Tag Archive | "censorship"

Hipster Hitler removed from Facebook (UPDATED)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

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Apparently Facebook have removed the Hipster Hitler webcomic’s page – the site doesn’t say why, I’m guessing some total eejit complained and tried to claim they were glorifying Nazis or some similar load of tosh. Also guessing whoever did complain never read the strips and realised they were comedy and not a recruitment page for [...]

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Angelheaded hipsters burning: poetry, censorship and animation – Howl

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

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“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix, angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night, who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat up smoking [...]

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“I’ll be your Huckleberry…”

Friday, January 14, 2011

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There’s been a lot of discussion in the media recently about a ‘revised’ edition of Huckleberry Finn by the immortal Mark Twain, which has been ‘cleaned up’ to appease over-sensitive modern readers – most noticably a certain ‘n’ word in relation to the coloured character Jim has been removed. I really can’t abide people revising [...]

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Ray Bradbury on the origins of Fahrenheit 451

Monday, October 25, 2010

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That great god of the written word, Ray Bradbury, talks with Hugh Hefner about the origins of Fahrenheit 451; Ray is, of course, wonderful as ever and I have to give credit where it is due, Hefner is quite thoughtful too, also discussing the importance of the printed word: Bradbury has been one of my [...]

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Ban this delightful all ages graphic novel – head shaking news from the ALA

Sunday, October 3, 2010

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Every year the American Library Association publishes it’s list of the most challenged books in American libraries as part of the Banned Books Week. Like most people who love words, the concept of banning books, or even of attempting to ban them, is an anathema to me. It does no-one any good and I’m a firm [...]

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Danish cartoons, freedom of speech, bigotry and blasphemy

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

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The Kafila blog posts a different perspective from most I’ve read on the subject of the Danish cartoons about the Prophet Mohamed, drawing also on work by top South African cartoonist Zapiro, Mahmood Mamdani discusses cartoons which cause some groups offence and divides such work into ‘bigotry’ or ‘blasphemy’: “When the Danish cartoon debate broke [...]

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You are citizens!

Thursday, May 27, 2010

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You have to love these pages from Treasure Chest from the late 1950s on the Magic Whistle blog – The Man warning kids about the evils of being lead astray into immorality and an un-American way of life by those vile, slimy comics. By, er, using comics to warn them… Authorities like the government, teachers, [...]

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From our continental correspondent – Moomins in Shanghai? or not?

Thursday, May 6, 2010

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We reported  before (see here) how the Smurfs are representing their native Belgium at the World Expo that opened last weekend in Shanghai, China, but luck would have it that a second group of mythical beings makes its appearance there.  Or does it ? (cover to the upcoming fifth volume of complete Moomin comic strips [...]

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Steve Bissette’s forgotten comic wars

Saturday, March 20, 2010

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Over on his blog Steven Bissette, artist on Swamp Thing, Tyrant and publisher of Taboo is currently chronicling the trials and tribulations of the comic industry circa 1986. It’s fascinating stuff from an era when a lot of important things were just beginning to develop across the industry. Bissette’s subtitle to the series of posts [...]

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Busted Jesus Comix Play

Thursday, November 5, 2009

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Paul Gravett has posted up a review of a stage play which is based on the experiences of Mike Diana, an underground comics creator in Florida who was subject to a heavyweight legal assault by the authorities which, among other things, cost him his job and landed him on probation for years (remember, kids, you [...]

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Burn, baby, burn, literary inferno…

Friday, October 2, 2009

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I hadn’t realised that the annual (and highly commendable) Banned Book Week organised by the American Library Association to celebrate the important writing some would try to ban or even burn (a true mark of a barbarian to my way of thinking, burning books) included a poster inspired by Tim Hamilton’s recent graphic novel adaptation [...]

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From our continental correspondent – The Comics Code A La Francaise celebrates 60 years

Thursday, August 20, 2009

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The history of the Comics Code probably is common knowledge for most of our readers here: faced with impending restrictive regulations after congressional hearings surrounding Frederic Wertham’s book, Seduction of the Innocent, the American comics publishers drew up their own code of conduct, defining what was permissible in children’s comics, what could be shown, and [...]

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