Post-Apocalyptic Mythology: A Brief Introduction

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.
—T.S. Eliot, "The Hollow Men" (1925)

Humanity has long had an obsession with death, from stories of the undead to quests for immortality. The only seemingly sure thing, death, has plagued the human consciousness. However, the death of the individual is not the only death that Humans worry about. Like creation myth, many cultures have their own end of the world mythology. The Christian faith has revelations which speak of devastating war and destruction, where as the Mayans have the world ending in different cycles with different methods. Story tellers have imagined into existence millions of ways to end the world. But the world's end is not the end of the story.

With the world over, the logical question is “what's next?” The issue of the post-apocalyptic world has its’ own set of mythologies. Some myths are quite old belonging to ancient cultures. For example, Christian Revelations puts the post apocalyptic world in a paradise. Modern writers, more often than not, do not share that cheery end of the world. As varied as the ways the world dies, are the ways humans handle what's left. They can escape to space or underground, evolve to fit the new world or an imagination’s worth of other possibilities. These myths are in some ways more compelling than the end of the world scenario that spawned them.

If this is the way the world ends, then what happens next?

Looking beyond the end,
J.R West the Raccoon

A Cure for Exhaustion

Tonight the editor of Dante's Heart is rummaging the house to find a cure for exhaustion. He remembers having seen it before, a tiny little quartz bottle with a cork stopper, an heirloom from his great-grandmother. He remembers the liquid inside sounds like the humming of bees when you shake up the bottle.

Long Ago Far Away

Dear readers,

I have been delighted to find a few clips on youtube (here is one below) of a television series I grew up with, Long Ago Far Away. This series of animated fairytales (using every medium from line drawing to stop animation) was often introduced or narrated by James Earl Jones of Darth Vader fame.



This wonderful series of fairy tales was a delight of my childhood. Definitely take a look at this clip of "Janko Raven" - you will be enchanted!

Does anyone know, by any chance, where recordings of "Long Ago Far Away" can be located/purchased? My machete-hunting through the wild ferns of Ebay has not turned up much....

Daniel
Editor, Dante's Heart

The Other Side of the Mirror

Hatter M: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor with Liz Cavalier and art by Ben Templesmith is a graphic novel based on a series of books with the same name. It is a reversal of the standard Alice in Wonderland. This Alice is a Wonderland princess lost in our mundane world. The characterization of the titular Hatter is spectacular as a royal guard of Wonderland appearing to be the definition of mad in our linear world. However, with his narration as a guide, he is easy to relate to. Additionally, the use of the art style and color in Templesmith's illustrations adds a new depth to the story, particularly to the characters. Beddor takes a familiar story and creates an intriguing and witty reversal.

The role of the hatter is much expanded from the original story. Instead of running a mad tea party this Hatter is Princess Alice's personal guard, trying to find her in a world that is far from the fantastic world he is used to. He replaces Alice as the focus and proves to be a brilliant character. His remarks at times are completely non-sequitur but appropriate in tone. Even his hat is more than a decoration; but instead is a bladed weapon he is well trained in using. It is a thrill to take the adventure with him.

The comic takes care to show visually the difference between those characters with ties to Wonderland and those who are terribly mundane. The hatter is draped in blue tones, colorful, but melancholy. Children who still imagine Wonderland are wrapped in bright colors and fanciful shapes. Adults not trapped by the lackluster of the normal world are colored while the rest are blue-gray, dull and lifeless. Very rarely are hard lines drawn; fuzzy curves dominate the art. Crisp definite boundaries are avoided; making the world feel dreamlike, as if the Hatter cannot accept our world as reality.

Hatter M: The Looking Glass War is a refreshing take on the classical tale. The artistic choices are brilliant and reversing Alice's role makes an interesting variation. Finally, the use of the Hatter as the protagonist caps this lovely comic. I give it a 4 out of 5.

On the wrong side of the Rabbit Hole,
J.R. West the Raccoon

Congratulations to our Art Editor and Editor-in-Chief

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate two of the staff members on the addition to their family. I wish them all the happiness in the world and send all my love to their new little girl, River.

With Love,
J.R. West

Anita Blake: Excelling in multiple forms

Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter's Guilty Pleasures and Laughing Corpse by Laurell K. Hamilton convert cleanly from book to graphic novel. This is due to the conversational nature of the story which matches the common comic book style. Additionally, the comic illustrator Brett Booth took care to match Hamilton's colorful description. The Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series is possibly the most accurate translation from comic to novel.

In both novels, Guilty Pleasures and Laughing Corpse Anita Blake narrates, her voice is a casual inner monologue which doesn't edit for the reader. This style almost exactly matches the style in the square narration boxes of comics. Her interior thought are highly reminiscent of Spiderman and Deadpool. They cleanly translate into the narration of a comic. It was almost as if Hamilton knew her novel was going to become a comic. In addition, to the voice of the narrator, Hamilton gives ample description of her world. Her illustrative description is almost enough for a sketch artist. The exact skin tone, hair type and color, body shape and size, and over all body language is covered in high detail. The illustrator is given a clear guide for each character. Booth takes the description and flawless converts it into images.

It was a thrill to both read the comic and novel version of the two stories, Guilty Pleasures and Laughing Corpse. I would recommend reading one version if you like the other.

Always looking for good comics
JR West the Raccoon

Petsalad: The art of coin cutting

Time flies.... For weeks I have wanted to share with you all my latest discoveries in the wonderful world of art, but work has kept me up lately as we all prepare ourselves for the Christmas period. I still just have a little time but I had to share with you this shop named: Petsalad.
I must admit it was, at first, not the work which caught my eye, but a small description of the shop showing at the top of the page. It said: "What Rob does when he's not playing banjo". Well, you can understand this made me very curious.

When I took a better look at Rob's shop I realized that the pendants I saw were actually coins. It was the first time in my life I came in contact with the art of cutting coins and I was absolutley blown away by the detail and beauty of these little pieces of art.
Though all these coins are beauties, the coin featuring St. George is the most stunning of all. It is hard to belief that these pendants are made with nothing more then a jewelers saw. No electricity or whatsoever is used during the process.

So, now you know what Rob does when he is not playing banjo....