Can we join your club?

Is a question on the minds of “The Others” in this next completed page of Jack Kirby’s 2001

Picking up from last week “He who hunts alone” has managed to bring down a Procamleus (A proto Camel) ready for the kill by pouncing from tree height and grabbing onto the distant relative of Joe for dear life


At which point “the others” join in clearly stating their own hunger and demanding their own slice of Camel


And the response is rather telling and deserving of some thought and analysis as “he who hunts alone” unleashes a awesome rage and attack on the others with all the focus suddenly shifted to brutalising the others from the scene, yelling “begone” before ramping up to a blood curdling scream ploughing into them with fist and club all the while


It’s an interesting sequence in the art – pretty close to a Kirbyesque super hero fight in the posing and arrangement of the figures


But man’s savagery is well known right? People still disdain other types of people even to this day, so what is different or unique here that can’t be explained by it being more savage as a result of when it is happening?


It’s the Monolith that is the fly in the ointment as ever, the inferences being that “he who hunts alone”'s behaviour is unique (as the others are clearly a group or tribe and hunt together) and that is at least in part down to the Monolith as “he who hunts alone” is the only one who has had the monoliths influences in this story.


I have to wonder if at least in part this is Kirby saying that he believes that a lot of man’s savagery or most specifically the need to kill came as a result of the monoliths influence in the movie


If we look at this part of kirbys movie adaption this does indeed get reinforced as Kirby suggests the apes was just making noise at each other pre monolith just to “satisfy honour” but post monolith it was kill or be killed


Which is not what the movie actually shows at all- which is understandable as the 2001 movie is entirely down to individual perceptions as to what it meant or was saying


Neither however does it actually have much baring on reality which is less understandable


Man is an animal and all animals have the instinct for survival and the need to kill for food to survive, what the movie showed was that without the tools necessary man would not progress to be a force enough to not only survive but reckoned with and the monolith provided the idea to use tools


What happens in the comics seems to suggest in both cases is that man was a lot more passive until the monolith came along, an entirely different and a more than somewhat romanticised ideal, which could actually almost be enough to distance the reader from accepting these characters as being that real


This is brought into sharp relief by isolating just one individual as opposed to an entire race for the following stage of monolith lead evolution shown in this issue which appears to be brutality against his fellows – what reason could there be for that?


And will “he who hunts alone” get any food having distracted himself in a battle with the others?


Find out as we progress next week


Comix Changed my Life


If you have been following this blog for the last few weeks you will already know that Last Saturday I attended a comic event, so I thought I would share some of the experience I had


Firstly though let’s be clear, at the moment I only mostly publish a weekly fanzine (Images Degrading Forever) which is a free giveaway.  The print edition is only normally available in just one shop and I normally manage to shift at least 15 -20 of the batch of 20 I get copied, so it’s still very early days in terms of people even knowing that I do anything


This event also marked the first occasion I attempted to sell anything. I deliberately kept the number of items small (just 2 of each thing) but I did try and include a reasonable variety of what it looked like by the blog stats would possibly be popular


Apart from on this blog there was no other form of advertising or promotion for what I was doing, which was intentional to a degree.


The event itself was really fun and there was a good range of all kinds of things and different styles of comics on offer and at least I thought it was a very well attended event


It kicked off very positively with myself staring off hand lettering a sign which was joined in with 3 other creators who arrived a bit later Kathryn Newman, (http://www.kathryn-newman.co.uk/) her companion (who's name i didn't get - sorry!) and Justine who all added their unique touches and doodles to my crude attempt at lettering


This is the finished result

After that I set up my table which was admittedly possibly a bit cluttered initially but after a rethink this is how my table looked

I had a number of interesting conversations with people visiting and some of the creators themselves (Some of these conversations will  be appearing in print later on)


I was lucky enough to sit next to Joe Decie – the creator of the excellent “the accidental salad” who was willing to indulge some of my more unusual (and probably annoying) strands of conversation


http://www.joedecie.com/


But for the most part it was almost nonstop myself offering 2 free consecutive issues of IDFW (issues 12 and 13) to anyone walking by.  I managed to shift all 40 copies of each issue that I had set aside, plus whatever few remainders I had left from previous issues, which I was very happy about


So I am hoping that out of those 40 + people, maybe I have picked up a few new readers, if so please I would love to hear from you, just email me or post a comment to the blog


I managed to shift 1 copy of Doubtland which I did as a trade with the guy responsible / representing Monster Emporium Press (http://www.monsteremporiumpress.co.uk)  who gave me a number of interesting titles in exchange, but I didn’t actually sell anything


A few people picked up both the Images Degrading Forever Collected Edition or Doubtland and had a read through or a flick. 


Doubtland seemed to draw the most questions as to what it was exactly – most people didn’t seem to know that Steranko had even done the original to start off with but none of this lead to an actual sale unless you count the 1 copy trade I did.


I left very happy that there was a chance at least I had picked up some new readers, as that exactly what I need to be doing right now.


What I am doing is not necessarily that immediately accessible, it is a reasonably simple premise but trying to define what about it is compelling for someone else to actually read or be interested in is difficult


This is yet another reason why I would like feedback as is people prefer something particular than I can adapt or adjust what I am doing as I see fit


At the moment I suppose I see myself as a very new alt-rock / punk band who has just done their first gig, in order to gain momentum I feel I have to do the a number of similar events to get myself out there and get more readers


I am hoping that at least what I am producing is of a good enough quality to be something people will like


So moving forwards I guess I will try and do a tour of sorts of any similar events – especially ones that are fanzine based in the new year


The Virtual show


Also I decided to try and sell a few items on ebay to see how well that would work


Well Christmas came early for me!


As all the auctions have now finished and i have 7 items sold


There was a number of last minute bids on a number of items,


I have sold:-


Jim Steranko IDF redrawn original "Sha-Ka-Ree" 1 of 2


Jim Steranko IDF redrawn original "Sha-Ka-Ree" 2 of 2


IDF original "Matt? Is something wrong?" Print 1 of 2


David Lloyd IDF redrawn "Night Raven" Print 1 of 2


David Lloyd IDF redrawn "Night Raven" Print 2 of 2


Steranko redrawn "Doubtland" First Print Issue 1 -1 of 2


Steranko redrawn "Doubtland" First Print Issue 1 -2 of 2


So I think considering everything I have been extremely lucky! A big thank you to anyone who bid on any of these items, I hope you like them!


Images Degrading Forever Weekly
In issue 14 We find out the connection between Paul McCartney and a lead pipe - and my mini essay on "The Beauty of Handwriting" concludes


Do not forget this is FREE to anyone - just send me a email to robin.barnard@ymail.com and I will send you a digital copy every week!

That's it for this week - have a great holiday season