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David Whittaker
Hopepunk. Wonderist. Writer. Operating in a paradigm wherein Chaos Magic is the Punk Rock of the Paranormal and Comic Books are our modern Grimoires. A manifestation of Crowley's Aeon of Horus if you will. Dave views his contributing role to Sequart as the opportunity to nurture and hone his craft. All the while celebrating the comic medium and exploring it's interpretation and importance.
MAGAZINE CONTENT BY DAVE WHITTAKER (39 TOTAL)
“Also, It’s Congruent with Lovecraft’s Ideal State of Ataraxia…” – Providence #12 and the Acceptance of Apocalypse
“…of all the space unoccupied by familiar material objects not one particle was vacant. Indescribable shapes both alive and otherwise were mixed in disgusting disarray, and close to every known thing were whole worlds of… [more]
Dark Days, Dark Nights and Taking DC Continuity to the Nth Degree
Thirty-two years ago DC attempted to bring order to their continuity through the process of subtraction. Thus was born Crisis On Infinite Earths. Ever since then, however, DC has constantly attempted to bring back the… [more]
“…Without Doubt the Fullest and Truest Expression of Ethereal Genius…” Tragedy, Transition and Triumph in Providence #11
“…fantastic references to some plan for the extirpation of the entire human race and all animal and vegetable life from the earth by some terrible elder race of beings from another dimension. He would shout… [more]
“The Universe Doesn’t Care. This Is Not Punishment, But Rather It Is Appreciation…” Celebration, Commiseration and Concern in Providence #10
“I will tell the audient void. . . . I do not recall distinctly when it began, but it was months ago. The general tension was horrible. To a season of political and social upheaval… [more]
“…And Providence Hesitates On The Very Cusp Of Another World Than This.” Rejection, Resolution and Revelation in Providence #9
“This stone, once exposed, exerted upon Blake an almost alarming fascination. He could scarcely tear his eyes from it, and as he looked at its glistening surfaces he almost fancied it was transparent, with half-formed… [more]
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Hobos and Tramps, Cross-eyed Mosquitoes and Bowlegged Ants…” Loving That Joker… But Which One?
I love The Joker. However I’m not oblivious to how problematic that kind of admiration can be. Recently I have had cause to reflect on this even more. Particularly in light of two things. The… [more]
“Dreams, Writings And Our Outlandish Human Imaginings… They’re At The Very Heart Of It.” – Romantic Reflections On The Written Word In Providence #8
“ A blessed haze lies upon all this region, wherein is held a little more of the sunlight than other places hold, and a little more of the summer’s humming music of birds and bees;… [more]
“It’s Like Underneath Everything There Is Just Chaos…” – Perspective and Politics in Providence #7
“Any magazine-cover hack can splash paint around wildly and call it a nightmare or a Witches’ Sabbath or a portrait of the devil, but only a great painter can make such a thing really scare… [more]
“The Fourth Means Is Most Terrible, And Rests On The Eviction Of A Soul…” Transcription and Trauma in Providence #6
“And yet, its realism was so hideous that I sometimes find hope impossible. If the thing did happen, then man must be prepared to accept notions of the cosmos, and of his own place in… [more]
“Being The Frightful Smile Of Their Creator…” – Grimoires and Ghoulish Acts in Providence #5
“Non-Euclidean calculus and quantum physics are enough to stretch any brain; and when one mixes them with folklore, and tries to trace a strange background of multi-dimensional reality behind the ghoulish hints of the Gothic… [more]
“There Was No Hand To Hold Me Back. That Night I Found The Ancient Track”: Transgressive and Transfigurative Acts in Providence #4
“That the prince of the powers of darkness, passing by the flower and pomp of the earth, should lay preposterous siege to the weak fantasy of indigent eld — Nor, when the wicked are expressly… [more]
“How’d you do, my little Siren?”: Sensuality, Sentiment and Solipsism in Providence #3
Let’s begin by returning to the idea of Alan Moore infusing the Mythos with an emotional current and introducing the alien to well, the alien. I am undoubtedly one of those strange folk who doesn’t… [more]
“And Thus Exemplify This Process.” – Duality, Duplicity and Dissolution in Providence #2
Providence thus far appears at the very least to be an exercise in dichotomy. The first issue portraying relatively liberated sexual play alongside tragic repression. The second issue appears to do much the same, only… [more]
“And Then It Was Continued Thereafter. Unto All Eternity.”: A Quite Unexpected Afterthought on The Multiversity
By far the biggest news to come out of SDCC, for me personally, was She Makes Comics winning best documentary at the independent film festival. Second to this was the fruit borne of the “Multiversity… [more]
“Leng. We’re All on Leng”: Alan Moore’s Providence and the Cthulhu Mythos
A while back I discussed just what it was that defines the sense of the Lovecraftian. At that time I spoke of Alan Moore’s The Courtyard and Neonomicon and their contrast to the perhaps less… [more]
“Our Sonnet’s End Attained, Awaits The Hearse Let’s Raise Our Gaze From Verse… To Multiverse!”: Multiversity #2, Superjudge
Grant Morrison, and to some extent the metaphysics of the DC Multiverse, have a very Gnostic flavour with an affinity for Manichean Dualism. Universe A and Universe B, The Invisibles and the Archons, Apokolips and… [more]
“Text Is Vulnerable To Criticism.”:The Multiversity: Ultra Comics #1
Well. Here we are. The penultimate issue of the Multiversity event. If we are to take anything away from this issue it is the realization that, contrary to my initial impressions and predictions, the greater… [more]
Can You Read The Raven’s Speech: Multiversity Mastermen #1 Splendour Falls
Firstly, dear reader, my apologies for the delay. This write up has been one of the toughest but also one of the most enjoyable thus far. The more I reread Mastermen the more I realize… [more]
“I’m Making Dream Art”: Further Thoughts on Nameless #1
There are at least two ways to write Lovecraftian horror. One is to take the various elements of the Cthulhu mythos and tell your own story within that framework. Another way is to use various… [more]
About Face: Character and Portrayal in Snyder’s Batman
DC’s decision to essentially relaunch and, therefore, reboot its output three years ago met with as much praise as it did criticism. Despite proceeding in the wake of Grant Morrison’s seven year labyrinthine run, one… [more]
“…Of Past Times and Beginnings. Before The Before.”: The Multiversity Guidebook #1 Maps and Legends
One of the things that appeals to me most about comics is the breadth, depth and scope of their world building. Their longevity far outweighing that of say even the most consistently broadcast of television… [more]
“What Happened To Happy Endings?”: The Multiversity: New Thunderworld Adventures #1
Forgive me if I start by stating the obvious, but there something quite archetypal and mythic about Captain Marvel. Obviously because his powers derive from some pretty mythic figures themselves. Add to this a halcyon… [more]
“A Perfectly Finished Work of Art Right Where I Am Sitting Now.”: Cosmic Trigger -The Play
A fair few of you may not have heard of Robert Anton Wilson. This is tragic. A fair few of you may have heard of people influenced by Robert Anton Wilson. This is not so… [more]
“The Characters Remain Unaware of My Scrutiny, but Their Thoughts are Transparent”: The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1
Whether he explicitly stated it or not Pax Americana is to be Grant Morrison’s Watchmen Redux. Of course it is so much more than this as well. During the initial drafting of this article Pax… [more]
“The Greatest and / or Worst Picto-fics of All Time”: The Multiversity: The Just #1
Three issues in and the Multiversity event shows no signs of slowing down or disappointing. One of the added joys of The Just for me personally was seeing more of Ultra Comics and that books… [more]
The Multiversity Interlude: Whatever Happened to the Supercontext?
“It’s only part of something much better that will be wonderful… To believe that things are going to get better and we will participate in things getting better… Is just us about to become something… [more]
“A Narrative Structure in Which Despite a Series of Ridiculous Mishaps, All Goes Well”: On Multiversity: The Society of Super-Heroes: Conquerors of the Counter-World #1
Nearly a month ago the Multiversity event kicked off in grand fashion. Not long after that I took a lengthy and in depth look at the first issue. With the release of The Society of… [more]
“Nobody Actually Believes This Comic is Haunted or Cursed, Right?”: Multiversity #1 and The Past, Present and Future of Grant Morrison’s Grand Narrative
Whenever one reads a Grant Morrison title one ends up contemplating his other works in varying degrees. His separate tenures on a variety of DC titles, alongside his creator owned titles, and even works for… [more]
“Up Onto The Overturned Keel Clamber, With A Heart Of Steel…”: The History Channel’s Vikings and Hyperreal Heathenry
The French postmodern philosopher Baudrillard I believe would have found the History channel’s Vikings to be very interesting. Particularly in light of some of the ideas he espoused in his work Simulacra and Simulation. You… [more]
She Who is Beyond Time – Kali Yuga #1 Review
The relationship between comic books and magic fascinates me. One day I want to write a book, or a very long series of articles, about the links between them. With several comic professionals claiming they… [more]
Reinventing the Cog: A Conversation with The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye’s James Roberts – Part Two
Ok, so I have something of a confession to make. This interview in its original conception was a single piece and was meant to have been published quite some time ago. James had originally hoped… [more]
Reinventing the Cog: A Conversation with The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye’s James Roberts
Many might think Transformers comics are glorified toy catalogues at best. However, to Transformers fans old and young, the toys are but one facet or tool for the indulgence of the imagination in creative and… [more]
“Follow me; I seek the everlasting ices of the north…”: DC’s Frankenstein in Post-Millennial Publication, Part Two
We left the last article after establishing various conventions of the Creature and ended on the discussion of a crossover and crisis event. We begin this article with another company-wide crossover and crisis event. To… [more]
Drugs, Bugs, Capitalist Thugs, and Deathless Communists: Impressions of Charlie Gillespie’s The Many: Once Upon a Time in Utopia
Charlie Gillespie, a longtime contributor to 2000AD and Judge Dredd magazine, ventures into new territory later this month with the digital release of The Many: Once Upon a Time in Utopia, a graphic novel written… [more]
“We knew the world would not be the same…”: Thoughts on the Chimeric Nature of Promoting Gareth Edwards’s Godzilla
Not long ago, fellow Sequart contributor Greg Carpenter tweeted his interest in Godzilla after viewing the trailer released towards the end of February. I attempted to let this learned man know that there is more… [more]
Harley Quinn #2 Review
They say never judge a book by its cover, and yet comic books in some sense urge us to do so. Comic book covers are in essence what hook many of us into purchasing a… [more]
Megatron, Supreme Leader of All Decepti– Wait. What?
Recently, IDW pitched upcoming events in their Transformers titles very much from the left of field when they began soliciting artwork of leader and founder of the Decepticons, Megatron, wearing an Autobot symbol. This move,… [more]
“Thus strangely are our souls constructed…”: DC’s Frankenstein in Post-Millennial Publication, Part One
Frankenstein (or, rather, Frankenstein’s creature): that oft studied literary figure, that icon of cinematic horror and, upon closer inspection that almost universal and perpetual figure in the comic art. Appearing in various titles from a… [more]
Harley Quinn #1 Review
With last month’s zero issue restoring my – and no doubt many other people’s – faith in the Harley Quinn character, as presented in DC’s new continuity, this month’s issue was eagerly anticipated. And it… [more]