious instance to find the post and begin ranting about Israeli-Palestinian politics, which is putting it mildly, really. So we wound up deleting some comments, and banning some users for going from 0-to-60, flagrantly breaking our SubLemmy rules. A couple days later I made a bumbling, community announcement addressing the situation.

    Frankly, I'm disappointed in myself for not handling that more smoothly, nor better-anticipating the potential shock of being attacked so virulently. Unfortunately, with the way my health stuff affects me, I can have a pretty short fuse when under the gun. Ho hum.

  • *The Legend of Durynk*, from ***Czech History & Legends*** (2 pages) [mature]
  • Sorry about that. Some of the images I post are too big for most Lemmy instances to host, and frankly, I'd rather not put that burden on them anyway.

    I did some testing just now, and if it helps, you only need to have Cloudfront and Imgur's native suite of JS's enabled. All others can be safely blocked, which has the nice side-benefit of blocking all ads and whatever other spam. (I use uMatrix extension)

    And TBF-- most significant sites require JS to be enabled, but with a selective script-blocker, you can cut out ~90% of the noise.

  • by John Howe
  • Howe did this in 1989, so actually he was the one directly riffing on earlier artists' versions of Gandalf, like Hildebrandt, Bakshi and Rankin-Bass. Or just iconic images of wizards that go back centuries...

  • The Legend of Durynk, from Czech History & Legends (2 pages)

    I found this a lovely little series, ostensibly meant for young Czech readers, but rather Grimm at times (as you can see).

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/YigOCuf.jpeg) (page 2)

    I'm guessing the series was published in the ~1970's. Happily for English-speakers, it was recently translated by one "Tomalakis." Here are 13 mini-chapters you can read:

    ----> https://imgur.com/t/pochal <----

    Artist Jiří Kalousek worked effectively in a variety of styles, and passed away in 1986. Samples here:

    https://www.google.com/search?q=%22jiri+kalousek%22+artist&udm=2

    10
    ***We Want it to Bloom***, by Kichka (3 full-depth pages) [mature]
  • THE PERSECUTORS, duh!

    You had like centuries of Jewish people not making a peep, not bothering anyone, content with their 'outsider status,' and then this ~PEZ stuff, totally persecuting and genociding them.

    Because you ultra-weirdos had to scapegoat everything about Jewish people to blame your lords of capitalism for your own misfortunes? And you KNOW IT, when one examines the issues...

    But you don't DO THAT, DO YOU..?

    Nevermind, I'm proud to be a Pales supporter as well, which is really just saying-- I'm on the side of the peoples trying to live their lives, not the extremist dictators in charge.

    And yeah, please don't come back to me with any more pathetic nonsense, because of this, specifically:

    You asshats are clearly just looking for trouble. Now were I to do the same at your place? ....hahaha

  • ***We Want it to Bloom***, by Kichka (3 full-depth pages) [mature]
  • I think I made it clear that the persecution was used as a cudgel to move bodies to the colony

    You see, when in retrospect, that stuff doesn't matter when a peoples are pushed over and across their breaking point.

    Take a little mouse, for example. Let's say you smack it around for a long while, then finally push it in to a corner. Then you lean in for a kiss.

    OF COURSE YOU'RE GOING TO GET BITTEN?

    Don't you get it? (even at just a... theoretical level)

  • That time The Twins bumped in to Valérian and Laureline--

    Now how would that convo have gone? Credit to @[email protected]

    Anyway, if I understand correctly, this is from the V&L album, The City of Shifting Waters.

    (and I told you and TOLD you to get the hell out of Mos Eisley!!)

    0

    A look at Jansson's final Moomin work, Dangerous Journey (w/ 4 splash pages)

    (follow the link please to a different Lemmy instance)

    0

    Six "grotesque"-style portraits, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo

    I had no idea this otherwise-classic painter did so many of these oddball portraits, and so had to share! Note: these aren't really the best quality, but you can find higher-res versions with a bit of searching.

    > Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527 - 1593), was an Italian Renaissance painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of objects such as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish and books, i.e. grotesques. --WP

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/ZSxT0tz.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/sAUy3eA.jpeg) Vertumnus (1590) & Water (1566)

    > These works form a distinct category from his other productions. He was a conventional court painter of portraits for three Holy Roman Emperors in Vienna and Prague; also producing religious subjects and, among other things, a series of coloured drawings of exotic animals in the imperial menagerie.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/0G8y1DO.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/CBI7XSa.jpeg) The Waiter (1574) & The Librarian (1566)

    > The still life portraits were clearly partly intended as curiosities to amuse the court, but critics have speculated as to how seriously they engaged with Renaissance Neo-Platonism or other intellectual currents of the day.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/H3MC1sD.jpeg) [!](https://i.imgur.com/DUd7AU6.jpeg) Winter (1563) & Spring (1563)

    Much more on his life: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giuseppe_Arcimboldo

    1

    ADMINISTRATION NOTE:

    While I love legit, informational, open-minded arguments in general, there were a couple hate-speech attacks against a recent, Belgian/Jewish-themed post here that immediately smashed our #1 rule here ("Netiquette") to bits.

    Those came from two individuals in particular (same instance), and disgusted both myself and my co-mod.

    I want to remind everyone here-- for anyone new to this community, it's both common-sense and classic Netiquette to suggest that if one wants to argue hard, it's best to start with some politeness where possible.

    The two banned can appeal, if they like. I'm not opposed to talking things out, assuming good-faith is involved.

    I also want to clarify that the original comic by no means attempted to 'pick international sides.' It was in fact an attempt to depict internal strife between people within a small community. That, and nothing more.

    EDIT: I've made some major revisions in my message above, seeking for better clarity. Thank you for re-reading.

    10

    We Want it to Bloom, by Kichka (3 full-depth pages)

    Michel Kichka is a cartoonist borne in Belgium with Jewish roots, who became intrigued with Israel, and decided to do a permanent move, marrying and raising a family there with his French wife.

    \* "Aliyah" is a somewhat complicated word as I grasp it, but from what I understand at the basic level, refers to going back to one's roots / homeland.

    -----> https://imgur.com/a/kjMohrs <-----

    The way the sequence above concluded really shocked me, and even brought a tear to my eye, honestly. Me, I'm not remotely used to dealing with people like that, and yet I guess that's how it works in certain parts of the world? (gadzooks, mistress goose)

    In terms of the comic itself, I found this sequence rather current & relevant to the USA, and a pretty excellent, interesting survey of the artist's life and Israeli culture. At the same time, it established little to no emotional connection with the characters, which is usually how we do these things, but... oh well?

    https://www.bedetheque.com/auteur-23699-BD-Kichka-Michel.html *** EDIT: As we've clarified multiple times here, this story snippet has to do with neighborhood relations in an Israeli city. It is by no means addressing anything on a national basis, including Israeli relations with other peoples or nations. Attempts to highjack the thread in that direction directly breaks our #1 rule here (practice netiquette) and will be dealt with accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation.

    18

    Android Blues, by Steven Stahlberg

    Android Blues is a 10-year comics passion-project by Stahlberg, a Swedish artist settled in Australia. So far, I find the art very interesting in that it ranges from rigid LC, to a looser style, all the way up to near photo-realistic work. (you sure don't see that very often)

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/b2nBUUJ.jpeg) . [!](https://i.imgur.com/R8kEAdW.jpeg) https://i.imgur.com/b2nBUUJ.jpeg https://i.imgur.com/R8kEAdW.jpeg

    In terms of storytelling and concept, I thought those aspects pretty solid. Where I struggled was in accepting the dynamics of the various relationships, which mostly seemed like something from a lonely male otaku's dream. Seriously, there's a strong 'salaryman manga' vibe going on here, for better or ze wurst.

    That said, I found the dialogue fairly witty, even if like Futurama, they seem a bit obsessed with talking about civilisation from long before. (if you know what I mean) Still, it's meant to amuse us moderns, and I guess it does just that.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/H2bv8V1.jpeg) https://i.imgur.com/H2bv8V1.jpeg

    Speaking of Futurama-- Good news, everyone! You can read the entire, 450pp, finished comic below, courtesy of herr Stahlberg: https://androidblues.thecomicseries.com/comics/1/ *** Now traditionally, I've been extremely mindful of our host's 'no porn' rule, but I feel like I kind of over-corrected for that, across time. Here then are some BD nudes I found tasteful and worth sharing:

    https://imgur.com/a/XY1XHUp

    I also want to point out that this SubLemmy (community) is open to all tasteful nudes, including male-nudes. In fact I'd rather not we go in the 'nudes' direction in general, but fairplay is fairplay. *** Oh, daggit... links! Links! Links to the artist!

    https://www.artstation.com/stahlberg http://stahlberg.cgsociety.org/ https://www.patreon.com/Stahlberg https://www.androidblues.com/sample-page/

    4

    I no longer fear, by David Beauchard (David B.)

    I had a little fun with the panel above from Epileptic. (you can see the original one below) For some reason I never read this classic before, but I'm doing so now.

    > It's the story of David's early childhood and adolescence, focusing on his relationship with his older brother and younger sister. His brother develops severe and intractable epilepsy, causing the family to seek a variety of solutions from alternative medicine, most dramatically by moving to a commune based on macrobiotic principles.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/C5nYvq9.jpeg) https://i.imgur.com/C5nYvq9.jpeg

    > As the epileptic brother loses control of his own life, the artist develops solitary obsessions with cartoons, mythology and war. The book's graphic style becomes increasingly elaborate as the children's fantasy life takes over, with their dreams and fears (including epilepsy itself) appearing as living creatures. In brief interludes, the children appear as adults when the artist begins the process of writing the story. --WP

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/uT0YyGJ.jpeg) https://i.imgur.com/uT0YyGJ.jpeg

    To be clear, the disease / trauma of his older brother's sends young David in to a world of coping mechanisms, a general process perhaps familiar to most of us.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/ZfVzabe.jpeg) https://i.imgur.com/ZfVzabe.jpeg

    So far I'm seeing a number of parallels to the equally-classic L'Arabe du futur ("The Arab of the Future), by Riad Sattouf. They're both anecdotal, imaginative looks at these authors' respective childhoods... works in which you can see events and principles which shaped the personality of the future adults. Also of interest is that they bring uniquely Arabic perspectives to the BD-sphere.

    LBK on David B: https://www.lambiek.net/artists/b/b_david.htm

    0

    "Today, we kill one of ours" (7 pages)

    This comes from a rather ambitious, five-tome series called Le jour des Magiciens ("Day of the Magicians"), by an Italian duo, Michelangelo La Neve & Marco Nizzoli. I found it much in the style of Alejandro Jodorowsky, full of fanciful ideas and powerful sequences that sometimes hit the mark, and sometimes seemed a bit nonsensical.

    The plot involves "Lancaster," a renegade, modern-day magician, who's disgusted by the stagnation of his order, who has the idea to father an offspring to become a sort of new magi-messiah. This doesn't sit well with his old order, who keep trying to kidnap his son and assassinate the father. The mother of the boy is in fact "Ash" (the lead assassin's) sister, so the bad blood only builds, as you can see:

    ---> https://imgur.com/gallery/movie-esque-sequence-from-day-of-magicians-by-la-neve-nizzoli-bFiAH7N <---

    (I thought it was a neat, movie-like juxtaposition, having the main action run concurrent with a children's story)

    To be clear, the sequence above is fairly atypical, as this is mostly a plot and narrative-driven work, but with some intense moments as above. Here and there it can sag a bit under the weight of exposition, but otherwise moves forward with good storytelling, and of course delightful art. *** Btw, if you've already read this series and seen the sci-fi movie Zardoz, did you happen to make this connection?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwq5RYrm5kE

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    A little spin-fun for a hot September:

    It's always the other kids, daggit!

    Like... the ones who can yank the string to make the top spin best, to skip the stone across the lake until it reaches the other side, and... I think that's enough time to keep placing & dating myself. (oh rabbits)

    Alright alright, here's some small updates:

    • You won't see a "new post" pop up, but I went back to Borderline and edited in about 3x new content & conclusions. Make of that how you will.

    • Over the past few weeks, I've had an idea to select from my ~200 favorite browser games in to condensing a tight '20-30' best, sharing it here as an online arcade, just for fun. A sort of community recreational-project, if you will.

    So, question-- got any super-favorite browser-games worth mentioning, mateys? <3 ***

    • Me, I continue to just... take a break from this sub whenever I need it. It might be two days; it might be 4-5-6. Whatever. Trying to post almost 1x per day turned out to be a disaster for me, and that's part of why I say the sub belongs to everyone, now.

    • Oh, and yes!... I'm utterly fascinated by this thought (again courtesy of Kerzgesagt, from the lead image) about how massive black-holes might operate, in fact:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71eUes30gwc

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    Frank Miller-style factory interior, by Argentina's Eduardo Risso

    This is from Borderline (Point du rupture), a grim, violent, Skynet-esque, dystopian, post-apoc work he did with fellow countryman Carlos Trillo.

    I'm re-reading it now, and frankly, I don't remember how well I liked it before. That's usually not a tremendously encouraging sign, but... let's see how things shake out this time. For others of the post-apoc genre, I still maintain my master list at the evil empire, for those curious.

    Anyway, I love Risso's art. More here: https://www.lambiek.net/artists/r/risso_eduardo.htm

    [!](https://www.lambiek.net/artists/image/r/risso_eduardo/risso_100bullets2.jpg) https://www.lambiek.net/artists/image/r/risso_eduardo/risso_100bullets2.jpg

    EDIT:

    Just finished the four-tome series (link added above). Now I don't think there's any question that this one's patterned after Miller's Sin City, altho yes, the setting is quite different. I'd say what immediately stands out is the difference in focus.

    For example, while Miller was a bit 'loosy-goosy' in following various characters across his nightmarish version of 'Vegas,' he chose to dedicate long story-arcs to each chapter & book. Meanwhile, Trillo & Risso focused their entire time on a specific, local clash between ruling factions and their minions, parsed in to short stories. (and yes, they were often part of an arc)

    TBH-- altho I'm not nearly a fan of Frank Miller as I used to be (in his own words, he loves to aim 'way over the top,' while I'm more 'ordinary people' inclined), I don't think there's any question that Sin City has the better focus, dramatics, and storyline.

    Now this is maybe foolish, or maybe appropriate to our reality, but one thing I really appreciate is when there's something of a background, or at least basic research, in to the relevant science of a story. Instead, it seems to me that the logic and science in Borderline are mostly there just to serve the story. That's completely common of course, but...

    OTOH, the art really is phenomenal, the core ideas are out of classic pulp-SF, and my impression of American audiences is that they won't mind the violence too much. In short, I suspect this is perhaps one of those series which sort of stylistically divides The Americas from Europe, if I may make so bold a statement, hehe.

    NOTE: Bedetheque has plenty of page-samples, linked early above, and here's what google's got: https://www.google.com/search?q=%22borderline%22+%22risso%22+%22trillo%22&udm=2

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    A look at The Revenge of Count Skarbek, by Sente & Rosinski (5 pieces)

    I found La vengeance du Comte Skarbek to be a nifty story by Belgian Yves Sente, with painterly art by Polishman Grzegorz Rosinski. They're both major players in BD of course, with Sente working on titles like Blake & Mortimer, XIII, and Thorgal, and Rosinski working on Buddy Longway, Ballad of the Lost Moors, Chninkel, and... Thorgal.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/nyJ0gji.jpeg) A Parisian street scene.

    The story itself is a clever riff on The Count of Monte Cristo, set in 1843. Here, a young Polish artist named "Skarbek" is forced to flee to Paris, where he takes on the name "Paulus," and meets a beautiful young model who becomes his muse. His paintings become known to a prominent art dealer who contracts him, and all seems well until he realises he's been entrapped by the duo. Things take a turn when the model falls in love with him, followed by Paulus becoming outraged when he discovers that the art dealer's been sexually and mentally abusing her. They fight, a bystander gets accidentally killed, and unfortunately Paulus looks for all the world like the guilty party.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/atBrgmX.jpeg) As is often the case, I'm a sucker for tall ship shots.

    And so he flees by ship! Which, wouldn't you know it, gets attacked by "Alexander," the pirate master. Alexander's lieutenant "Violette" notices that he's an artist, and persuades the pirate-master to spare him. From there, he's installed as a prisoner and resident painter at Alexander's island retreat.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/ujG4tVN.jpeg) And there was a trial.

    Paulus eventually returns to Paris, looking for his revenge, and persuades two prominent, aggrieved patrons of the art dealer to sue him. What follows is a sprawling, highly entertaining courtroom trial, which features much of the island and pirate backstory, helping to explain why these panels cut back and forth.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/m5aqEpq.jpeg) Those red sails against the harbor colors really send me(!)

    Note: Rosinski is one of those who seems to tailor his style to each particular work. In this two-tome series, I guess he's using gouache (opaque watercolor) to simulate oil painting (which he does in some other series), in this case using a loose, but effective style as I found it.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/XHrsrUG.jpeg) More island shots.

    I've given you the broad strokes of the storyline, but what really makes this story work is a triple plot-twist that works beautifully with the trial setting and dramatic story ending. Besides the clear Dumas reference, this story has also been cited as being distinctly Hugo-esque. Other than the seeming absurdity of a prominent pirate operating in the Mediterranean in the mid-1800's, I found this quite satisfying historical fiction.

    More: https://www.bedetheque.com/serie-8289-BD-Vengeance-du-Comte-Skarbek.html

    4

    A little sequence from the fascinating, slice-of-life work "Glory Days," i.e. "Le bel Âge," by Merwan (2012) (3 full pages)

    Now, the above might seem kind of fawning and patriarchal on the face of things, but I found it pretty-much the opposite. (work with me here?)

    In short-- these three gals come from a range of backgrounds & scholarly ability, and are all vying to self-torture themselves through graduate school, essentially. For example, the advisor to Helen (the redhead below) is especially an enormous asshole, toying with her dissertation and future job-prospects unnecessarily, altho I suppose that's also par for the course when it comes to the academic grant-process, no? \sigh

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/Z1Fk0YX.jpeg)

    Oh, right-- what's happening here is that the school year is finally over, and they're spending a few days in the country at Helen's family's place. Fresh air, mountains, hiking, et cet.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/37C0At9.jpeg)

    Now, all three of them had pretty-consistently been dealing with shit from their BF's or love interests (and vice-versa) for the whole semester, so it was just nice for them to chill out, just girls, and symbolically as kids once again, with Helen's family.

    [!](https://i.imgur.com/TlJ3bvZ.jpeg)

    Those are the lines that really killed me-- the idea that gifted academics can suffer such thoughts. Uh... "Imposter Syndrome," or something like that? So, meanwhile alongside their own accomplishments, they can be almost in a state of awe upon expert craftsman and people who make things happen with their hands, see?

    If the pics don't show up correctly, try the page: https://imgur.com/gallery/little-sequence-from-fascinating-slice-of-life-work-glory-days-i-e-le-bel-ge-by-merwan-2012-AVlBEKe

    Merwan is just wonderful to me: https://www.bedetheque.com/auteur-9301-BD-Merwan.html

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