Annotations [Satanstorm One: Common People]


o [page 1] The new volume begins with a spot of self referential, ironic humour. The Invisibles, and the revolution, are on sale again. The main players are represented by shop window dummys, clothed in Invisibles merchandise. Grant recognizing, and expressing, the view that his comic is an "inauthentic simulation of revolutionary praxis". Anarchy as commodity. Anarchy for the masses. [Frobie]

o [page 2] This is the grave of Queen Mab. Why was Sir Miles there? Could that be his mother or no? [Mr Whisper]

o [page 3] This is the death scene of Diana and Dodi, complete with the red motorcycle and first-on-the-scene paparazzi. It's interesting that this scene was inserted here. Is it Sir Miles remembering, or reminding readers he was an important part of her death/sacrifice? [RT]

o [page 4] [panels 3 and 4] Note the numbers on the bus (no.23), the time is 4:01(4+1)...and the number on the gate is 5... [CI]

o [page 10] [panel 2] "Mr. Six,THE LAST OF THE FAMOUS INTERNATIONAL PLAYBOYS":it's another song by Morrissey (Bona drag lp). [CI]

o [page 11] [panel 4] The badge on Mr. Six's lapel (p.11, panel 4) is of Jason King, the dandy detective from the series 'Division S', which seems to make explicit the 70's TV detective show motif. I get the impression that Grant is also paying homage to an episode of the Comic Strip Presents.., entitled 'Detectives On The Verge Of a Nervous Breakdown', which drew together parodies of The Sweeney, Division S and Spender as they attempt to solve a 70's style murder.[SL]

o [pages 12/13] That couldn't possibly be Mr. Stargrave on pages 12 and 13, could it? I mean, I've never seen the bastard with a beard and long locks so it's certainly possible isn't it? His dialogue about "fucked my ears when I was young. Rhythm guitar" reminds me. [Mr Whisper] [page 13] [panel 3] Josef Goebbels was a member of the National Sozialist Party.After the Nazis came into power in 1933,he was appointed Reichminister for propaganda and national enlightenment.In this position he was a master of manupulating the German people so they became willing followers of Hitler and believed in the destiny of Germany to rule the world. [CI]

o [page 14] [panel 2] I take it Helga is the soon-to-be New Invisible all the new previews are speaking of. She certainly looks like the notorious Chick W/ 4-D Armor we saw ordering Takashi to send Robin to the present in "The Girl Most Likely To". [Mr Whisper]

o [page 15] [panel 1] the teletubby girl's "invisible star" probably refers to sirius B -- the origin of the amphibious NOMMO in dogon lore. this star is invisible to the naked eye, but was known to the "stone age" dogon before most astronomers knew it existed. RAW's cosmic trigger has a lot of info relating to the sirius mystery and trying to relate Robert Temple's evidence to the legacies of modern occultists / consciousness expanders (Crowley, Leary etc). [PS] This is Denise, the girl that slipped George Harper the "Queen of Hearts" videotape in Vol. 1, issue 25 [CS] [panel 3] Mystic Meg is this rather poor quality tabloid horoscope person who suddenly became quite famous by being on the National Lottery each week. [CS/TEC]

o [page 16] [panel 2] "You've earned your BLUE PETER badge yet again." As I am not English, I didn't know what that meant till I found out the BBC site. There's a 40years going on show for children:if you take part at their competitions , you can win a badge.There are different colours dipending on the level of the competition: the blue one is for beginners,I think. If someone can tell me more... [CI] The Blue Peter badge is given to anyone who has either been on the show, had a picture or something they have done shown on the show or who wins any of their competitions. The normal one is a white shield with a blue ship on it, although there is a gold one for special occasions. The badge lets people into certain exhibitions free. [TEC]

o [page 21] Issue 12 is full of the Lovecraftian mythos. The following reference is from 'The Encyclopedia Cthulhiana" (Written by Daniel Harms, released by Chaosium): "The Last King, AKA. Aldones, and "The King in Yellow" is the name for the messenger of Nyarlathotep, and usually takes the form of a gigantic human wearing the yellow 'Palid Mask.' Associated with the 'King in Yellow' is the 'Yellow Sign', "a symbol which is the focus for the power of Hastur, the Unspeakable One. This sign is usually useless until the arrival of the King in Yellow in our world. Then it would warp the dreams of the people who saw it, and give them visions of the city of Carcosa on the Lake of Hali." I think that pretty much sums up most of what we see on page 21. [TW] Actually the reference is not Lovecraftian, but to "The King In Yellow," a magnificent grotesque story by Robert Chambers, who would surely have gone on to become the Ur-Lovecraft had he not experienced a sudden earlier-career genre shift. The romance novels he then produced become best-sellers around the turn of the century. [DMD]