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| Foucault
for Beginners |
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Documentary
Comic Books #62 |
Written by Lydia Alix Fillingham
Illustrated by Moshe Susser |
Paperback: 156 pages
Writers & Readers
ISBN: 086316160X |
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$11.95
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| Foucault's range
is amazing. Very few disciplines escaped his epistemological examination.
His examination includes literary criticism, criminology, and gender studies.
Arguing that definitions of abnormal behaviour are socially constructed,
Foucault explored the power relations between those who meet and those
who deviate from social norms. |
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| Foucault's examination
of the birth the prisons includes a very graphic description of early punishment
and the orgy of suffering does not escape Moshe Süsser's and is cleverly
written by Lydia Alix Fillingham. This book gives a very brief introduction
to Foucault's work (or the part of it that interests us), plus a very good
bibliography.
According to Foucault, people
do not have a 'true' identity. In essence, the self is a product of discourse.
Identity, is performative our interaction with others, but this is not
static. It is a dynamic, temporary and shifting. Foucualt centers his epistemology
around power, knowledge and language. People do not really have power per
se. Power is a force which people engage in - as in power knowledge and
language. Power is not owned; it is used. Where power is, there is also
an equal and opposite reaction.
I was particularly impressed
by the treatment of "The Birth of the Clinic" since this is one of the
few of his works that I missed and hope to read soon, it placed for me
the significance of his play on power and the gaze. I get the sense that
"The Birth of the Clinic" is a spin-off from "Madness and Civilization"
based on his take of the dis-empowerment of the sick (not well, not normal)
as well as the mad. I understand when this comic book mentions that reading
"The Order of Things" is not the best starting point to understanding Foucault
and I will venture to "The Archeology of Knowledge" armed with this introduction
and the other readings I have done on Foucault. A primer, I think it is
a really good start. However, in reality, Foucault and French deconstruction
is NOT infinitely incomprehensible. Conversely, be warned, if you think
you can read this as a substitute and come to class to discuss Foucault,
you might be disappointed.I highly recommend this to start and hopefully
it leads you to the fascinating maze that is Foucault.
Miguel Llora
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| Sartre
for Beginners |
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Documentary
Comic Book |
| by Donald Palmer |
Paperback: 156 pages
Writers & Readers
ISBN: 0863161774 |
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$11.95
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Ingram
Sartre's key ideas, along
with his major works, are presented in this accurate and accessible introduction
to the work of this French philosopher, who is most notable for coining
the term "existentialism," and who was a leading influence in French political
and intellectual life. Illustrations. |
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Reviewer:
A reader from New York
This
book is a joy. I knew nothing about Sartre or Existentialism and found
this book very clear and easy to follow. Unlike another Sartre book claiming
to be an easily understood introduction, this one contains graphics and
cartoons that aren't just caricatures of the people involved (how is knowing
what they looked like going to help me follow the facts?). The graphics
in this book are simple, funny visual descriptions and explanations of
a rather complex subject. Not complex at all since I read this book. It's
not a vastly detailed scientific study of Sartre's work. It is what it
promises to be: A Beginner's Guide to Sartre. With no knowledge of philosophy,
I found it fascinating and easy to follow, and it's whetted my appetite
for further reading. There are others in this series, about other philosophers,
and I'd recommend them all if you just want a little basic knowledge to
enhance your knowledge of the world! |
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| RICK VEITCH |
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RABID
EYE
THE DREAM ART
OF RICK VEITCH: Volume One |
| by Rick Veitch |
196 pages
King Hell Press
All copies signed by the artist. |
$14.95
+ $1.50 P&H
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| RABID EYE:
THE DREAM ART OF RICK VEITCH: Volume One collects Roarin' Rick's
Rare Bit Fiends issues #1-8, each issue filled with Rick Veitch's
extraordinary comix exploration of his own dreamscapes. |
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| "Pure
Freudian fun!"
--Scott
McCloud
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"Veitch
brings the dreaming mind to the printed comic book page. A treat for the
conscious and unconscious alike!"
--Dave
Sim
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| RICK VEITCH |
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POCKET
UNIVERSE
THE DREAM ART
OF RICK VEITCH: Volume Two |
| by Rick Veitch |
112 pages
King Hell Press
All copies signed by the artist. |
$12.95
+ $1.50 P&H
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| POCKET UNIVERSE:
THE DREAM ART OF RICK VEITCH: Volume Two collects Roarin' Rick's
Rare Bit Fiends issues #9-14 |
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| "Rare
Bit Fiends is like dreaming inside someone else's head; a magical maddening
coruscation of past, present, and future."
--Neil
Gaiman
.
Also
check out the entire RICK VEITCH & KING HELL listing.
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| RICK VEITCH |
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FLOCK
OF DREAMERS
AN ANTHOLOGY OF DREAM-INSPIRED COMICS |
by Rick Veitch, R. Crumb, Pat Moriarty,
& Jim Woodring, et al. |
Paperback: 88 pages
Kitchen Sink Press
ISBN: 0878165495 |
$12.95
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From
Booklist:
Dreams
have always been a fertile resource for creative artists, including comics
artists. For this anthology, 22 cartoonists were invited to contribute
short comic strips derived from their dreams. |
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| The
22 are rather a motley bunch--obscure artists from the small press scene
and from overseas appear alongside old hands, who offer the most convincing
work, such as Robert Crumb's depiction of an airborne ride atop the "Helicopter
Girl. A few sleepers are here: coeditor Kathman's account of four
recurring childhood dreams and Ashley Holt's entries from a "Dream Notebook."
Yet few entries convey the effect of the most disturbing dreams. Many consist
of single images; although some of these are vivid, they lack the impact
of the longer, multipanel pieces that offer the narrative pull of effective
comics--and memorable dreams. All in all, an intriguing if rather lightweight
offering.
--Gordon
Flagg
Copyright©
1997, American Library Association. All rights reserved
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| ALEKSANDAR ZOGRAF |
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DREAM
WATCHER |
| by Aleksandar Zograf |
Paperback: 72 pages
Slab-O-Concrete
ISBN: 1899866132 |
$9.95
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| "A
devastating personal story of the deprivations a war can bring… this is
not make-believe pain, there are moments of real insight, as well as scrotum-clenching
menace."
—Roger
Sabin,
author
of Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels
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Aleksandar Zograf’s
cartoons cut right into the heart of life in former Yugoslavia, portraying
the emotional twisting and impossible conditions in a dark yet amusing
manner. Also included are graphics portraying ‘hypnagogic visions’, the
imagery of the half-asleep state that earned him the surname ‘Dream Watcher’
from Chief Piercing Eyes of the Pan-American Indian Association.
.
About the Author
Aleksandar Zograf first
came to attention at the beginning of the war in former Yugoslavia – his
mini-format comics were small enough to be posted outside Serbia despite
the sanctions and allowed the rest of the world to see what life was like
for the ordinary people, trapped a hell not of their own making. Zograf
has had several comics published by Fantagraphics (Life Under Sanctions,
Psychonaut) and strips in many international anthologies such as Weirdo. |
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