Tarzan is Not a Racist. And Neither is Edgar Rice Burroughs.

So, I've been reading Tarzan the Magnificent with Joe for the past couple of weeks or so.  We're about halfway through now.  And for the most part it's kind of "eh," you know?  I mean, Tarzan is always cool--I'd say in the top 5 of coolest characters of all time, wouldn't you?--but I think Edgar Rice Burroughs ran out of story steam for the Lord of the Jungle long before he hit the 21st novel.  But there are two noteworthy things in this novel--or at least in the first half of it.

Noteworthy Thing 1:   Edgar Rice Burroughs uses the word "nigger."  First time in the 31 1/2 of his books I've read to date.  And he used it ten times.  Which is about ten times too many in my book.  (I do, however, share Louis C. K.'s disdain for saying "the N word.")


I am happy to say that this is counter-balanced by Noteworthy Thing 2:  

from Chapter 11

"Have you ever really stopped to think about what that would mean, Stan? What it would mean to you both in the future— in America? I'm thinking just as much of her happiness as yours, old man. I'm thinking of the Hell on earth that would be your lot—hers and yours. You know as well as I what one drop of colored blood does for a man or woman in the great democracy of the U.S.A. You'd both be ostracized by the blacks as well as the whites. I'm not speaking from any personal prejudice; I'm just stating a fact. It's hard and cruel and terrible, but it still remains a fact."

Wood nodded in sad acquiescence. There was no anger in his voice as he replied. "I know it as well as you, but I'd go through Hell for her. I'd live in Hell for her, and thank God for the opportunity. I love her that much."

"Then there's nothing more to be said. If you feel that way about it, I'm for you. I'll never mention it again, and if you ever do marry it'll never change me toward either of you."

Hmmm.  Despite what I've heard from other sources, it's pretty clear that these are not the words of a racist.  At least in terms of the characters who are speaking.  And I have a hard time believing that a racist writer would create a non-racist character.  Especially in this context, wherein a white dude is talking about being in love with a black woman.

Just sayin'.

Jim Starlin, The Infinity Entity, & Thanos: The Infinity Revlation.

I'm not sure what my first Jim Starlin comic book experience was.  Probably his run on Captain Marvel.  I do remember that he blew my mind, though, and that I followed him into the Warlock comic book and then into Dreadstar for about a million issues or so.  And I have re-visited him on occasion over the past few decades.  But when I picked  The Infinity Entity up off the stands a week ago, it had been awhile.  And it took something for me to pick that comic book up, because I'm pretty much through with Marvel so far as their comic books are concerned.  (The movies, on the other hand, are definite must see items.)  The comic books all just seem so moribund, so tired . . . and so fucking ugly.  Where are they digging up these artists?  Or maybe it's just the acceptable style now.  (Case in point:  I was kind of interested in seeing the new Power Man & Iron Fist comic book . . . until I saw the cover of the first issue:

I mean . . . really?  That's the best you've got?  No thank you.)  But when I saw issue one of The Infinity Entity . . . 

. . . whose cover not only does not suck--except for the fugly coloring, but also bears more than a passing resemblance to Starlin's artwork (though it's actually Alan Davis), I felt the pull of nostalgia and put down my $3.99 (so to speak).  And I read it and (1) was disappointed and (2) decided not to buy issue #2.

But I was still craving The Starlin, so next time I was at the library I picked up Thanos: The Infinity Revelation, a 2014 original graphic novel written and pencilled by Starlin.  Started reading it and stalled out after a couple of dozen pages.  It was just two guys (Thanos and Adam Warlock) talking to each other, you know?  I mean, it pretended to be something other than that, but when it came right down to it . . . that was all it was.  They'd punch each other for awhile or go to another place to punch other people, but it was just a stupid conversation about cosmic grocery shopping, essentially.

So I put it down.  And picked it up and finished it off this morning, but more out of ocd-ness than anything else. And--SPOILER WARNING--it remained a story about two guys talking to each other. With the occasional punch.

And I've been thinking about this quite a bit of late.  Maybe all stories are about two guys (or gals, or a guy and a gal) talking to each other.  And the other stuff that happens to or around them is really just there to get you to the next conversation.  Which may be why Beckett decided, "Fuck all that!" and took away the setting and the plot.  And even took away the other guy (or gal) at some point, so it was just a guy (or gal) talking to him (or her) self.  Like Not I. That may be the true Bride Stripped Bare of theater.  The gushing mouth.  Because even in a conversation . . . how much give and take is there, really?  How much of a conversation is you waiting impatiently for your turn to speak?  How much of the waiting time are you even listening to what the other person is saying?  (Besides, they say the same shit over and over, don't they?)

Or maybe I'm just in a bad fucking mood.  Or maybe my mental and spiritual dyspepsia has finally become my status quo.  Doesn't seem that way to me, but wouldn't I be the last to know?

So let's conversate, brahs and tahs.  What do you think about all of that?

The Fool

I try to spend as little of my time as possible thinking about Donald Trump.  Which is difficult, since even CNN is constantly shoving his Yuge down my throat. 

But there are times when I can't help thinking about The Donald.  Such as when I picked up a book entitled Fifty Soviet Poets and read this poem:

A horse should be feared from the tail-end, my friend:
From the fore-end--the cow and the bull.
But--
        from all points of view, 
                                               from beginning to end,
Beware, beware of the fool!

Whenever a fool is installed in the place
Intended by right for the wise
The fool's true identity promptly to trace
Is hard for the keenest of eyes. 1 

For sometimes a fool may be glib and polite,
Not at all an inveterate brute.
The fool may be able to speak and to write
Or to be quite impressively mute.

One fool single-handed can muddle, my friend,
So much in a moment's course
That ten hundred men will be helpless to mend
By wisdom, patience or force.

But here we may mention a general rule
To be followed by wise men hereafter:
Though there's plentiful reasons to fear a fool,
Remember: a fool fears laughter!

Sergey Mikhalkov
Translated by Dorian Rottenberg

1 I know this is haughty of me, but that's life.  I think this line and the one preceding it are ill-rendered.  I don't know a speck of Russian, so I can't go back to the original to re-work it, but based on the translation and the spirit of the poem, here's my suggestion:

Exceedingly hard to see the fool's face
It is for the keenest of eyes.

Laura Vandervoort Rides Again!

I kind of lost track of Supergirl for awhile there.  I was still watching it, but the initial rush of excitement was gone, and I was only half paying attention when I watched the episodes and then forgot about them.  

But this week's episode--Number 14, "Solitude"--got my attention with the new villain, Indigo, played by Laura Vandevoort.  If you don't know who she is, then (1)  she played Supergirl in Smallville a few years back and (2) you should definitely do an image search.  

One of the super-cool things about Supergirl is the way they've brought back a number of past Superman Family actors in new roles in the show. Let's see . . . Helen Slater (movie Supergirl 1984) as Supergirl's mom, Dean Cain (Clark Kent / Superman in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman TV Series 1993 - 1997) as Supergirl's dad (hey, wait a minute . . . that's kind of incestuous, isn't it? They're cousins!), and now Laura Vandervoort (Kara / Supergirl from Smallville TV Series 2007 - 2011). And they also gave us Lynda Carter (Diana Prince / Wonder Women in Wonder Women TV series 1975 - 1979) as President Olivia Marsden. Now where the hell is Tom Welling?