Mindless Ones

For those unaware of the distinction between hard and soft sci-fi, the former spends its time postulating imaginary futures that unfold out of pre-existing science/theory, whereas the latter jettisons notions of the possible, concerning itself with the imaginary part of the equation. In its most basic form, it deals with the psychological and sociolological impact of tomorrow – the soft sciences – but at its logical extremes it details societies, internal states and/or technologies beyond comprehension, whose function and form defy simple explanation. It’s the really far-out stuff that we’ll be focusing on today. Think Phillip K Dick or Slaughterhouse 5. Just when you think you’ve modeled the universe successfully, Dick gives you the finger and you’re unsure whether Valis is a satellite broadcasting psychic signals from behind the moon, a program hard-wired into the human genome designed to free us all, God, the ramblings of a psychotic mind or all of the above. The surfaces of things becomes slippery and the gravitational core breaks down. At its most exciting, soft sci-fi displays an anarchic disregard for reductive, straightforward readings and, resultingly, often ditches conventional prose altogether, segueing into deeply subjective, experimental and non-linear writing styles, a la Jeff Noon or Steve Aylett. The emphasis in these books centers around technology as pure aesthetic. The designer drugs of Noon’s cybernetic Manchester frustrate the boundaries between the inner and outer worlds. The psychic environments described by his fiction allow for a free exchange between fantasy and reality –– creatures are wrenched out of trips, the main drug of choice, the Vurt feather, is itself discovered in virtual reality and at points the characters themselves seem to collapse into pure text…..

And all of this is well and good, but what has it got to do with Man-Ape, you might ask?

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Okay, let’s kick off the second half with something for the fellas, straight from Kinky Kirby’s Pervy Pen. This is Lashina from Mister Miracle:

She’s dressed in straps which she removes and whips sailors with. It’s all very high fashion but I can’t really see it filtering down into the high street – but what do I know?

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Just had to show you a couple of Kirby creations that didn’t make the list on a the technicality that they don’t wear helmets, they just have weird heads. This chap needs no introduction…oh go on then,

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So, I said in part 1 that Cloak & Dagger’s origin needs revisiting, that’s because, like almost everything to do with C & D, it’s undercooked and under-exploited. For a start kids don’t just run away from home, something or someone pushes them. Whether it’s physical or emotional abuse, a catastrophic problem like drug addiction or mental illness, or some other insurmountable situational hurdle, the roots of homelessness usually run dark and deep, but with Cloak & Dagger what’s there on the page doesn’t really add up to much. Tandy was spoilt rotten, and neglected by her rich, socialite mother, so she bought a one way ticket to cardboard city? That doesn’t cut it for me. Not only does it feel inadequate, it lacks drama, and, crucially, fails to tell us anything much about the character. That’s the big crime. This stuff should be at the heart of who C & D are beneath all the eternal darkness and white-hot knives. Their histories unlock them as living breathing people, and, I’ll argue, augment our understanding of their transformation, and consequently open up all kinds of storytelling possibilities.

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…comics bought and read on Saturday the 12th of April 2008

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Hello, Lactus here. I’m just sitting at home enjoying an Excelsior lager and thinking about The King’s Crowns.

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Having just finished appraising the site in all its mindless glory, I feel slightly churlish contributing yet another miserable rant, bitching on and on about the state of the industry. The Disco Horror post was pure 20jazzfunkgreats, dosed up to the eyeballs with neon and ultra-viole(n)t good times. Anyone would think Qartthqrq, or whatever he’s called, actually enjoyed going clubbing. It’s that convincing. But, if you look a little closer, beneath the surface, I’m sure you’ll understand the poodle’s got hir sights set on a brighter, candy-floss horizon too. Only we’ve got to exterminate a few people on the way. And we all know death and destruction always leads to a brighter tomorrow.

Just ask Dagger.

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I mean, I definitely think the portrayal of women in superhero comics is fine, tasteful even. Very tasteful

Take Starfire, for example, here she is having a lovely lie down. She’s a bit wet, but I reckon that nice man plans on drying her off.

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