Ramona Fradon, R.I.P. (1926-2024)

From Steve Ringgenberg's 2-27-24 COMICS JOURNAL obituary for Ramona Fradon, co-creator of METAMORPHO:

Ramona Fradon, whose career of more than 75 years led the way for female artists in the comic book field, passed away February 24 at the age of 97. Before Fradon (and Barbara Hall, who drew the Black Cat feature for Harvey), there were no women drawing superheroes in comic books. She was especially known for her work on the DC characters Aquaman and Metamorpho, the latter of which she co-created with writer Bob Haney [...].

Fradon took a break from the business in the second half of the 1960s to raise her daughter, Amy. However, despite wanting to lessen her workload to focus on being a wife and mother, 1964 marked the debut of what is probably her best-known character: Metamorpho, the Element Man, who has long enjoyed a reputation as the strangest superhero in comics. Metamorpho originated with an idea from editor George Kashdan and was developed by writer Bob Haney and Fradon. “Metamorpho was George Kashdan's idea,” Fradon told Dueben. “He had studied science when he was in school and he thought of a character made of four elements who could change himself into different chemical compounds. He gave Bob Haney the idea, and Bob fleshed it out brilliantly. I believe George continued to supply the ‘scientific’ details for Bob to use throughout the life of the feature.”

Originally appearing in The Brave and the Bold #57 and #58 (Dec./Jan. 1964-65 and Feb./Mar. 1965), Metamorpho made such an impression with fans that he was awarded his own title beginning in August 1965, running for 17 issues; Fradon drew the two Brave and the Bold stories, and then the first four issues of the Metamorpho solo title. After working with staid and conventional characters like Aquaman, Metamorpho was a breath of fresh air to Fradon. “He wasn’t your average superhero, so capes and masks didn’t suit him,” she told Dueben. “I tried a lot of those and finally decided that since he was always changing his shape, clothes would get in the way. So, I drew him in tights, with a body made up of four different colors and textures that were supposed to indicate the four elements. From the beginning, we had fun working on Metamorpho. The characters Bob invented were such deliciously overdrawn stereotypes that they were wonderful to design and animate. What I liked most about doing that feature was the freedom it gave me to exaggerate and be myself…. Drawing superheroes never came easily to me. I didn't have the mythic sensibility and could never really take them seriously” [...].

As the 1980s dawned, Fradon was happy to part company with superheroes, which she felt were evolving in a direction that did not lend itself to her own upbeat, heroic approach. “Aquaman is a good marker of what’s happening,” she told Watkins in 2018. “When I was drawing him in the '50s, he was nice and wholesome, with a nice haircut and pink cheeks. Very handsome. I had a crush on him. And then you can see what’s happened to him! It got more and more violent and then he lost his hand, then he had a beard and he looked psychotic. You know what? I don’t get it.” Fradon had returned to school by then, attending classes in psychology and ancient religions at New York University; decades later, she would author a prose book, The Gnostic Faustus: The Secret Teachings Behind the Classic Text (Inner Traditions, 2007), expanding on these studies.

To read the entire obituary, click HERE.

You can purchase a copy of Fradon's THE GNOSTIC FAUSTUS right HERE. 

Terry Bisson, R.I.P. (1942-2024)

From LOCUS MAGAZINE'S 1-10-24 obituary for Nebula Award-winning writer, Terry Bisson:

Author Terry Bisson, 81, died in the early hours of January 10, 2024 [...].

[Bisson's] first novel Wyrldmaker appeared in 1981, followed by World Fantasy finalist Talking Man (1986) and Fire on the Mountain (1988). Other novels include Voyage to the Red Planet (1990), Pirates of the Universe (1990), The Pickup Artist (2001), and Any Day Now (2012). He completed the late Walter M. Miller, Jr.’s Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman (1997), and has co-written YA novels with Stephanie Spinner, written children’s books about NASCAR racing as ‘‘T.B. Calhoun,’’ produced numerous film and TV novelizations and media tie-ins, and written non-fiction titles, notably On A Move: The Story of Mumia Abu-Jamal (2001).

Bisson rose to prominence in the SF field with Hugo, Sturgeon, Locus, and Nebula Award winning story ‘‘Bears Discover Fire’’ (1990). Other notable short stories include Hugo finalists ‘‘Press Ann’’ (1991), ‘‘The Shadow Knows’’ (1993), ‘‘Dead Man’s Curve’’ (1994), ‘‘Get Me to the Church on Time’’ (1998); Nebula Award nominees ‘‘They’re Made out of Meat’’ (1991) and ‘‘Necronauts’’ (1995); Hugo, World Fantasy, and Nebula Award finalist ‘‘England Underway’’ (1993); Nebula Award winner and Hugo and Sturgeon finalist ‘‘macs’’ (1999); and novellas Dear Abbey (2003) and Planet of Mystery (2008). His short fiction has been collected in Bears Discover Fire (1993), In the Upper Room and Other Likely Stories (2000), Numbers Don’t Lie (2003), Greetings & Other Stories (2005), Billy’s Book (2009), and TVA Baby (2011). The Left Left Behind (2009) includes the title story, a play, and an interview and autobiography.

Bisson also wrote the long-running “This Month in History” series for Locus, recently profiled by the New Yorker. The micro-fiction series has run in the magazine for over 20 years. We will deeply miss his creativity, wry humor, and friendship. The field is lesser without him.

To read the entire obituary, click HERE. 

I recommend reading Bisson's award-winning 1990 short story, "Bears Discover Fire," at LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE. Read his 1991 short story, "They're Made Out of Meat," at his official website, TERRY BISSON OF THE UNIVERSE. Read his 2009 short story, "Billy and the Flying Saucer," at Rudy Rucker's FLURB #7.

The Conservative Political Action Conference and the "End of Democracy"

From Tori Otten's 2-23-24 NEW REPUBLIC article entitled "MAGA Republican Pledges 'End of Democracy' to Rabid Cheers at CPAC":

Conservative activist Jack Posobiec joyfully hailed the “end of democracy” at the Conservative Political Action Conference, further emphasizing Republicans’ apparent desire to completely overthrow America as we know it.

Posobiec, who helped popularize the “Pizzagate” conspiracy theory, appeared at CPAC’s opening day on Wednesday. He spoke during a panel moderated by former White House adviser and white supremacist Steve Bannon.

“Welcome to the end of democracy. We are here to overthrow it completely,” Posobiec said as the event began.“We didn’t get all the way there on January 6, but we will endeavor to get rid of it and replace it with this, right here,” he said, gesturing to the crowd and holding up his fist.

As he spoke, Bannon laughed and said, “Amen!”

To read the entire article, click HERE.

From Ben Goggin's 2-24-24 NBC NEWS report entitled "Nazis Mingle Openly at CPAC, Spreading Antisemitic Conspiracy Theories and Finding Allies":

Nazis appeared to find a friendly reception at the Conservative Political Action Conference this year.

Throughout the conference, racist extremists, some of whom had secured official CPAC badges, openly mingled with conference attendees and espoused antisemitic conspiracy theories.

The presence of these individuals has been a persistent issue at CPAC. In previous years, conference organizers have ejected well-known Nazis and white supremacists such as Nick Fuentes.

But this year, racist conspiracy theorists didn’t meet any perceptible resistance at the conference where Donald Trump has been the keynote speaker since 2017.

At the Young Republican mixer Friday evening, a group of Nazis who openly identified as national socialists mingled with mainstream conservative personalities, including some from Turning Point USA, and discussed so-called “race science” and antisemitic conspiracy theories.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Twin Peaks Day

Since it's Twin Peaks Day, I'd like to take this opportunity to suggest that if you're a Twin Peaks fan, you might very well enjoy the wonderfully strange tales collected in my latest book, CRYPTOPOLIS & OTHER STORIES. 

"The stories in Cryptopolis feel like the bloody, star-filled lovechildren of Burroughs and Delany, with each tale ostensibly one part of a greater whole; abstract limbs and organs tethered together by strained flesh. Cryptopolis will take readers on a hallucinogenic journey through worlds fractured by time and place—slipping through liminal dimensions with seamless abandon to unveil unsettling illusions and heartbreaking realities—and totally worth the trip."

--Philip Fracassi, author of Boys in the Valley

 

"If you're tired of the same wines and you're curious about the vintage only just whispered about, have a deep draught of Robert Guffey's Cryptopolis. You don't have to descend with Fortunato to the deepest cellars to find this bottle of Amontillado. Here it is! If Poe collaborated with Robert Anton Wilson...if Borges had a lovechild with Lovecraft, which was subsequently adopted by Kafka...you might get Cryptopolis. I think too that Clark Ashton Smith would admire this collection. Written with the obsessive precision of a mysterious staircase descending into the abyss, Cryptopolis will take you to strange epiphanies..."  

 

--John Shirley, author of The Feverish Stars

 

"Once upon a time, weird and speculative fiction had an underground full of stories that were not written as calling cards or as film treatments or as extended internet memes. Guffey's tales resist genre gentrification; they move into your mind to turn it into a punk house squat!" 

--Nick Mamatas, author of Move Under Ground and The Second Shooter

 

"Guffey brings together 25 horror shorts that swing wildly between terrifying mindtrips and gritty realism. Throughout, Guffey’s blunt prose lends a sense of normalcy to the fantastic as his cast of losers from all walks of life face the cruelties of their existence—sexual violence, drugs, war, parenthood, and poverty [...]. Though not for the faint of heart, this bizarre and over-the-top collection is sure to thrill devotees of weird fiction."

--Publishers Weekly

TWIN PEAKS SEASON 23!

In honor of the 35th anniversary of Special Agent Dale Cooper arriving in the town of Twin Peaks on February 24, 1989, I present to you my favorite scene from Twin Peaks Season 23....

MARKETWATCH: "DWAC Updates SEC Filings"

From Ciara Linnane's 2-23-24 MARKETWATCH article entitled "DWAC Updates SEC Filings to Reflect New Risk Factors in Plan to Buy Trump Media & Technology Group":

Digital World Acquisition Corp. said Friday it has updated its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission regarding its planned merger with Trump Media and Technology Group, former President Donald Trump’s social-media company, to reflect new risk factors [...].

Trump “is the subject of numerous legal proceedings, the scope and scale of which are unprecedented for a former President of the United States and current candidate for that office,” said the update.

DWAC said it cannot guarantee that opponents of Trump may make moves aimed at preventing the deal from closing.

“We cannot assure you that the claims asserted against TMTG or Digital World are without the financial and/or human capital resources of operatives representing the interests of political opponents of President Trump focused on thwarting the business combination to prevent President Trump’s potential financial gain, which focus could further delay, or prevent, the completion of the business combination,” DWAC said in the update.

The update also cautioned that the deal could be delayed by Trump Media’s co-founders, Andy Litinsky and Wes Moss, whose investment company, United Atlantic Ventures, has threatened to block the deal.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Mark Epstein on Donald Trump

From Natalie Korach's 1-10-24 THE WRAP article entitled "Jeffrey Epstein Shunned Donald Trump ‘When He Realized He Was a Crook,’ Disgraced Financier’s Brother Tells Piers Morgan":

Jeffrey Epstein’s brother Mark Epstein joined “Piers Morgan Uncensored” to discuss his suspicions surrounding his brother’s death, telling the British TV host that Epstein halted his relationship with Donald Trump once he “realized he was a crook” [...].

Morgan [...] pivoted the conversation to Jeffrey Epstein’s powerful and wealthy friends, asking whether “one of those people who may have had a vested interest in shutting him up and not talking about what he knew about them potentially may have played a part in his death?”

“Yes, that’s what I think happened,” Epstein replied with confidence.

Morgan also asked about whether Epstein possibly had information on Donald Trump and Bill Clinton “that was so incendiary that the 2016 election would have been canceled if that information had come out.”

Epstein corrected Morgan, saying that his brother was referencing Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, not Bill Clinton.

“I never heard Jeffrey say anything bad about Bill Clinton,” Epstein said. “Jeffrey always liked Bill Clinton.”

“What information do you think he had on Donald Trump, for example, that could have disqualified him?” Morgan asked.

“I don’t know any specific information,” Epstein responded. “But I’ve also heard Jeffrey say that he stopped hanging out with Donald Trump when he realized Trump was a crook.”

Epstein noted that his brother’s statement of that nature is on videotape, which he has seen.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

MARKETWATCH: "Cha-ching!"

From Brett Arends' 2-17-24 MARKETWATCH article entitled "Cha-ching! How Trump Is Making $4 Billion from His 2024 Campaign for President.":

Away from the legal headlines, Donald Trump has just made a staggering amount of money, all of it driven by the publicity from his campaign for the White House. (A terribly, terribly cynical person might even suggest that is part of the point.)

How much? Forget these fines, which add up to less than $500 million. Trump is suddenly on track for a windfall of nearly $4 billion. And he has made most of it just in the five weeks since his big win in the Iowa caucus put him in pole position for the Republican nomination.

The windfall is from the forthcoming IPO of his social media platform, “Truth Social,” which he launched – amid massive derision from the liberal media, I might add – in 2021 after he got kicked off Twitter.

Truth Social got approval for its IPO from the Securities and Exchange Commission this week.

It will come to the stock market through a merger with a so-called blank check or “shell” company known as Digital World Acquisition Corp [DWAC, -4.00%]. (Bank check companies are paper companies that list on the stock market first, then find a business to buy or merge with).

Under the terms of the deal, which has been in the pipelines since 2021, Trump personally will end up with 79 million shares in the company when the deal is complete, possibly as soon as this quarter.

Or so reports this SEC company filing, on page 309.

The value of those shares today: $48. They dropped $2 on Friday, but only after a phenomenal run that has taken them from just $17 in early January, just before the Iowa caucus.

That makes Trump’s personal stake valued at $3.8 billion: A rise of $2.5 billion just since winning the Iowa caucus. Who says it costs money to run for president?

To read the entire article, click HERE.

NPR: Christianity in Crisis

From Scott Detrow, Gabriel J. Sánchez, and Sarah Handel's 8-8-23 NPR report entitled "He Was a Top Church Official Who Criticized Trump. He Says Christianity Is in Crisis" (hat tip to Conspirinormal's Adam Sayne for bringing this article to my attention):

[Russell Moore] criticized Donald Trump and the Southern Baptist Convention's response to a sexual abuse crisis. Then he found himself on the outside [...]. Moore was one of the top officials in the Southern Baptist Convention. When Donald Trump came on the scene, Moore criticized him publicly and found himself ostracized by many other evangelical leaders who embraced the former president [...].

Moore spoke to All Things Considered's Scott Detrow about what he thinks the path forward is for evangelicalism in America.

On why he thinks Christianity is in crisis:

It was the result of having multiple pastors tell me, essentially, the same story about quoting the Sermon on the Mount, parenthetically, in their preaching — "turn the other cheek" — [and] to have someone come up after to say, "Where did you get those liberal talking points?" And what was alarming to me is that in most of these scenarios, when the pastor would say, "I'm literally quoting Jesus Christ," the response would not be, "I apologize." The response would be, "Yes, but that doesn't work anymore. That's weak." And when we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we're in a crisis.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Censorship Corner: The Hugo Awards Controversy

From Zoe Guy's 2-16-24 VULTURE article entitled "The Hugo Awards Scandal Is a Mess":

The Hugo Awards are facing a controversy of intergalactic proportions. According to emails leaked on February 14, the volunteer body that administered the 2023 Hugo Awards appeared to have directly engaged in self-censoring the nominees over political concerns about the host country, China. The emails allege members of the Hugo administration team succeeded in keeping certain books off-ballot because they wanted to operate under Chinese laws related to content and censorship, Hugo-nominated sci-fi author Jason Sanford and Hugo-winning fan writer Chris M. Barkley wrote in a special report on February 14. “In addition to the regular technical review, as we are happening in China and the *laws* we operate under are different … we need to highlight anything of a sensitive political nature in the work,” Dave McCarty, division head of the Hugo Awards Selection Executive Department, wrote in an email dated June 5, 2023. Talk about the call coming from inside the house. Following a round of voting that left four writers, including former Hugo Award winner Neil Gaiman and Babel’s R.F. Kuang, out of competition during the latest awards season, fans are accusing the Hugos of being book-award thieves [...].

Speculation that the Chinese government played a role in censoring the votes grew. Comic-book writer Gaiman has previously voiced criticisms of the government for incarcerating writers. Both Kuang and Zhao were born in China and now live in the West, and their books tackle social issues in allegorical fantasy worlds. However, McCarty denied the notion in a Facebook post in the days following the release of the nominating-statistics release. “Nobody has ordered me to do anything …” he wrote per the Guardian on January 24. “There was no communication between the Hugo administration team and the Chinese government in any official manner.”

Based on leaked information from committee member Diane Lacey obtained by Barkley and Sanford, the censorship occurred at the selection committee’s own behest. 

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Censorship Corner: "West Virginia House Passes Bill Allowing Prosecution of Librarians"

From Steven Allen Adams' 2-17-24 PARKERSBURG NEWS AND SENTINEL article entitled "West Virginia House Passes Bill Allowing Prosecution of Librarians":

The West Virginia House of Delegates debated the merits of removing protections for public librarians and school librarians from criminal prosecution in the off chance a minor encounters books and content some consider to be obscene.

The House passed House Bill 4654 – removing bona fide schools, public libraries, and museums from the list of exemptions from criminal liability relating to distribution and display to a minor of obscene matter – in a 85-12 vote Friday, sending the bill to the state Senate.

HB 4654 would lift criminal liability exemptions from schools in the presentation of local or state-approved curriculum, and public libraries and museums displaying obscene matter to a minor when the child is not accompanied by a parent/guardian.

State Code defines obscene matter as anything an average person believes depicts or describes sexually explicit conduct, nudity, sex or certain bodily functions; or anything a reasonable person would find lacks serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. According to State Code 61-8A-2, any adult who knowingly and intentionally displays obscene matter to a minor could be charged with a felony, fined up to $25,000 and face up to five years in prison if convicted [...].

Opponents of the bill said that while the bill does not ban books, the bill would have unintended consequences for public and school libraries, resulting in increases in challenges to even classic books and attempts to criminally charge librarians over books not pornographic in nature, but books that include descriptions of sex. They also said it could result in improper criminal charges against library staff.

“It is going to cost our counties and our librarians when these matters go to the court system,” said House Minority Leader Sean Hornbuckle, D-Cabell. “Because this is still vague, I’m scared … This is a very dangerous bill” [...].

According to PEN America — a freedom of expression and 1st Amendment advocacy organization — several states are either removing criminal liability exemptions for public and school libraries, or expanding the definition of obscenity to capture a wider array of books that could potentially result in criminal charges for simply having them on a shelf. The most recent was Montana last year.

To read the entire article, click HERE.

Dark Valentine

"The stories in CRYPTOPOLIS feel like the bloody, star-filled lovechildren of Burroughs and Delany." 

--Philip Fracassi, author of Boys in the Valley

 

Pulp Fiction, Velvet Revolutions & QAnonsense with Robert Guffey & Recluse!

Earlier today, The Farm podcast aired an interview with Yours Truly (originally recorded by Recluse back on January 26). Over the course of this two-hour-plus interview we discuss my new Evergreen Review article, "The Silent Civil War," my 2022 book OPERATION MINDFUCK, my 2015 book CHAMELEO, the continual growth of QAnonsense, The Leech Woman, The Unearthly, The Shadow, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Q as a culture vulture, Donald Trump, Q's role in the Republican nomination for Speaker of the House, the destruction of the Georgia Guidestones, the Guidestones as psychological warfare, the science fiction novels of John Shirley, Jan. 6 as a color revolution, Q in Ufology, Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Michael Flynn, Christopher Mellon, Q's presence in the military and law enforcement, Skinwalker Ranch, Oath Keepers, Chris Marx, deep fake technology, AI, gangstalking, and non-lethal weapons!!!

Listen to the entire episode right HERE.

USA TODAY: "Goofy 'God's Army' Convoy"

From Rex Huppke's 2-5-24 USA TODAY article "Goofy 'God's Army' Convoy on Texas Border Shows Trump's MAGA Movement Is Just One Long Con":

The “God’s Army” convoy was supposed to be a mighty force of 700,000 or more people from every corner of America. It wound up being maybe a couple hundred vehicles parked at a rural ranch in Quemado, Texas – basically a Trump rally without a Trump, but with plenty of hucksters selling MAGA merch and grifting the easily grifted.

Some actually visited the border in nearby Eagle Pass, Texas, and were surprised to not witness the invasion they had been promised.

Convoy-goer Misty Gregory told MSNBC: “It’s not what I expected, but then again I don’t know what I expected. I can tell you it’s not as bad as what I thought, so that’s kind of eye-opening in itself.”

Abbott and about a dozen other pro-razor-wire GOP governors were in Eagle Pass on Sunday, hollering and whatnot. Some residents said the recent invasion of Trump supporters from the convoy had been downright scary.

“We are constantly being told that we’re being invaded, and that never felt true until today, when the convoy came to town in anticipation of the governors’ event,” Jessie F. Fuentes told WOAI NBC News Channel 4. “This is political theater by outsiders. The reality is that it has brought dangerous, violent groups into our beautiful, peaceful city. Eagle Pass is safer than most cities in America if you look at crime statistics. This is just a fact. We don’t appreciate these staged events that dramatically misrepresent our reality on the border and that invite extremist groups that pose a real danger to people in our community.”

To read the entire article, click HERE. 

CONSPIRINORMAL #471: Robert Guffey and Dr. Future ("The Silent Civil War")

The latest episode of CONSPIRINORMAL dropped earlier today. Using my recent EVERGREEN REVIEW article, "The Silent Civil War," as a jumping-off point, Episode #471 features a two-and-a-half-hour conversation between Yours Truly and Dr. J. Michael Bennet (AKA Dr. Future) about the radicalization of the evangelical right. Dr. Bennet is a Christian researcher and author of TWO MASTERS AND TWO GOSPELS (2020), a book that explores the “cognitive dissonance” that has run rampant throughout the evangelical community in recent years. I found this dialogue to be quite illuminating. I've lost count of how many times I've been a guest on CONSPIRINORMAL since 2016, but this is probably my favorite appearance (due primarily to the contributions of the inimitable Dr. Future). Kudos to Adam Sayne and his co-host, Serfiel Stevenson, for overseeing this sprawling conversation! Note: The original interview was actually about three hours long, but I believe the final half-hour (in which Dr. Future and I discuss the devolution of Bohemian Grove and related esoterica) is available via CONSPIRINORMAL'S Patreon page. You can listen to Episode #471 directly below!

Conspirinormal 471- Robert Guffey and Dr. Future ("The Silent Civil War")

NEW YORK POST: "Satan, Stalkers and Corrupt Presidential Candidates"

From Isabel Keane and Yaron Steinbuch's 1-31-24 NEW YORK POST article entitled "Crazed Conspiracy Theorist Charged with Beheading Dad Wrote Books About Satan, Planned to Kill Family in ‘America’s Coming Bloody Revolution’":

The crazed Pennsylvania son charged with decapitating his dad and posting video of it online had previously published twisted songs and books about Satan, stalkers and corrupt presidential candidates — along with descriptions of killing his family in “America’s Coming Bloody Revolution.”

Justin Mohn, 33, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse after he was seen holding up the severed head of his dad, Michael Mohn, 68, in a disgusting video posted late Tuesday [...].

Mohn had called his video a “call to arms for American patriots” — a theme the QAnon-aligned conspiracy theorist repeatedly shared in a number of self-published books [...].

Mohn claims he is the commander of America’s network of militias as he rants against migrants, the Biden administration, the LBGTQ community, Black Lives Matter and “far-left woke mobs.”

He calls for the slaughter and public execution of FBI agents, IRS employees, US Marshals, federal judges, border control officers and more “for betraying their country.”

To read the entire article, click HERE.

"G-Bomb" in THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #89!

The latest issue of THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR (No. 89, Spring 2024) is being released on February 7 and includes my lengthy article entitled "G-Bomb: Masonic and Hermetic Symbolism in The Incredible Hulk," which examines the often overlooked metaphysical aspects of Kirby's oeuvre, particularly with regard to esoteric symbolism in The Incredible Hulk and related comic book tales of the 1950s and '60s. 

Fans of both Jack Kirby and James Shelby Downard (author of the posthumously released book, STALKING THE GREAT WHORE edited by Adam Gorightly) will definitely want to check out "G-Bomb"! This same issue also includes contributions by the likes of Mark Evanier, Glen David Gold, and Will Murray. You can purchase a copy of THE JACK KIRBY COLLECTOR #89 right HERE or at a well-stocked comic book store near you!

 

Censorship Corner: "Err on the Side of Caution"

From Robin Abcarian's 1-31-24 LOS ANGELES TIMES Op-Ed piece entitled "Need Help Finding a Good Book? Try One Your 9th-grader Isn’t Allowed to Read":

At the end of last year, according to the Orlando Sentinel, “Paradise Lost” was one of 673 titles removed from public school classroom shelves in an Orlando-area district in response to new state laws that require librarians and teachers to review all classroom books and banish ones that are pornographic or depict “sexual conduct.”

As the Sentinel explained, “New state training … warns them to ‘err on the side of caution’ when approving books and warns that they can face criminal penalties and the loss of their teaching certificates if they approve inappropriate books.”

Florida’s censorship efforts are part of a book-banning frenzy sweeping through the more conservative parts of our allegedly free-speech-loving country.

“We have recorded instances of book bans in 30 states,” said Kasey Meehan, the Freedom to Read director at PEN America, which advocates for free expression and fights censorship. “Florida and Texas are leading the way, as well as Missouri, Pennsylvania, Iowa and Utah,” she said.

In Idaho, librarians are so demoralized by the censorious political climate — one official in the city of Buhl referred to the local librarian as a “groomer” — that more than half recently told the state’s library association that they are thinking of leaving the field, according to the Idaho Capital Sun.

Mostly, the pressure to censor is coming from the right, which has pushed book bans under the banner of “parental rights.” Efforts originating from the left, Meehan told me, often involve protests against white authors using the N-word. In 2020, the Burbank Unified School District took some books off required reading lists, such as Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” and Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” after parents complained that the books were racist. However, Burbank Supt. John Paramo told me Tuesday that they are still available in the school and classroom libraries.

Books targeted by conservatives often feature characters who are not white, or who are not heterosexual.

In January 2022, a North Carolina parent asked his school district to take “Dear Martin” off the required reading list in his son’s high school English class. Tim Reeves told a local TV news station that he did not object to the novel’s message about racial profiling, per se. Rather, he objected to the liberal use of vulgar words. “Words that start with the letter S,” as he put it. “Words that start with the letter F.”

“Dr. Martin Luther King would not want vulgarity or sexual innuendos [to] be used to teach the lesson about racism and brutality,” said Reeves. I don’t know about that. Seems like King would maybe have been more interested in ending racial profiling than worrying about how fictional kids talk.

To read Abcarian's entire article, click HERE.