American Splendor (2003)

 

The Unrepentant Marxist by Harvey Pekar and Louis Proyect (2009)

I really was tempted to post four or five pages from this political graphic novel detailing the self-delusionary bullshit of the American Socialist Workers Party's 'Turn to industry' line from the '70s but I stopped myself. Instead, I've just confined myself to the front and back pages.

The graphic novel itself, and the background to it being penned, is available from Louis Proyect's website. Sadly, it appears it was made available because Louis was at the end of a terminal illness, and the same website carries a notice of his death and a few tributes from friends and colleagues.

Fagin The Jew by Will Eisner (2003)

Dark Entries by Ian Rankin and Werther Dell'edera (Vertigo Crime 2009)

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi (2002)

This Should Explain All . . . Definitely . . . Maybe

Hat tip to El Hombre Molècula.

Missed this and it's killing me #4

Missed this and it's killing me #3

Missed this and it's killing me #2

Missed this and it's killing me

Back To Back

Catching my blogging eye on Crimbo Eve:

We Could Live To Be 1,000 Years Old But For Capitalism? Sounds like something to do with Doctor Who Is it a blog or is it a website? Doesn't matter: the World Socialist Party of United States webspace carries a review of Aubrey De Grey, “Ending Aging”. No, I hadn't heard of him either before now.

Never Apologise, Never Explain Nice to note that 'Freens' of the Scottish Co-operative Wholesale Republic is back on the blogging front. Thought we'd lost him.

Blast From The Past Paul Anderson's Tribune column from the 21 December tells the story of Labour MP, James Lamond, who died last month and who was a visible and vocal part of that sizeable section of the British Left who continued to be apologists of the Soviet Union right up until the first sledgehammer hit the Berlin Wall in the Winter of 1989.

Harvey Pekar, Paul Buhle and a new graphic history of SDS Fascinating post from Louis Proyect that covers Harvey Pekar graphic history of the Students for a Democratic Society, the internecine strife within the (American) Socialist Workers Party in the early seventies and Proyect's remembrance of growing up in the Catskills.

Communist Students Blog Well, the parent body, the CPGB/Weekly Worker continue to be a bit sniffy about this blogging lark, but it's interesting to note that the young guns have struck out with a Communist Students blog and if you check the sidebar of the CSB, you'll see links to personal blogs of Communist Students supporters. I've got a soft spot for James Turley's blog, Tragic Life Stories, with its subheading description of "Neither Matgamna Nor Bambery, But International Socialism!" and blogging labels which has 'sectariana' outscoring 'rightwingers' by 14-2. A scoreline like that can only mean one thing: a future season ticket holder to the Left Trainspotters discussion group.

Murray Bookchin for Beginners

I was initially going to be snotty about Janet Biehl's My Graphics About Murray Bookchin blog, but who am I to be a cheeky bastard? This is what blogging is all about, and even if some of the material isn't exactly my cup of tea, I hope her intent for it to eventually become a graphic novel reaches fruition.

Biehl worked with Bookchin closely for the last twenty years of his life, and it was via her graphic blog that I found out about the essay, Bookchin Breaks With Anarchism, that she has written for inclusion in the forthcoming AK Press title, 'Anarchism for the 21st Century' (edited by Larry Gambone & Pat Murtagh).

Interesting read, and it just goes to show that sometimes it pays not to be on permanent smirky mode. One question, though: what's with the photograph of David Crosby on the blog? (Phuk it, I can't break free from my all consuming sarkiness.)

Hat tip to the Commie Curmudgeon for bringing the blog to my attention.