United States Supreme Court decision No. 93-98

In the Ex Machina Special #3 (October 2007), Brian K. Vaughn and the rest of the creative team sum up the advantages and drawbacks of anonymity when fighting for a cause, even when the goal is inimical or positive. In the special, Mayor Hundred declines to forbid a racist rally, opting instead to promote a tolerance rally elsewhere in the city. He reasons that the hate group has a right to stage their rally and the tolerance group has the same right to do likewise, even though they will both probably choose to hide their faces for various reasons.

Click the images to make a talking point

While Vaughn has Mayor Hundred make a valuable argument about Martin Luther King and has the character of Hundred take a personal stand, I don't agree with his sentiment fully and find it a bit dismissive in reality. Anonymity can be an important tool beyond the artificial courage it confers upon internet trolls attacking a feminist blog or skeptic forum. The anonymity his many pseudonyms afforded Benjamin Franklin allowed him to communicate in ways that otherwise would have created nearly insurmountable obstacles for him and the cause of liberty during a period of political and societal unrest in young America.

Often in history (and even today, see the ridiculous O'Reilly vs. DailyKos debacle for example) the small group that claims to be a majority and pretends to represent the beliefs and values of very nearly everyone but in reality does not, nevertheless holds an inordinate amount of power and influence due to connections and access to people through media. As we are all aware from events over the past seven years, telling a lie enough times with enough authority behind it has the result in the majority believing it to be fact. Any publicly known figure who dared to raise their voice in opposition, right or wrong, has been effectively destroyed.

Expanding the concept beyond Vaughn's discourse in the comic book, many bloggers and pundits of today prefer to remain officially unknown and have their identities remain off the record to the world at large. When the primary tactic against a differing opinion is personal attacks and misinformation, anonymity is not only their right but a necessary protection given the mighty forces the faux-majority can wield against a person or organization of limited resources. Even positive blogging about an event, situation, lifestyle, public person or company has resulted in someone losing employment, being attacked or missing opportunities.

It doesn't matter what mask the truth wears, it is still the truth underneath. The mask merely allows the facts to be told without worrying about getting tires slashed or livelihood threatened.

Tags: Free Speech

Jack Kirby's Electric Head

Jack Kirby would have been 90 years old today.

Celebrate him, for no one else will ever be able to successfully pull off this type of stuff ever again.

Page from 1st Issue Special #5 featuring Manhunter (August 1975).

Tags: Jack Kirby

Noblesse Oblige

Got to hell, Richie. Go straight to hell.

From Harvey Hits #3 (November 1957).

Tags: Ritchie Rich

Comic Book PSA: People are People

According to this ethnocentric Comic Book PSA that appeared in The Brave and the Bold #39 (Jan 1962), in the dawn of humanity all people were Caucasian and of European appearance.

Like romance comic books that tried to be contemporary, sometimes the Comic Book PSA was a creative victim of social and cultural expectations of what the market would bear or what the old men in the Editorial offices thought would be acceptable.

I suspect that presenting early homo sapiens in a form that would more accurately reflect our actual genetic ancestry (currently scientifically accepted as having origins in the African continent) may never have even occurred to the creators of the PSA. The artist was probably tasked to draw cavemen and did so in the usual comic book manner. At least I hope so and that institutionalized racism was not in place in the DC offices.

This PSA is important culturally due to the feature presenting as fact all the various ethnic groups of humankind diverging from an already perfectly evolved modern Caucasian man. I thought it brave that even in 1962, in spite of the imagery, for DC to point out that all people are equal and none were superior to any other.

Tags: Comic Book PSA

It's time to take the funny back

Newspapers and other outlets across the country (a country which still has the tattered remnants of a Constitution by the way) are declining to run two installments of Berkley Breathed's Opus strip due to content that may offend Muslims.

When did "may offend Muslims" become the euphemism for "will probably give psychos an excuse to riot, kill and blow stuff up"? Wait...Oh, yeah, I forgot. Call it what you want: Prudence, respect or whatever...it is just censorship in coward's clothing.

Everyone with an internet connection should visit Salon on August 26th and September 2nd for the full Opus strips just to show all those newspapers how much ad revenue they lost over their decision. Even the worst of cowards gains a back bone once they get hit in the wallet.

Tags: Censorship Muslim Fear Opus

Sleestak's Picks of the Week

I really expected Mouse Guard Winter: 1152 to be my favorite comic out this week (I really enjoyed it) but like everyone else on the planet I picked as the Best Comic This Week: Batman #668 for the amazing art and fun story.

Holy freaking crap! This story could have been Sonic Disruptors #8 but with art like that who would care? Awesome all around. Fortunately the story holds up and the layouts and script complement each other.

Worst Comic This Week: That goes to X-Men #202. Is this a joke or something?

You tell 'em, Projectile Vomiting Cap! Each offering from Humberto Ramos is worse than the previous one. The story could be as fantastic as the first Dark Phoenix saga but sadly I can't even read this. His style has devolved from exaggeration to ridiculous parody.

Honorable Mention: Thunderbolts #116. Is this foreshadowing?

If it were Steve Ditko himself and not just his social skills that were dead he would be spinning in his grave at what has happened to Speedball.

But I'm on the fence as to whether I hate or love what is going on with the character. Robbie is well on his way to becoming a major Super-Villain. He is getting more dangerous and violent and his powers are ramping up to scary levels. His back story is evolving logically in such a way as to give him believable motivation for his gradual change into a bad guy. His guilt is turning into anger and I imagine that pretty soon he won't allow himself to be incarcerated and will be robbing banks to fund his army of goons bent on the violent overthrow of the Government.

Tags: Comic Book Reviews

Rat in the Skull

Illustration for a story by Rog Phillips, IF Science Fiction (December 1952).

Tags: Pulp Science Fiction

The final word on the Batgirl cover controversy

Yes, it is sexist. But it is not sexist in and of itself and is definitely not meant as an insult to women, feminists or the cause of equality in media portrayals of women.

DC made the choice for the cover art one that accurately reflected the male-dominated attitudes and content of the 60s and 70s comic book stories. Imagine the blog storm if they instead went with something more empowering that was closer in style to the intelligent, capable Barbara (Oracle) Gordon of today? Readers expecting tales featuring a strong woman character that could hold her own with the Batman that were ahead of their time socially culturally would be disappointed, disgusted or shocked to discover THE COVER AND DC LIED and the actual content of the book was all about Bronze Age pandering to male expectations while pretending to feature a liberated woman, Babs getting rescued more often than not by Batman and Robin, cheesecake, utility-purses and stiletto heels.

DC chose well and went the correct route in telling consumers the truth in their cover choice instead of risking a backlash from angry fans upset that they were mislead about the thematic contents of the Batgirl collection. DC would undoubtedly be accused of misogynistic practices, treating fans with contempt and misrepresentation in this at least this one instance. The cover is plain old TRUTH IN ADVERTISING.

Now shut up.

Tags: Batgirl

10 Things Hippies Are Good For

Being the lone, small voice reminding us when things are going wrong

Art


Music


Farming innovations


The terrible legacy for our country of drug addiction and sexually transmitted diseases.


Ridicule


Getting hassled by the Man


The main ingredient in Soylent Green


Exercise


1970s Marvel

Tags: Hippies Lists

Two things that don't exist

INVISIBLE PINK UNICORN

INVISIBLE PINK BATWOMAN

Tags: Batwoman

Sleestak links

About four or so years ago there were about six sites you could find anything about The Land of the Lost and Sleestaks on the web. An exaggeration, but not much of one. Over the last few years more and more sources are showing up as The Land of the Lost gains more of a cult following and awareness. Rumors of the long-awaited big screen treatment may have fueled this renaissance in all things LotL, but man, I hope Will Ferrell doesn't come within a mile of the project.

So in order to perpetuate a greater net profile of LotL and Sleestaks, I compiled some links.

If you don't know what a Sleestak is, and there are people who have remained nightmare free by not knowing, you can get plenty of info here and here.

If the screen shot off my DVD is too poor for use, I gack a lot of my Sleestak images from the internet. I'll browse through an image search until I find one I like and use it in my posts. I don't apologize for it, it's all part of the humorous Photoshop internet culture I participate in. This is the Sleestak image I utilize the most when goofing around:

I don't know where it is from as I found it long, long ago but I'm glad someone made it and I appreciate it being out there. I hope the original artist approves or does not mind how I have used it. I'm not seeking to make a Goldman profit © from the image like these guys. For all I know they are the ones who created it.

Sleestak Masters. (League of Melbotis beat me to it).

Sleestaks in the Library. Does anyone under 40 get this?

"That lizard had better of been dead when you found it."

Looks like a Sleestak to me.

Brilliant!

Slee Trap!
Oh, fer...

Tags: Land of the Lost Sleestak

Grocery Store Artifact: Eternal Love of God and Me

Where I work there are several customers that are known to us as serial shoplifters. Usually once they are identified we keep an eye on them whenever they come into the store. A thief will pretend to shop, knowing you are watching them, but they have all day to walk around so they play the odds that the clerk monitoring them will get distracted or called away. When that doesn't happen they leave. They will inevitably return but that's okay, because we stopped them that time. Those people we identified as serial shoplifters are also one's we refuse to do returns for under any circumstances. This is because they either "forgot the receipt", found a receipt in the trash and shoplifted a like item to return or have a valid receipt for something they actually bought but stole another item to return. Once their scam is recognized and shut down they mysteriously stop patronizing our store.

Other than the act of theft one of the things about petty thieves that annoy me is how they treat everyone around them like suckers. Shoplifters are the worst of the lot. We know that they are stealing us blind, they know we know it but they don't stop. They get caught often but get away with it often enough that they will keep trying.

One of the serial shoplifters that frequents the store I have descriptively nicknamed "Crazy Brown Haired Red Tank Top". About two months ago we caught her trying to hide $60 worth of crab legs and other expensive items under a jacket she kept piled in the bottom of a cart. The idea was she would go through the line and walk out the door if the cashier didn't notice the other items. When CBHRTT went through a line purchasing a small item the cashier had her remove her coat from the obvious pile of other items under it. The excuses were immediate: "Oh, I didn't know they were there. I found this cart in an aisle and just used it...".

Whatever. I took the items back as she stammered her way through excuses designed to distract us. Caught, she didn't return for nearly two months. When she did make her way back in the store in the two weeks ago the first thing she said to me was the unprompted, "The medication I take makes me shoplift." Sure it does.

So now every time CBHRTT is in the store she sucks up to everyone like we are her BFF's. The attempt to manipulate us is pathetic. Now that a clerk is watching CBHRTT every time she steps into the store she is always spinning one scenario or another. Playing clueless didn't work, claiming a medical reason for stealing didn't work. So now CBHRTT is trying our patience with the Lamb of God tactic.

Recently she was observed wandering the aisles for nearly a half hour under the dubious pretense of looking for her cell phone. As a way of getting her out of the store one of the clerks offered to call the phone so they might hear it ring. It didn't of course, so she left to look elsewhere. The next day this card is dropped off with us for the clerk who assisted her in the phone search. It was full of the usual suckerfish themes I recognized* from anyone who gets busted stealing and is a transparent attempt to co-opt the clerk that is the one who usually watches her when she is in the store.

Note the two differently colored inks on the card. The card was filled out in front of me at our service counter and I'm cynical enough to lay odds that CBHRTT shoplifted the card from our stationary section moments before she dropped it off .

The most ridiculous part of the whole affair is that it is obvious CBHRTT is fully aware that we know she is attempting to scam us. We have told her as much is as plain a language as we can manage, yet she keeps the facade going. A good grifter never gives up on a mark, knowing that sheer persistence will often let them achieve their goal. But I don't think even CBHRTT believes anyone will fall for her con, but rather anticipates that we would get annoyed enough to dismiss her as too bothersome to deal with, thereby freeing her up to rob us blind.

* The first being: "Why would I steal? I have all this money in my pocket!" with the second most popular being liberally sprinkling references to God over their verbal salad and imploring Jesus to help others see the truth of their innocence.

Tags: Grocery Store Artifact Shoplift

Don't blog when bored

Or things like this happen.

Tags: WTF? Bacon

Pulps did it first: Intertubes

Not only did the Pulps predict the internet (powered by vacuum tubes, no less), it also foresaw the use of popular "real-time" mapping applications and web-enabled cameras as well!

From Amazing Stories #17 (August 1928).

Tags: Pulps Internet Pulps did it first

A close call

From the Official Campaign Diary of Sleestak:

Today while on a short campaign stop to Tranquility Forest I was ambushed by an insane little person in a cheap foam rubber costume who had kidnapped and brainwashed Joy the Butterfly Ballerina. Too cowardly to face an opponent himself, Dr. Monkerstein uses disposable minions to do his dirty work. In this case it was an attempt on the life of yours truly.

Being powered by patriotism, I was not worried about harm to myself. My sole concern was for Joy, who was an obvious victim of the insidious mind control of the reprehensible Dr. Monkerstein. If the foam rubber Firefly succeeded in his evil plan I could only imagine the agony Joy would endure when she realized that she had against her patriotic will assassinated America's last, best hope for peace and prosperity. It would be a hellish existence full of regret, certainly, and one I would not wish on anyone.

Fortunately for America and all the patriotic Americans who know what it is to be truly American, the Monkerstein brainwashing techniques are as clumsy and ineffectual as his Presidential campaign strategies. Joy easily broke free of the sinister Monkerstein influence by applying some good old American will power, patriotism and know-how to the problem of being under the sway of another. Once Joy remembered she was an American (not that anyone could ever truly forget) she broke the chains of bondage. An ounce of America is worth a pound of cure, I always say.

Like any good, honest, hard-working patriotic American, Joy immediately made a citizen's arrest of the evil minion Firefly-costumed dwarf of Monkerstein. But like a Communist caught in the sunshiny spotlight of Democracy he fled like a dirty coward. He was last seen hurling himself into a vat of boiling acid in his desperate flight to escape justice. I could do nothing to stop his death even though I warned him to watch where he was going and begged him to take my hand because if I let him fall then I would be just as bad as he was. In this instance Fate itself ensured that justice was served and who am I to interfere with the wishes of the Universe?

Tags: Sleestak for President Bugaloos

Won't You Take Me To...FLICKER TOWN!

No vocals from Caroline (Joy) Ellis in this seizure-inducing Broadway musical-inspired clip from the hated Gang of Four, but she gets plenty of solo camera time and is portrayed at her most innocent and sexy-cutest.

Click the picture and prepare to swallow your tongue in a fit of JOY!

Take notice of where the production staff wisely places Caroline in F/X silhouette when she does some high kicks during her dance number, thereby ensuring that the young boys of the early 1970s did not have their brains explode from the onslaught of confusing, oogy emotions they were not yet mature enough to deal with.

Tags: Bugaloos Caroline Ellis Seduction of the innocent

Hobo in La Jolla

Some say he was a wealthy man who snapped when his family was murdered in a home invasion. Others say he was a pharmacist who self-medicated to ruin. Still others say they don't care and that he smells funny.

Out of all of the homeless I have observed staggering around the wealthy beach-front community of La Jolla this one is on the surface the least belligerent and pushy. He rants to himself for hours on end, but I've never seen him beg for money or food, act drunk or dangerous like many of his peers.

Whoever he is, he wears that maternity dress with a certain careless style.

Tags: Fashion Photography Homeless

Clarification

From Anonymous:

Sleestak said "Hello, anonymous troll with stunted social skills."

I see, so if someone says something you don't like or is contrary to your opinion, then freedom of speech doesn't apply and allows you to engage in personal attacks.

Claiming that I am curtailing anyone's right to free speech because I am a snarky jerk in response to an asinine comment is ridiculous.

It is ironic that I am being taken to task for attacking free speech while at the same time my own right to the same benefits and protections is questioned. But then, most trolls only understand the definition of irony as it is erroneously defined by that Alanis Morrissette song.

This is not a free speech forum nor do I pretend it to be anything other than what it is, a goofy time waster. While I don't normally censor comments because I do in the real world practice and promote a free exchange of ideas I will on a whim delete spam, filth, hate-speech or anything else I darn well feel like.

Tell you what, Anonymous Free Speech Advocate, if you feel that strongly about it I challenge you to post your primary email address somewhere publicly on the net and disable your spam filters and virus protection in whatever email service and online journal you manage. Like it or not, deposed Nigerian princes seeking your help in the release of their billion dollar bank accounts, bondage websites and V@i*g&ra vendors deserve to have the very same rights to free speech that you demand. It would not be fair, perhaps would even be unconstitutional, for you to block their attempts to contact you with thousands of offers for Hot Local Chicks Ready to Party with YOU RIGHT NOW just because you disagree with the content of their posts or emails.

Let me know how that experiment in "free speech" works for you.

Tags: Free Speech

Ode to Joy

This video of a go-go dancing environmentally-friendly pixie being serenaded by her three poorly lip-syncing fabulous friends makes my brain itch in new, odd ways that make my left eye feel like it is swelling to become larger than the socket.

I'm glad Sid and Marty never did this type of stuff with The Land of the Lost.

Tags: Bugaloos Caroline Ellis

Caroline Ellis

Photo from Fly Away With Us