Phlegm’s Monochromatic Comic Book Characters & Evergreen Architecture

Colossal has made two new posts. One representing illustration and the other on design. You will need to scroll down to view the second post. Both of the posts are well worth your visit.

Frank Reade and his Electric Prairie Schooner

It has been a while since I posted anything on Frank Reade, how ever I am about to. I just found a site that features public domain comics. Comic book plus has a large collection of Reades work. I don't remember how I ended up on this page, but I did land on the Frank Reade and his Electric Prairie Schooner pages.

Quotes from Four Gentleman and One Extraordinary Woman

Nina Harker

“I feel a wonderful peace and rest tonight. It is as if some haunting presence were removed from me. Perhaps.”

Henry Jekyll

“Edward Hyde alone in the ranks of mankind, was pure evil.”

Harwley Griffen

“This is day one of year one of the new epoch-the epochs of the Invisible Man. I am Invisible Man the First.”

Allan Quatermain

“I’ve killed many a man in my time, but I have never slain wantonly or stained my hand in innocent blood, but only in self-defense.”

Captain Nemo

"I am not what you call a civilized man! I have done with society entirely, for reasons which I alone have the right of appreciating.”

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Volume II, Moore & O’ Neil

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman, Volume II

I have finally gotten around to reading Allan Moore and Kevin o’ Neill’s second volume of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. My first post from volume on was back in March 2014. With its host of extraordinary characters, fantastic story-line, and saucy scenes, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, volume 2 takes over where the last volume left off.

Here are the titles of the novels six chapters:

1. Phases of Deimos
2. People of other Lands
3. And the Dawn Comes Up Like Thunder
4. All Creatures Great and Small
5. Redin Tooth and Claw
6. “You Should see me Dance the Polka…”

A Bull Ape the God of Gullah

"'But what was that—that thing you killed in the altar-hut?' asked Balthus, with a shiver at the memory of the dim-seen horror.

'One of Zogar's gods. One of Jhebbal's children that didn't remember and had to be kept chained to the altar. A bull ape. The Picts think they're sacred to the Hairy One who lives on the moon—the gorilla-god of Gullah."

Chapter 5 The Children of Jhebbal Sag, Beyond the Black River, Robert E. Howard

Illustrated Robinson Crusoe Comic Book

Front Cover

Recently I found this this yellowing Classics Illustrated edition of Daniel Defoe’s Robison Crusoe. This edition was one of many such comic books published by this publisher on the classics. I didn’t find a date within the copy. The price of the comic book might give us some sort of clue as to its publishing date?

Front Page

The forty-nine page booklet, albeit an abridged version, portrays the full story with just a few changes to the plot of the story.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume 2

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, volume 2 is a graphic novel that is illustrated by Kevin O’ Neill and written by Alan Moore. There are three volumes in this series.

With its host of extraordinary characters, fantastic storyline, and saucy scenes, the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, volume 2 takes over where the last volume left off.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen movie takes its storyline from this series of graphic novels.

The Astonishing Adventurers of the Handler a Graphic Novel

The four adventurers set off to a distant land, a land full of darkness, and contend with one melee after another with all types of creatures. The Astonishing Adventurers of the Handlers is a 26 page graphic novel. The publication is available through Drive-Thru-Comics for .50, that’s right, a half a dollar.

The novel is formatted as a PDF with printing and copy and paste disabled. The novel includes fine graphics and a story that kept my interest.

Great Pacific Volume 1: Trashed! A Graphic Novel

Graphic novels have a few advantages over the traditional comic books. Graphic novels use high quality glossy paper, high resolution graphics, versus the low res used in traditional comic books. In addition, graphic novels have a plot and usually a decent story line.

This is the second graphic novel I have read, the first being The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, which had a great plot and included well known characters, such as Captain Nemo, Allan Quatermain, Dr. Jekyll and Hawley Griffin, and the Invisible Man. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen also had some outstanding graphics.

Great Pacific is a science fiction thriller. The main protagonist Chas Worthington sets off to the great Pacific garbage patch with his personal assistant and a prototype of his Hydrocarbon Remediation Operation device (HERO). The Hero device can convert oil and oil by products into water vapor.

As I have alluded to Great Pacific has a great plot and includes Pacific Islanders, Pirates, a giant octopus, and United States Navy seals, as Worthington's antagonists.

The ending of Volume One leaves you in suspense as nuclear weapon is detonated by, I believe some Pacific Islanders.

Odds and Ends #6-Pirates of the Spanish Main

How to Talk Like a Pirate

The “How to Talk Like a Pirate from Sea Life - Guide for Pirates & Sailors (Pirate Dictionary, Ship Terminology, Sea Monsters, Crewmates)”, page has a list of pirate lingo that will have you speaking like a pirate in no time.

Pirates of the Spanish Main Comics

The site offers many old comics and it is a shame that the author did not continue to make posts. There is a series of comic books, which are titled Spanish Main Pirates that can be found here. If you scroll down a bit you will find a continuation of this comic series and also two other comics with different titles that have been labeled pirate.

Reefs, Wrecks, and Rascals-The Pirate Legacy of the Spanish Main

The Miami Dade public library has several pages dealing with Pirates of the Spanish Main. The Lore and Legend: Visions of the Past page features summaries on several texts dealing with Pirates of the Spanish Main. Texts include poems, books, and pamphlets and other manuscripts.

A Few Odds and Ends from Around the Web

This is my first “Odds and Ends” post where I report on miscellaneous sites and topics that I find in my searches for other topics. I usually post these sites on the Links page, but that page gets very few visits.

• The Mystery of Davy Jones' Locker!
For whatever it is worth. The Mystery of Pirates of Davy Jones' Curse is a comic strip that is a re-script of the first panel of an underwater Charlton love story.

• The Art of Paper Model Instructions
The article discusses how instructions for paper models have evolved through the years.

• Cartoon Scrapbook
The cartoon Scrapbook summarizes many long-gone cartoons. The site lists the cartoons characters, lists its episodes, and displays scenes from these bygone episodes.

• Spanish Ships, their Parts, Wrecks and Treasures
Interesting one page site geared toward children on the topic of “Spanish Ships, their Parts, Wrecks and Treasures”.

Are these Texts Steampunk or Not?

At the time of my readings of “The Difference Engine”, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, “The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, Neal Stephenson”, and “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Journal”, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, I didn’t realize their true genre.

It wasn’t until recent readings in the Steampunk Bible that their true genre was relieved to me. The subject matter within these three texts is defiantly taken place in the Victorian period. And there is definitely a lot of mention of fabulous contraptions being purported. But I am still unsure that all of these texts can be considered Strempunk literature.

The Difference Engine, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling

The Difference Engine is an alternate history novel in Britain during the Victorian era. The premise is that Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine (Analytical Engine) was completed and the social changes that followed. The Difference Engine does take place in Victorian England and the story does make use of steam, so in this case I will agree with its being from the Steampunk genre.

The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, Neal Stephenson

In my first reading of this novel I mistook this novel as being in the cyberpunk genre. It mixes nano-technology with Victorian morals. I don’t remember and mention of steam, what so ever. I am unsure if this novel should be considered Steampunk.

The League of Extraordinary Gentleman Journal, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill

I don’t remember this graphic novel being quotes as being from the Steampunk genre, but having read about its use of steam air ships and other Victorian forms of transportation this novel is definitely Steampunk.

The Girl Genius

The Girl Genius site offers comics, short stories, a podcast, airship cut-outs, and some other freebees. Since my last post about airships I was especially drawn to the collection of airships that can be downloaded and used for personal and non-commercial use.

The airships prints are those that graced the backs of the original comics. The airships could be used to create a mobile for your child’s room, or reduced and perhaps used in some skirmish.

Freak Angels

FreakAngles is an online comic created by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield. The story is set in post- apocalyptic England and has been running for several episodes. The following three lines from the first scene and episode is as follows:

“23 years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. “

“6 years ago the, world ended”

“This is the story of what happened next”

The comic’s graphics are first rate; the plot is dystopian and compelling.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

Okay, I know I said that I probably would not get to this text any time soon, but I couldn't keep myself away from it. The story actually has a decent plot and is written in a most intelligent way. It holds your attention with its elements of adventure, melodrama, some adult content, and moments of tongue and cheek. I am finding the comic good reading and will be ordering the second and third volumes shortly.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

I received my copy of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Volume One in the mail today. I was a bit surprised by the medium in which it was published. I was expecting a normal comic book with thin pages and low resolution graphics, but the text is published on thick glossy pages and the graphics are colorful and vibrant.

I look forward to reading this volume. I am right in the middle of three other books at this time so I may not get to it for a little while. I will keep you updated.

The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen

In preparation of my receiving my first The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic book from Amazon, I have been doing some research into this topic and have come up with the following resources that might be of some benefit.

• League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Wiki
Summarizes the plots of the different volumes and offers information about a few other fine resources.

• Extraordinary Gentlemen’s Journal Blog
There is even an Extraordinary Gentlemen’s Journal Blog. This site offers so much in the way of information about Extraordinary Gentlemen miniatures and other topics, as well.

• The Chaos Manifesto
The Chaos Manifesto offers up descriptions of the Extraordinary Gentlemen mentioned in the same. Click on the links to access peripheral information on other miniatures.

The Adventures of Captain Nemo: Doom Island Comics

The Nemo Nautilus page offers several scanned editions of the “The Adventures of Captain Nemo: Doom Island” comic book. To read, click on the individual pages to zoom in on the page.

Doom Island seems to me to be referring to Jules Verne’s “Facing the Flag”. Facing the Flag mentions an island that is eventually blown to bits by Thomas Roch, the inventor of a new type of super explosive.