Monday, September 19, 2022

COSMIC TURTLES AND OTHER THINGS


When a celestial being arrives from nowhere, the world isn't sure how to react. Is he friend? Foe? Savior? And why does unremarkable junior high school teacher Eric Small become so obsessed with the man they call Godsend? And why in the world does a turtle with a man's head (or is it a man with a turtle's body?) suddenly manifest in Eric's living room?

Godsend—with art by Matthew Dow Smith—is one of four new series launching in October from Spellbound Comics and Kickstarter! Head over to www.spellboundcomics.com to sign up for news and updates.

The DeMultiverse is coming!



19 comments:

  1. A cosmic turtle?

    Well, good to see that Maturin got over that pesky choking on a galaxy death.

    Jack

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    1. Had to look that reference up to understand what you're talking about. No connection...except, perhaps the same mythic source material:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Turtle

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    2. Also: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kurma

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    3. Actually,m there is one other connections...


      Bizarre Adventure #29
      https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Bizarre_Adventures_Vol_1_29

      I believe 1981 was slightly before Bill had his writer's block, and Stan Uris said, "the turtle can;t help us now" or something similar (I read the book a while ago).

      Perhaps he effected Editor Denny O'Neil to put nothing you and that Steve guy, who has all that talent, but never went anywhere, in the same comic. Using you as a way to keep him alive.

      After all, you refer to Moonshadow as the origin point of your "true writing" where you were no longer trying to emulate others, came out from 1985-87. In 1986 It came out. Both of which deal heavily with children who come of age due to fantastical and even horrifying circumstance, at around the age of 12.

      If you want to take it a step further, Watchmen also came out in 1986, but like took place in 1985, like It. Both of which involve Baby Boomers confronting trauma from their youth, and having to take on a seemingly all powerful foe, that only they can perceive or stop.

      Both also look at the negative side of nostalgia, by exposing the realities of seemingly ideal and innocent eras, while being stymied in the cultural references of the time. Also, the threat is stopped by a small group that has not seen each other in years regrouping, while being confronted by long ago love triangles. Also, The Comedian and Henry Bowers have some similarities.

      Alan Moore worships a snake-god, snakes like turtles are reptiles.

      Perhaps Kraven's Last Hunt was just the echoes of Maturin. Spider-man's death and rebirth a hope symbol since the Turtle's foe is of course the Dead Lights, which the human brain perceives as a Spider. With Romantic love at the core being the ultimate push back, since the lights are only consumption, reproduce asexually, and is contemptuous and harmed by all forms of love
      Making the story the ultimate contemptuous act of his old foe.

      Child Within, retconning Flash Thompson's childhood, and spotlighting Harry's own childhood abuse, as well as the creation of Shriek would be using the Spider to spread the word and ease childhood trauma, all while wearing the guise of the creature who caused so much. The child killer and toementor's guise now used to save and heal.

      Also released in 1986 (and I had to look this one up), Batman #400, which included a forward by Stephen King, Batman, you claim was who Kraven;s Last Hunt was initially about, thus leading the seed back. In the very years It was killed no less.

      Also, in 1985 COSMIC writer Jim Stalin conceived X-Men:Heroes for Hope. A comic Stephen King wrote a page for, in which the Merry Mutants fight hunger. Hungry being that fed off misery, Creating illusions to torment for its food, not unlike It taking forms to scare victims as to "salt the meat."

      Starlin of course would later go on to create the cosmic being Hunger, which was a cosmic being of endless consumption, not unlike IT. This was of course before the book was taken over in #7, by your writing partner Keith Giffen.

      It all seems a little odd?

      Kind of like you and Giffen writing a close to 100 issue redemption story in the pages of Justice League from 1987-91, But that happened, so maybe...

      Or maybe all that acid King and Starlin did in 60s and 70s caught up with them, and you just got caught up in the fun, Maybe Tortoises long lifespan just naturally causes mankind to craft stories based around them having some secret wisdom.

      One thing for sure, 60 issues, five annuals, four Quarterlies, 10 issues of JLE, four issues of a Martian MAnhunter mini series (though do consider that its own separate story), and eight issues of Mister Miracle is a lot of pages for redemption. You crazy kids are just lucky you pulled it off.

      Jack

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    4. You always have interesting perspectives, Jack.

      Believe it or not, I've never read IT. Saw the first movie, but, by 1990, when the novel came out, I wasn't reading much King. That said, I spent a good part of the 80s devouring his work...and I adored 11/22/63, which came out years later.

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    5. Two corrections:
      Alan Moore worships a hand puppet snake deity.

      IT was first published in 1986.

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    6. You're right! Google misled me. It showed me the release of the TV miniseries instead! And I'm realizing that I drifted away from King after CUJO, and that was early 80s...which explains why I never read IT. Maybe I should read it now...?

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    7. I’m not sure. I’m not the person to ask. I read it when I was sixteen years old. Like you, I was a huge King fan in my younger days, but then mostly stopped reading his fiction. I thought IT was his true masterpiece at the time. I’ve heard other people have less positive reactions to the novel. Mainly I hear the word “bloated” used. I wouldn’t want yo revisit it, dreading what I would think of the book all these years later.

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    8. Well, as the person who started this, and read the book at the oldest of age...21... calling it bloated is a ridiculous thing to call the book.
      In fact, at over 1,000 pages it could actually use more pages. While the characters of Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, and Richie Tozier are handled to great depth, Stan Uris and Eddie Kasabrak are far less developed. There could also be a little more done in building up the tension between IT and the kids as well as with Henry Bowers becoming crazier as the summer progressed "something the book said but only kind of showed.

      However, my history of the book was muddled. My older brother loved it when he was 12, and I was 7, and decided to go on about it. Because older brothers are assholes.

      Anyway, because of this, it is possible I expected to much on the fear front. However, not matter how you slice it, like the vast majority of king works it is very good character study. For the characters he goes in depth for at least.

      The end also, arguably, seems a little rushed, but over all it is a pretty good read.

      Why am I someone to listen to? Because I am NOT a huge Stephen King fan. Don't get me wrong, I think he is very talented, and greatly enjoy his work, but I have never gone through a phase where I have to "devour it" as you both say, only as it comes into my view. Probably a byproduct of growing up with him being a societal fixture.

      I however, do have a descending opinion on the recent film adaptions everyone loves. Which is that while well made, there are things that the mini series did better. Namely, the theatrical was a better horror movie, but the mini series was far better at studying the characters... which is what Stephen King stories actually do.

      The important thing Dematteis, you read Salem's Lot.

      Sure, give the book it a whirl. It is no masterpiece,but it is an enjoyable ride with well formed characters. Just two words of advice:

      1. If you are only going to read one story from the 80s, I would say the novella Apt Pupil. It is in the book "Different Seasons"
      2. I read the book IT, starting on the eve of my brother's wedding. I picked it up in a used bookstore. You COULD go that route (though I don;t know where you will find a soon to be married brother), but what I have learned since then, in regards to Stephen King, go audiobook.


      Finally, what was the comic of the 1980s that became wildly successful, going from nothing to an international phenomenon, and kick-starting the indie comic scene as we know it today? Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

      Jack

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    9. Wait. Wasn't that you who said you read it when you were sixteen? I'm confused.

      I read SALEM'S LOT back in the 70s and it scared the hell out of me. My two favorite King novels remain DEAD ZONE and 11/22/63.

      The Ninja Turtles certainly ruled the world back then, didn't they?

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    10. 11/22/63 is the only Stephen King book I've ever read and I loved it. Felt like a TWILIGHT ZONE concept and it was wonderfully written.

      The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turned out to be more versatile than they're given credit for, a lot of room to play with. I've always thought you'd be a great fit for that universe, with its mix of mysticism, absurdity, heart and humor, as well as threats ranging from street level to cosmic.

      That said, right now I'm more excited by the emergent DeMultiverse than anything else in comics.

      --David

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    11. I appreciate the enthusiasm, David. Kickstarters are a roll of the dice, so we need all the support we can get!

      I'm honestly not familiar with the Ninja Turtles beyond the basics of their existence, but "mysticism, absurdity, heart and humor" sounds good to me!

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    12. "God doesn't play dice with the DeMultiverse.."--Albert Einstein

      Or something like that, I might be misremembering. What do I know, I'm still trying to sort out what I thought I knew about Anyman!

      --David

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    13. I won't bore you with details, and I'm no expert, but in the current IDW comics the Turtles are the reincarnation of Splinter's sons who were murdered by the Shredder in their previous life. So theres some really great stuff about cycles of violence.

      --David

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    14. That Einstein knew what he was talkin' about!

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    15. Thanks for the Turtles info, David!

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    16. No Dematteis, that was not me who said he read IT at age 16.

      It is probably fair to say that the TMNT are to the modern age ... or is it Copper Age... of comics what the Fantastic Four were to the Marvel Age.

      I remember buying some back issues as a no-good teen, and being surprised by the stories the bright and colorful characters of my youth were experiencing

      It was not like...say... a massive amount of blood and guts, but something else. There is a story called "Sons of the Silent Age" whee April O'Neil (their human friend) is notably shook at the end, when she realizes the unspoken tragedy of them. They are are the only four of their kind. Or the resurrection of the Shredder through a worm golem, and the horror that their seemingly dead foe returned.

      It started out as parody, but the parody was so dry it was easy to shift into just weird stories or humor, and much like the F.F.,you could get stories not available anywhere else.

      Also like the F.F., as well as Seinfeld and the Beatles, their personalities reflect the four humors personalities of storytelling. Thus able to interact with each other. in a similarly engaging way

      I would also be somewhat remiss if I did not point out that that I believe there WAS a Twilight Zone episode similar to 11/22/63. I have not read the book, I admit, but isn't it similar to the 80s TZ episode, "Profile in Silver"?

      Also, if I have heard correctly, two characters fro IT appear in 11/22/63, Beverly Marsh and Richie Tozier.



      JAck

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    17. Yes, I remember that TZ episode! It was a good one, too! And here's the link:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrXRPQ2Lm0s

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    18. Here is one where Q played an emissary of the Afterlife

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEoIksoQ9_o


      Jack

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