Everyman.

One of those posts you see on the internet from time to time is the archetypal leftist saying that Jesus was a queer brown socialist just like them, and the follow up is them recoiling when the guy says, oh you like Jesus, have you tried reading the Bible. 

Its one of the dumbest quotes ever alongside the cartoon of  Rupert Murdoch blaming the foreigner for stealing all the stuff when he has a huge pile of stuff and we should improve society somewhat peasant meme. You can be sure that an ex Christian has read the bible, in fact I often joke most of the atheists I watch on Youtube were balls deep in the church, before leaving (and simping for social justice). No the thing I'd like to point out is the socialist Christ meme.

In fact the hardcore bible nut will have their own personal Jesus, they create from their upbringing, and a more moderate will have their own take. In fact you want a black Jesus, its feasible, or that one where they made him look more like a 1st century Jew (which if he existed, would most certainly be.) 

Another fact in this is that Easter is so tied in to Passover means he doesn't follow the pagan tradition of dying at the year end and being reborn in the spring. 

You want him to be the prince of peace then fair enough, he is. You want to emphasize his strength (which is how they converted the Vikings back in the day) then you can do that. The fact remains, Jesus is all things to all men. That he never died or will return from death means little, he's just an archetype a metaphor, an everyman, a peoples placeholder. If you want him to do all those things and they mean stuff for you, fair enough, but for me the risen lord meant nothing as he never rose or died to begin with.  

Bombay boomerangs.

 An odd one for sure. The boys get involved in a mercury smuggling racket that evolves into a national security threat.  They investigate thefts of mercury from freighters in Bayport and Baltimore and the mysterious Bombay boomerang which possibly has something to do with the Super S missile stolen from the Pentagon. 

Joe rings a wrong number and is put through to the Pentagon where his call is intercepted by someone being attacked, the only clue is something called The Bombay Boomerang (he was supposed to call a mercury supplier).  

This tale mixes some dark themes and cringe humour in places as Fenton Hardy goes undercover to crack the case only to end up in a barrel and dumped in the bay at Baltimore, and an Indian sent to kill the Hardy boys thanks to a mix up over them committing sacrilege against the Hindu god Krishna. 

Cringe comes from the Radio DJ Teddy Blaze who would be a massive Smashy & Nicey clone if he wasn't feeding information to the mercury gang via his broadcasts. Its made worse in  the US version where his records are known as hot platters. At least it isn't vinyls, which would be beyond the pale. 

Special mention must go to how the boys are written in this. They come across as sharp talking and quick witted with at least one snappy comeback to whatever the crooks  throw at them. In some of the books they're written in they come across as flat, but here they feel alive. Even more so that the bloke who actually wrote it, Victor Buranelli, did three of the worst Hardy Boys books, The revised Flickering Torch and The Flying Express and the execrable Witchmaster's Key.  

Anyway you can read both the Original and UK versions here. 

Drawing again

 Have been on an art rush, so to speak these past few weeks. Not only am I working on this years calendar (theme videogames and OC Heads and Tails), but have found time to do this small edit based on opera singer Lawrence Tibbett.

Can't remember what book this was that sprung forth the whole Tibbet thing as a shorthand for cat, my guess is the classic Smoke and Fluff, 

EDIT it's from Five Little Kittens, We obviously had a lot of Ladybird books as a kid. As a final punishment have seotpit aka Tiptoes  the Mischievous kitten which was often read to  Weedle as as he slept at the base of my parents bed. But more often or not he was buried deepd down under the duvet with me. 

He did get his own back by clawing the hell out of Watership Down as no one paid him any attention. In fact it was at the last battle with  General Woundwort when he went rogue. Along with the Horse and his Boy its one of those books that I've tried to read a few times but never got. 

Happy New Year.

 For  the first time in ages I went to Greenwich park. I wanted to look around the meridian line and the clock museum but its now £18 to get in, and last time I went there it was free. 

They are renovating the grass areas to restore it back to the 17th century original, so it looks rough at the moment.  If you really like dogs and are a tourist then give it a go. Me, I'll not be going back anytime soon. 

Better times was had looking round Greenwich town itself. There are a few charity shops but none open on new years day.  The local Music Video Exchange is open and I manage to get a few good things in the bargain rails. This includes Body 2 Body Let's get Intimate and a hopefully not too smacked up Neil Hawaiian House EP. Oh and Freeman by big  Darryl Pandy.

Whale Tattoo

The secret of the whale tattoo review, then, when I should be wishing you a happy new year and putting myself to bed. 

The boys are helping out at a local carnival hoping to catch pickpockets on behalf of a MR Solo. Fenton has a case where a man, calling himself Black Right, has a missing ivory idol for sale,  that was looted a few years back. Those two cases couldn't possibly be connected... could they?

Indeed they are and when a stuffed blue whale is uncovered on a building site owned by Tony Prito's dad then it seems that some one wants to  stop them from putting two and two together and finding out who the gang on robbers with whale tattoos are. 

The action takes place in Bayport and Mystic Connecticut. There is a nice throw in to cryptozoology too, as the whale was washed up in Montauk where a mystery beast was also found in 2008. The whale, now owned by Tony Prito and Biff Hooper, gets stolen and the boys head out to capture it.

It's not a bad story overall, the Tattoo angle is strange for the point of view these days as the world and their dog seems to have some sort of body art. Back when it was written this was quite different, as only certain types had tatts. 

There is no real differences between the UK and US editions either. All references to carnies and such are gone. It's not as if we don't have these travelling fairs either. And the ending where Cousin Elmer (a long lost cousin and some sort of sailor) comes to stay is changed. But that is it.

You can find the original and the UK versions here. and here.

Year round up missed flipped skipped edition 2023

 It's the  time of year where we see all the things we forgot about over the past few days. It also includes vidya books and YTP and Youtuber stuff so without further ado lets check in.

Music. 

Coi Leray Girls are players too.

A.K.A. Girls are fit as fuck (which is what I sing along to it,) A.K.A. That track that ripped off the Message Grandmaster Flash but ended up sucking balls.

Theo Parrish. DJ Kicks.

Some top drawer Jazzy House and indeed Housey Jazz style tracks here. Forgot all about this and really wish I didn't.

TV.

All creatures great and small.

Used to watch this back in the day, and will say that this is a good version of proper modernization. Previous series had Jim Moir (Vic Reeves) on a break from drawing. This season Rio Ferdinand with a Ferret.

Books. 

The coming plague.

A thick old book looking at emerging diseases. It ended around 1995 and covered Ebola, Antibiotic resistance and the emergence of HIV / AIDS. Whereas the "Gay plague" as it was dubbed in the west did indeed rip through the gay communities of America. I was surprised to know that it was war and chronic needle shortage leading to reuse of syringes that lay the foundations of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. That and regular prostitution. It doesn't cover SARS or COVID as those were this centuries diseases, but the same rules apply. I'm pretty sure that SARS will have a natural origin along with the general shoddiness of Chinese safety protocols, that will be what caused the pandemic.

Youtube.

A few good things, such as Miles Power's demolition of Holocaust Denial. Including weirdo guy half naked in a kiddies playground. 

No if you want the best of the best, its a Ya Boy Zack vid on the whole trans autistic lesbians write inferior comic books vid. My thoughts on trans BTW is that you need genuine dysmorphia to be trans, its not a feeling or that I can't handle being a pretty girl so I'll be a boy instead.  Sorry doesn't work, you need to grow up feeling that my body is not the one I'm supposed to be in. 

Movies.

Finally saw the Mario film yesterday and it was a genuine joy laughing at all the little in jokes. Such as the Gamecube start up music on Luigi's phone, and Bowsers Ludwig von Koopa piano he sings along to.

Games.

Both Metroid Dread and Labyrinth of Refrain: Covenant of Dread are occupying my time. Absolute top notch, with ironically both a female lead in each game. The the latter  has lesbian nuns in it. Plus Madam Dronya is one laconic bitch. 

 

A tale of two kitties.

 This is the place where we'd usually expand on what music I'd thought was cool / sucked this year but seeing as we switched from Kiss FM to Heart at work then it basically boils down to the new Andre 3000 flute jazz album as the absolute best and Commercial  Cee Sprinter as the total nadir of the year. 

No I'd rather spend my time writing about cats or rather a tale of two kitties. Tabby McTat for the BBC and Mog on Channel 4. Both are set in London and whereas Mog is a full on nostalgia fest set in what looks like the 70's. Tabby McTat is a full on modern day, Multi-cultural London. As a result it feels weirdly off. Modern day things for a modern day audience.

Tabby, stars a busker and his singing cat, who thanks to a crook nicking his hat full of takings ends up in A&E while his cat wanders off to live with the weird lesbians and their cat Sock, a Black cat with a white paw. I thought one of them was trans at first until I clicked its supposed to be Islington and they're leftie weirdo types. One of the best things I can fully cheer them for is Weedle representation as one of Sock's kittens is a Weedle type. 

Weedle and Xmas 80x or so.

Anyway the two are reunited and busker bloke gets a place and takes on Tabby's son Spratt.

Mog on the other hand is a real gem. Based on the books by Judith Kerr, this is a real nostalgia bait for those of a certain age. It just screams family and cosyness. It has mum, dad, a daughter and son and Mog, trying to deal with change at Xmas. Dad gets a spanking great tree for his kids, and Mog is booted out. If you are an Autistic weirdo like me you'll see parallels to the autism experience of change and stuff. Mog decamps to the roof while this is going on. 

Meanwhile they have family over, a cheerful uncle and two aunties one dozy and one quite sane. You can imagine them living together as two spinsters or you can imply they're not. Anyway it just hangs together as a family unit. Mog does decide to come down via the chimney and runs amok,  before being captured and bathed. 

I will say its beautiful, and of a period of London long lost. The only non white is a Jamaica lady who's evil chimp child of a son likes Mog. Tabby McTat is the full on modern London with modern values, but this is for the old heads who grew up here and see it decline full time. 

You can see it here. Tabby McTat is on iPlayer which is not free and therefore doesn't get a link.