Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Comic Books >

Seaguy #3

Page: 1 2(3)4 5 6

14:40 / 26.07.04

Ok, but where is the TV show Big Brother referenced in Seaguy #3?

The Natural Way

14:50 / 26.07.04

The symbol of BB is an all-seeing eye....

When BB arrives each summer it completely hijacks the water cooler. It's big here. And Grant has plenty to say about it.

yawn - thing's buddy

10:51 / 27.07.04

aye, a ause for celebration indeed.

double your comment, varriage, regarding dreamy comment and the bucket swoop scene wasso beautifully imagined and realised.

yeah it was excellent - marred for me only by the symmetry and cap'n birdeye denoument - i felt GM could have told the same story without falling back on these devices.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

10:54 / 27.07.04

Oh, I get FinderWolf's query now... sorry, I misread you thus far and have only just got what your query actually was.

the bit when Seaguy's in what could easily be (even to me, who never watches Big Brother but has accidentally caught a couple of episodes AND HAS TO READ ABOUT THE FUCKING THING EVERY NIGHT IF HE WANTS TO GET PAID...sorry...) The Diary Room. (That Clockwork Orangey panel where he's surrounded by the Mickey Eye screens). Nice link between the 1984 BB and the TV BB.

16:04 / 27.07.04

There was that goldfish in the goldfish bowl with the plastic city, too, that's been sticking in my head, though I don't really know how if it has any relevance to Seaguy.

I thought of the Flex Mentallo fishbowl city in resonance with the Mickey Eye theme park, and the Prisoneresque New Venice generally: unsettlingly 'plastic' environment subject to continual surveillance and ruled over by the Man in the Moon. The world-in-a-bowl motif appears in The Filth too, as the I-Life's temporary home-from-home.

13:13 / 28.07.04

There is just so much great stuff in this last issue. "So that's why we've never seen the dark side of the moon...it isn't FINISHED yet." "It's not my fault it's such a mess. I'll get to it one day."

And I keep meaning to write down the names of the butterfly and scarab/beetle and look them up. Interesting how Mickey Eye co-opted the scarab/beetle thing (painting the Eye logo on the scarabs).

14:00 / 28.07.04

one of the things that i think is most effective about the resonance between New Venice and the Village is that Seaguy is no Number 6. Number 6 is the modernist/Enlightenment fantasy in a nutshell - the indomitable individual drive to liberty combined wtih the ultimate rational mind, dedicated to the overthrow of tyrants and the uncovering of secrets. Seaguy is more fragile, fallible and confused, and more real and empathetic as a result. he's Spider-Man to Number 6's Superman.

i just love this book like few others. the social commentary and quasi-Gnostic elements is perfectly balanced with emotionally compelling characters. i love the pacing, the art, the dreamlike quality, the combination of wonder and horror.

15:18 / 28.07.04

>>>he's Spider-Man to Number 6's Superman.<<<

I absolutely love this reading.

Thanks so much for all the feedback, everyone, I'm overjoyed that this series went over so well, particularly on Barbelith. I was a bit disheartened when the response around the web to issue #2 was a bit mixed/negative, but I'm glad that we apparently redeemed ourselves with #3.

Extraspecial thanks to Madfig for attending the Vertigo Next X Panel in San Diego and asking about Seaguy, and coming to see me afterward!

18:06 / 28.07.04

Just got the issue today! I'll have to study it some more to fully get the whole thing. But the end very much broke my heart. I demand more Seaguy. Make it so!

19:54 / 28.07.04

Via the DC Message Boards, a link to an online petition for more Seaguy.

Only a few signatures at the moment, and these online petitions never work, but hey, it's worth a shot...

20:17 / 28.07.04

I was a bit disheartened when the response around the web to issue #2 was a bit mixed/negative, but I'm glad that we apparently redeemed ourselves with #3.

I think that, to a certain extent, that was inevitable - partly because Morrison tends to offset a tightly-structured beginning against a more whimsical/idiosyncratic middle. Also, there's 'second book of the trilogy' syndrome. Personally speaking, I loved issue 2, but probably more so with the third one, which I felt put everything in context.

I will write more on Seaguy when I gather my thoughts. In the meantime, I am sooo joining that petition.

Sharpen your pencils, Mr Stewart!

20:48 / 28.07.04

Apparently the names of the beetle and the butterfly - Zullibdig and Vertzebelion, respective - don't mean anything/have any histo-mytholigical significance.

23:50 / 28.07.04

Ok, just signed the petition.

What I'm not clear on though, is why exactly Vertigo are being such a pain in the arse about this, if that's what they're doing. I'd have thought that given the stature of the artistes involved, Seaguy would have got the green light from the off, to be honest. As opposed to potentially languishing in comic world limbo. I mean it's not as if anyone's reading 100 Bullets or Lucifer, any more, and those two seem set to go on until doomsday...

08:25 / 29.07.04

Indeed. Any comments on this, Cameron?

And also, can anybody fill me in on how it's been received by the rest of fandom? Are people baffled, bemused or happy? I could surf comics message boards to find out for myself, but I feel there's far more productive ways for me to be wasting my time today.

12:20 / 29.07.04

Zullibdig : as i read it i pronounce it Za-Leep-Dig, which phoenetically reminds me of the German "Sie liebt dich" which is "She Loves Me" a song by the Beatles, Zullibdig is a space beetle, i thought it was just Morrison's Beatles joke/reference for this series. until others started talking about it meaning more i just thought it was a simple joke, but Anti-Dad not being able to find anything on it i thought i'd toss this idea out to the public.

13:25 / 29.07.04

My favorite note on all of the 43 signatures so far (just signed myself):

>> Don't leave the world at the mercy of Mickey Eye!

13:31 / 29.07.04

>> What I'm not clear on though, is why exactly Vertigo are being such a pain in the arse about this, if that's what they're doing. I'd have thought that given the stature of the artistes involved, Seaguy would have got the green light from the off, to be honest. As opposed to potentially languishing in comic world limbo.

Well, if you consider that Morrison was going to write a hardcover AUTHORITY graphic novel for DC/Wildstorm with a kick-ass premise (that the baby universe in the carrier has now grown up and become an unruly teenage universe, rebelling and causing widespread havoc, so the Authority have the venture into another universe to calm it down, or something) and they rejected his pitch, anything's possible I guess. Who in their right mind would turn down a Morrison-written AUTHORITY graphic novel!??!!? (Morrison mentioned this in an interview some months ago) Also, Marvel turned down/fucked with MARVEL BOY 2 and so it'll never see the light of day. I think even Vertigo turned down LeSEXY, right? (I think Morrison said so in a recent interview)

13:35 / 29.07.04

Nice detective work, RadJose. There's got to be something to these intruiging names. Seaguy even says Z. is from mythology (at least his world's mythology?). Now on to Vertzebelion...which sounds kind of sinister to me, somehow... it sounds kind of Mayan to me?

16:14 / 29.07.04

My guess is that readers/critics are largely baffled by this. I think that a lot of what messrs Morrison and Stewart had to say is pretty much out in the open, but subtext in comics is something of a lost art, sadly.

I also find it very interesting to read people's reactions on the conclusion to the story. It's either very very clearly a pessimistic reading or very very clearly an optimistic reading. There's no middle ground in it. Personally, I take the optimistic track, but that's because I'm really a big softie under the crusty exterior (not unlike a deep-fried Mars bar.)

The other funny thing is that as much as we have a complete story, it's screamingly incomplete and decidedly the start of something much larger. So, I guess it's not unlike commenting on a movie while only a third of the way through it. But what a third.

Seaguy is literally the only new comic I've read in the last couple of years (well, okay, THE FILTH, too) that demands multiple readings, and not simply because of the "what the hell just happened?" factor, but because there were signs and portents that you're simply not going to pick up on the first time through.

I know that Cameron's really happy with the coloring and how it added depth to the artwork, but I stand firmly on my assertion that all the pages look better on the boards and in black in white. But I'm a purist like that.

ONLY NICE THINGS

16:42 / 29.07.04

I think even Vertigo turned down LeSEXY, right? (I think Morrison said so in a recent interview)

Yes. I think he also said that the editrix said that she felt that it was material he had done better elsewhere, and that on reflection she was dead right. My respect for George has never been so great. Morrison seems actually to be far more able to accept the idea that some of his ideas might not be the greatest ideas in the history of the world than his fanbase. Hence "fan" and "base".

The question is whether Seaguy sold, and if it did not sell in sufficient numbers whether it had sufficient intangible benefit (the feta cheese argument) to justify further series. I sincerely hope it has and will.

16:51 / 29.07.04

not really much detective work FinderWolf, i mean after you hear "Sie liebt dich, yeah yeah yeah. Sie liebt dich, yeah yeah yeah" even once in an intro to German class it does seem to stick with you for ever.

Haus of Mystery

17:26 / 29.07.04

I read Alvin Moore say that the big problem with the success of Watchmen was that he was no longer edited, as though to criticise anything he wrote would be sacreligious. He too felt this was a bad thing.

18:19 / 29.07.04

I still don't know the exact sales numbers, I've only been given abstract statements. I know it sold respectably, more than a lot of Vertigo and some DCU titles, so it's not a flop by any stretch. I also know that it did unfortunately sell in significantly lower numbers than was expected by DC, particularly given that it was his first post-X-Men work (I blame myself - watch We3 blow Seaguy out of the water). Also keep in mind that the cost of production for this book was higher than your standard monthly, as we had 10 extra pages of story in each issue and no increase in cover price.

My own pet theory/hope is that people really were waiting for the trade on this one - a 13-issue series such as the Filth is harder to resist buying in monthly serial, as there's likely around a two-year wait before it would be collected. Only three issues, though, and a very probable trade edition soon after, may have made a lot of people wait.

I know that sales of the trade are probably going to be the deciding factor here, so I've really got my fingers crossed. I hate to ask this of people, but if the trade does come out, think about giving your copies of the monthlies away to friends to spread the word and buy yourself a nice new edition for the bookshelf...

Haus of Mystery

19:02 / 29.07.04

My guess is this'll be a sleeper/grower. Or a Cult Classic if you will. They've gotta commission more, shirley?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

22:12 / 29.07.04

My experience was it seemed to sell out in a fair few places- although I have no idea how many they ordered in, of course.

22:40 / 29.07.04

Well if it helps any i bought a copy of issue 3 and ended up leaving it in the pub, thus requiring me to buy another copy... last time i did that was with the Invisibles Vol3.2...

22:56 / 29.07.04

Cameron please don't blame yourself your work on this project was exemplary (issue 3 was mind blowing). Grant was also at the top of his game. I agree with Macgyver i think this is something people will discover and cherish in the future. It is a very timely geopolitical critique, unfortunately most of the population has not caught up.

Cameron will we ever see faithful robomonkey again?

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

23:13 / 29.07.04

I actually bought 3 copies of issue #1- one for myself, one to replace that one when I lent it to mono and she lost it (and subsequently found it again) and one for a guy at work who then proceeded to buy the others as they came out.

23:16 / 29.07.04

Sales

Yeah, fair enough, but it seems a bit odd.

I love George more than anyone else does, ( including you, Tannce, ) and he loves me, ( in spite of all that nonsense to do with the injunction, ) but it sruck me occasionally that The Filth was perhaps, arguably, a bit, y'know, uncommercial. And it was still fairly good for 20,000 units per month, as I understand it, ie fairly high up in Vertigo's figures. So it does seem strange that they'd attempt to interfere. When they keep on relaunching the Shit Thing and such like, and the Bollocks Of Magic... If you've got twenty thousand people who'd be happy enough to read just about anything one of your writers decided to churn out, including their shopping list ( And I've read it, it's great, ) which would largely outsell the rest of your output, why on earth be difficult ?

Off the top of my head I can think of three or four reasons, but none of those are to do with Vertigo, surely ?

00:11 / 30.07.04

I hate to ask this of people, but if the trade does come out, think about giving your copies of the monthlies away to friends to spread the word and buy yourself a nice new edition for the bookshelf...

i hadn't thought of giving away the single issues, but i was going to buy the trade anyway. it's a keeper.

00:28 / 30.07.04

And Cameron, you've got nothing whatsoever to reproach yourself for, if ( worst case scenario ) it turns out that Seaguy's going to sink, and not swim. The art's pretty much note perfect, IMHO, and there's no way Quitely or anyone else ( not even J Byrne ! ) would have dealt with the material quite so expressively. As a piece of work it''s what it should be and so on, and that's all you can do.

That said however, there must and shall be more.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

01:14 / 30.07.04

Don't worry, Cameron, I always do that with comics anyway... although it's usually due to a lack of storage space!

So what's the deal? I always assumed it was pretty much a given that they'd commission series 2 and 3, but everyone here's talking like it's a lot less likely than that. ARE Vertigo being gits, or is everyone just assuming that they will be?

02:38 / 30.07.04

Well, rather than an immediate "yes, of course there will be another series, you can start tomorrow" from the folks at Vertigo, we've got a "we-ell...let's see how the trade does...." and in today's comics climate, that's not the most encouraging sign.

I'm very glad that I've got my wonderful editor Karen Berger on my side, though - she's been pulling for Seaguy from the start. She's tops. It's just the bean-counters we have to convince...

04:53 / 30.07.04

Hi Cameron. Just a quick note to say (I do not get a lot of chances to get online these days) your artwork is perfect for this series. I have not yet sat down and reread all 3 issues again back to back, but the general feel of the thing (to me anyhoo, in my small 1 man opinion)kind of a whimsical tale with underlying menace throughout, is perfectly portrayed by yourself. The somewhat naive characterization of SeaGuy suits the art you have layed out to a "T". Bueno.

Nietzsch E. Coyote

05:45 / 30.07.04

Your art on this comic is PERFECT.
I know that in two local shops the first issue sold out at least once. I really don't understand what the problem could be. I imagine it is one of those artificial crisises like in the stock market, when they predict rediculously high profit and the company makes excellent but slightly lower profit and so the stock goes down.

Page: 1 2(3)4 5 6