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The Establishment #3 - this issue's impenetrable reference to cult English TV

ONLY NICE THINGS

21:36 / 25.11.01

Charlie Arrows has "transuranic heavy elements" in his brain. Niiiice.

Any others I missed?

Sax

21:43 / 25.11.01

I've only just read issue two this week. Spotted the reference to school bully "Mark Stebson".

ONLY NICE THINGS

10:10 / 26.11.01

Oh yes. And Charlie Arrows was educated at Grange Hill, in Bronson's class. Not to mention, of course, that Arrows' back story is a reference to Get Carter, Drake was the name of the character portrayed in Danger Man by Patrck MacGoohan, the Golden are apparently the Midwich cuckoos...

I'm enjoying the Establishment, even if it is arsingly derivative. But if the Monarchy is getting cancelled after 12 issues, this thing surely doesn't stand a chance. It's issue 3 and we haven't even met half the characters yet.

Regrettable Juvenilia

10:19 / 26.11.01

Critical reaction to the Establishment - and online fan reaction at the WEF for example - seems to be much more positive than was the case with the Monarchy. This is probably because even though not all the characters are out in the open yet, there's a "way-in" character in the form of Arrows for readers to follow. And there's a story, with action and suspense, rather than just posy twats walking around talking nonsense in an attempt to sound clever and enigmatic. Plus, the obscure English TV refs are there if you know them, but they're entirely disposable if you don't... they're not *the point* of the story...

Of course, I've only read #2... but I like it. They seem to have captured the *feel* of all those creepy old shows - something very Dr Who like about a sleepy English coastal village being massacred by Daemonites...

rizla mission

12:50 / 26.11.01

ooh .. is this title as good as the above comments make it out to be?

I saw a poster for it that looked absolutely horrible.. but if Flyboy speaks the truth, I'm there..

Hush

16:50 / 26.11.01

It really is rather good. And Funny. And best of all it moves quickly so you get a little bit confused. Which I like-

and wasn't The Baron a british spy novel series from the sixties, a sort of The Saint manque? (Ian was wearing a dowmloaded Baron suit when decapitated).

[ 26-11-2001: Message edited by: Ian Jones is Not ]

rexpop

02:07 / 27.11.01

quote:Originally posted by Flyboy:
Of course, I've only read #2... but I like it. They seem to have captured the *feel* of all those creepy old shows - something very Dr Who like about a sleepy English coastal village being massacred by Daemonites...

You've actually nailed it. It does feel like a Dr Who story. 4 parts, nice cliff hanger at the end of each part. You can almost hear the theme music coming in on the last panel of issue 3.

I have to admit 'The Establishment' is a pretty good book. They need to get into the backstory of the characters pretty quickly after this arc is over, but apart from that I think this one has legs as they say.

Its certainly a lot better than 'The Monarchy' which apart from the Henry Bendix issue has been complete rubbish.

[ 27-11-2001: Message edited by: rexpop ]

We're The Great Old Ones Now

06:53 / 27.11.01

I've been sort of enjoying the Establishment, cautiously. The first one didn't thrill me, but it's been getting better and now I want to read #4.

Can't help but feel it's not quite there yet, though.

Dunno why.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

07:29 / 27.11.01

Oh, and I took the opening pages of #3 to be a visual 'Sexy Beast' reference.

Anyone?

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:32 / 27.11.01

I was thinking "Buster"....or any other film about the Great Train Robbers/Brit gangsters in general. It ties back into Charlie Arrows/Jack Carter. Especially as it turns out that Charlie Arrows knew the other Jack Carter....

Sax

06:44 / 28.11.01

Re-reading issue one, I also spotted a reference to a "Ted Lewis" in the Charlie Arrows background stuff - Ted Lewis being the author who wrote the book Get Carter was based on.

Although you probably knew that.

ONLY NICE THINGS

06:53 / 28.11.01

Yeah. And the boarding house in issue 2 has a "Fawlty Towers" noticeboard outside it.

Sax

07:26 / 28.11.01

Mm. "Fatty Owls", one of the many sign variations from the series.

Issue 2 again: The dead tea-shop owner is Mrs Miggins. Probably a generic old biddy name in English TV, but specifically from Blackadder, I think?

Oh, and I looked up Hobb's Bay - the only reference I can find is to Superman, bizarrely enough. Apparently it's the real name of Suicide Slum in Metropolis. I would imagine that isn't a deliberate homage.

Hush

07:26 / 28.11.01

Possibly relates to Hob's Leviathan, a Sandman single issue featuring a monster emerging from the sea?

I would have prefered to see the 'Flowery Twats' Fawlty Towers sign. Much my favourite.

[ 28-11-2001: Message edited by: Ian Jones ]

Jimmy Turncoat

07:26 / 28.11.01

Surely it's just a Quatermass reference. "Hobb's Lane" being the place where the pit of "Quatermass & The Pit" fame is discovered. Hobb being an old name for the devil.

ONLY NICE THINGS

07:26 / 28.11.01

You know, I'd been looking for a Quatermass reference. It seemed insane that we hadn't had one yet.

rizla mission

13:17 / 28.11.01

And wasn't the village in the Dr. Who episode The Deamons (love that one) Hobbs something-or-other too?

I suppose being an olde english word for the devil it's quite popular in classic Sci-Fi/Horror stuff..

Captain Zoom

13:38 / 28.11.01

the name Hobb pops up in the excellent HP Lovecraft homage "In The Mouth of Madness". The bulk of the story takes place in a town called Hobb's End. The HPL connection occurred to me 'cause it's a seaside town invaded by weird lizard things, a la Innsmouth.

I only read the first issue, but it prompted me to order the rest. I'm quite looking forward to it, though it seems to be one of those titles that would have worked even better if it was a stand alone, rather than embedded in the wildstorm u.

Zoom.

Sax

14:02 / 28.11.01

Shame on you for not getting the HPL connection, Riz.

rizla mission

14:30 / 28.11.01

I did get the "In The Mouth of Madness" connection, but thought it wouldn't really count, since that's a post-modern 90s American horror movie, rather than po-faced horror of the 50s-60s-70s British variety.

So there.

Captain Zoom

20:16 / 28.11.01

Haus, where did you hear that the Monarchy is getting cancelled?

Zoom.

ONLY NICE THINGS

06:59 / 29.11.01

Wizard, of course.

That's never going to wash, is it?

Umm...a Barbeloid said so. He quoted someone who sounded convincing. It was apparently going to be toiminated at issue 12. Mind you, you own a comics shop, so probably have more reliable sources than I.

Sax

07:03 / 29.11.01

More references... The Establishment guy who gets killed in issue one is called Ian Hotspur - classic old British comic.

You mean you never read "Ian" every week?

Ria

22:01 / 29.11.01

Devil's End comes from the Doctor Who story "The Daemons" but Hobb's End (a place in London) first appeared in Quatermass and the Pit.

Jimmy Turncoat

06:52 / 30.11.01

I'm not sure that it actually is a real place in London. Would be a cool place to do some magick if it was though, try to summon up the martian/martial alien wild hunt type archtypes or something.

Ria

16:44 / 30.11.01

I think it probably does not exist but did not say so because if it did I did wish to appear ignorant.

but yes... good idea, Jimmy, you could find a punk show there and imitate them by jumping up and down. everyone would mistake you for a pogoer and your atavistic behavior would seem in keeping.

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