Slumming with John Difool Sunday

Since Today is Sunday I´m just relaxing, eating leftover spagettis and preparing for my next Moebius post which will be about one of the greatest - if not the greatest - sci fi comic series of all times : the Incal.

" What´s to prepare ? ", you might ask. Well, for one although I have already done a few Moebius posts from which I still have some pictures left most of them are just covers and if you want to do a decent post about the Incal series you have to post more than just the covers.

" Why now ? ", you might also be inclined to ask. Well, as always I like to place the blame with somebody else, in this case none other than fellow blogger Geier - whose excellent blog GEIERHEIM can be found on the blog roll . who reminded me that it has now been two years since the great Moebius passed away. Which is totally typical for me. The GREATEST COMIC ARTISTS EVER : JEAN GIRAUD post is one of the most spammed posts on this blog ( with the WORLD´S GREATEST COMICS : BLUEBERRY post becoming slowly the second most spammed on the blog ) so I have to check it constantly. Still I somehow missed the two year anniversary.

And after some readers have complained that my last post was too heavy on hot chicks and oversexed I decided to do more comic related posts in the next few days. Now this by no means starts a new direction for this blog, just wait until Monday when italian pop sensation / erotic movie actress / nude model / 80s pop culture icon and personal favorite Sabrina Salerno celebrates her 46th birthday. Then we´ll talk about oversexed !

I know, it´s a bit difficult to find the right balance of what I want to put on the blog and what is really necessary for understanding the topics I´m writing about. And I´m totally aware that while I always to find and post the best pictures on the net ( I´m not saying that I always succeed in that department, but I AM trying ) some people might find those pictures unnecessary. Of course there are others who tell me that my posts are too wordy and need more pictures. I guess everybody wants different things. 

I know I would like to post on a more regular basis but keeping in mind the amount of work required to prepare the posts I fear that a serious decline in quality would be an unavoidable result of that course of action.

And from time to time I just want to address the questions readers ask me in the comments section because - after all - that´s who I´m writing for. Somebody once said that if you want to write things other people might want to read you should mainly write what you find interesting because if you don´t even want to read it how can you expect others to read it ? Some people think that the best way is to go for an audience as broad as possible, and while I really try to write my postings so that people who don´t know that much about comics can understand it I don´t write them for just everybody. Because somebody else once said " If you are doing a movie for everybody you are doing a movie for nobody. "

This can lead to some really strange posts but also to some surprisingly fantastic ones and going back over my old posts and re - reading them I´m sometimes surprised how fascinating they can be and how well written they are. Whoever the guy is who writes them he´s a damn genius. Okay, all joking aside, writing these posts is always a balance act where sticking to the main topic is concerned but there are a lot of things I only learned through going off topic and the hard research that involved.

But back to readers questions, there may be some followers of this blog who are probably wondering who the heck - just as an example out of my head - asked about Akira Lane in my last post ( probably the ones who already knew who she is ) or if there really were that many people asking about her why there is nothing about it in the posts comments section ?

Well, that is because most people who use the comments either try to post spam who then gets deleted automatically or they can´t help but include the link to their blog or some other website they want to promote which then gets their comments flagged as spam - and then deleted. And while most of the comments are appreciated ( especially if they are about complimenting me ) not all of them really add something to the reading experience. I know some people might go for that but I simply don´t have the time to restore all comments that were deleted because they included a link. It also might look weird if every post included comments telling me how great I am. Not to mention that people might think they are fake.

So while I DO read and appreciate them all not all of them make the cut and some just because people are lazy. But whenever there is a legitimate question that I think might interest my readers - or that might provide an interesting post topic - I put it on the blog. Now, for those people that are sad because they put an important question in the comments section and it got deleted I´m going to address the most frequently asked questions in the comment section and give a few tips how to pimp your stuff .

First of all : I didn´t come up with the design of the blog. This may come as a shock to you but I´m a troglodyte where computers are concerned so I used one of the many templates blogger provides for its customers.

Which brings us to our next question. I have no idea which blog provider is the best or what the differences are between blogger or wordpress.

I´m using blogger because it´s free and I know just enough about HTML to get the things I want to get done done HOW I want them to get done. That´s right, I don´t have any money. So I have to use the free blog platforms and aside from the occasional layout change and restructuring that totally effs up things for a month or two ( or getting the blog deleted and then restored ) it´s not too nerve wrecking. And to tell you the truth, after writing this blog for almost eight years now I just don´t want to go to another blog provider and start all my posts over from scratch.

Which brings us to the next questions people ask. I don´t know anything about anything. My blog doesn´t load quick enough on your cell phone ? I don´t even have a cell phone. My blog loads faster than any other blog on your tablet ? Well, good for you but don´t expect any explanations from me. You can´t get the RSS feed from the blog to work ? I´m not sure if it´s even a real RSS feed. I know I tried to include one but since I can´t use it myself I have no idea how it works. Or if it works at all. The header of the blog doesn´t show up on your computer for some strange reason ( this one´s for you Mr. Hooper, but thanks for the info ) ? I really don´t know why that is, I can see it on my laptop. So if you want tech support this is the wrong address for that. This is just a blog about comics and despite what you might see on popular sitcoms not all comic geeks are also brilliant scientists. I hope that clears up that part of the questions.

Next question : do I accept guest writers on the post ? Absolutely. As long as you can fulfill three criteria. First up, don´t expect to get paid for it.

I don´t have any money and I don´t get any from this blog or the amazon store you can find on the blog. Although I´m not sure if it´s working since I never got a cent out of it. It might be busted. That would explain a lot.

So if you don´t have a problem with writing a guest post without getting a monetary compensation that´s fine. Thus far I have had two offers but none of them sent me anything after the first mail.The second stipulation I have is that if you want to write something for me it should be about comics. Okay, movies or tv shows would also be okay but generally this is a comic blog so it should be about comics. Now don´t laugh because that is not as obvious as you might think. You may not believe it but I had to turn down some offers because here I wax philosophic about comics and I want to keep it safe for work. Yes, that´s a fine line and I get very close to it sometimes but so far I haven´t crossed it and I don´t intend to.

And don´t think that I´m just being snobby when I say it has to be about comics, I just don´t think that if you write about something that has not much to do with comics that you have more luck somewhere else. I know this blog and what the numbers of clicks are so if you want to write about plants or seafood you will probably get ten times as much exposure if you don´t have to post it here. And last but not least, okay ..... this is totally random and more about the intention of this blog. I want something that is positive. When I started this blog one of my goals was to emulate - if only in small part - one of the blogs I was reading at that time that was funny, strange, surprising but always uplifting. So if you just want to trash some comic or a company then this is not the right place for you. I think we already have enough blogs out there who do that and I don´t want to add to that. So instead of telling us what you don´t like in the industry right now, write about comics you love and why they are great.

Now I don´t want you to sugarcoat things or lie about it. I have always called a spade a spade on this blog and I will continue to do so. And I expect the same from possible candidates for the role of guest authors.

I´m not against critique, that´s good but only as long as it´s not outright bashing. You can be mean if you do it in a funny or interesting way and most of all in an unusual way that makes people think. Then you can sent me your missives. Which brings us to the last part of this section : send me an e - mail. Now if you want to write for this blog, or want to promote something like your blog it helps if I have the web address or at least the name of your blog. Again, don´t laugh, but I get tons of spam comments from people who want me to mention their blog but who can´t mention it themselves - to me. And there are a lot of people who want to pimp stuff or do a link exchange but who say they can´t find my e - mail address.

Which means they didn´t try hard enough to find out more about this blog or about me. Because they maybe took the time to read the " About me " section but they didn´t care enough to click on the " View my complete profile " button. Which is where you can find my e - mail address. And that´s the whole secret. Not as difficult as one might think now, is it ?

So this covers most of the things people want to know about this blog or should know. If you put a link in your comments it will be deleted. If you want to pimp something or write for the blog send me an e - mail. If you want a blog like this go to blogger and just get one because if I managed to do it everybody can do it. And don´t ask me anything tech related as I don´t know anything about anything. Which finally brings us to the end of this post that should have been much but much shorter when I started it.

I really didn´t get to say too much about Moebius or the Incal in this post - which is all right because I didn´t want to get into all that anyway.

Today I just am collecting material and preparing for the post. Also, I do not know if I´m going to re - read the Incal again since I already did that once when I initially wanted to do the big Incal post. It´s not that it´s not a comic that you can read a few times, it´s just that I don´t know if I´ve the time to do it. I already waited with the post until I had read it another time and look what that got me. So I might play it fast and loose with this one and solely rely on my memories and recollections of it. Which is what I basically do on all my posts. But to make sure I don´t have to rely on my own impressions here are some links of useful posts and articles I read Today in preparation that I want to give props to. You might want to check them out if you want to know more about Moebius or the Incal series.

WESTWARDS THE COURSE OF EMPIRE TAKES ITS WAY has a post about Moebius with some really great art while THE COMICS OBSERVER has a short post about who Moebius was . I´m posting it just in case there are some people out there who have never heard of Moebius or the Incal. And you can find some preview pages at a post from the COMICS ALLIANCE about the glory that is the Incal which is in the words of Mark Millar " quite simply one of the most perfect comics ever conceived and probably the most beautiful piece of graphic literature ever drawn ". And since we are on the subject of the art of the Incal, there is a post on the german website PETER POLLUDA MEDIENVERTRIEB where I found some Incal pages I am probably going to use in my post. Like I said, it´s only in german, very short and doesn´t spoil too much so I wanted to mention it.

The next two links contain more spoilers - although small ones keeping in mind that the story has been published decades ago and you really can´t spoil that much with a comic so packed with ideas like the Incal series.

At THE COMIC PUSHER you can find the post Creating the Universe : The Incal by Jodorowski and Moebius which goes a bit more into detail of " some of the most influential science fiction imagery since Jack Kirby forged a universe ( and a visual language ) out of paper and pencil fifty years ago. " It´s a really fun read that can wheat your appetite to delve further into this great work. " DiFool wrestles his way back into his home, only to have different forces blast in try get to the Incal. Then all hell breaks loose. Really, really breaks loose. It seems every major governmental, scientific and religious power in two full galaxies are going after the Incal, all while the city riots on all levels by every conceivable faction of humanity against the ruling order. Then the Metabaron, the universe's most epic assassin shows up to take out DiFool. Then the nuclear bomb goes off. And that's just the beginning. "

Another post about this sci fi masterpiece comes from the FORBIDDEN PLANET INTERNATIONAL BLOG , and while it´s not as explicit as the one above it gives you a good idea what the Incal comic series is all about.
 

" You have it all here; massive space - battles, psychological breakdowns, hand to hand beat - em - ups, laser shoot - outs and everything else you’d expect in a simple action sci fi thriller, but all leading to something far, far, far deeper and metaphysical. This is Star Wars in deep, deep psych treatment, 2001: A Space Odyssey with fighting and ray guns, Chandler with head - expanding sci fi, and everything in between. " 

Now I have to admit I haven´t read the last two articles because I don´t have the time which might be better since I would be too depressed from the sheer excellency of them. I can probably never be as brilliant as that.

JOG - THE BLOG has a lengthy post about the Incal, Jodorowsky´s film work and other things that´s really in depth and full of useful insights and analysis. And last but in no way, shape or form least Bob Clark over at WONDERS IN THE DARK has the excellent article - although it´s more a thesis paper or a manifesto - called When the Fall is All That´s Left : Jodorowsky and Moebius´ " The Incal " on Page and Screen . As always I would have loved to talk more about the Incal and Moebius but I´m already one hour past the deadline so it´s time to wrap things up.

Since this post is not really about the Incal or Moebius but instead mainly about public announcement stuff I´m going to keep the Incal video for the real post. What I´m going to post here instead is another masterwork from Comicbookgirl19 about the first two TRIBUTES OF PANEM movies and the parallels between the society of Panem, the Roman Empire just before the fall and our society and where it may be going. Yeah, if you thought THE HUNGER GAMES was just some stupid popcorn blockbuster movie you are in for a rude awakening. They are really about some really political and socially important stuff and Comicbookgirl19 is just the one to give you the complete lowdown on it. There are lots of spoilers in it but I haven´t seen the movies and now I´m really " on fire " to watch them.

So do yourself a big favor and watch this absolutely brilliant video that explains concepts like social engineering and where we might be going as a people that is so effing awesome she had to divide it into two parts.



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