http://sequart.org advancing comics as art Wed, 09 Jul 2025 21:12:15 +0000 en hourly 1 http://sequart.org/magazine/68424/also-its-congruent-with-lovecrafts-ideal-state-of-ataraxia-providence-12-and-the-acceptance-of-apocalypse/ http://sequart.org/magazine/68424/also-its-congruent-with-lovecrafts-ideal-state-of-ataraxia-providence-12-and-the-acceptance-of-apocalypse/#comments Sat, 26 May 2018 23:16:26 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=68424 “…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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/67351/dark-days-dark-nights-and-taking-dc-continuity-to-the-nth-degree/ http://sequart.org/magazine/67351/dark-days-dark-nights-and-taking-dc-continuity-to-the-nth-degree/#comments Thu, 05 Oct 2017 19:01:58 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=67351 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/65325/without-doubt-the-fullest-and-truest-expression-of-ethereal-genius-tragedy-transition-and-triumph-in-providence-11/ http://sequart.org/magazine/65325/without-doubt-the-fullest-and-truest-expression-of-ethereal-genius-tragedy-transition-and-triumph-in-providence-11/#comments Tue, 14 Mar 2017 23:00:42 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=65325 “…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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/64333/the-universe-doesnt-care-this-is-not-punishment-but-rather-it-is-appreciation-celebration-commiseration-and-concern-in-providence-10/ http://sequart.org/magazine/64333/the-universe-doesnt-care-this-is-not-punishment-but-rather-it-is-appreciation-celebration-commiseration-and-concern-in-providence-10/#comments Thu, 24 Nov 2016 22:00:15 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=64333 “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]]]> 6 http://sequart.org/magazine/64330/and-providence-hesitates-on-the-very-cusp-of-another-world-than-this-rejection-resolution-and-revelation-in-providence-9/ http://sequart.org/magazine/64330/and-providence-hesitates-on-the-very-cusp-of-another-world-than-this-rejection-resolution-and-revelation-in-providence-9/#comments Wed, 21 Sep 2016 16:00:51 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=64330 “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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/64378/ladies-and-gentlemen-hobos-and-tramps-cross-eyed-mosquitoes-and-bowlegged-ants-loving-that-joker-but-which-one/ http://sequart.org/magazine/64378/ladies-and-gentlemen-hobos-and-tramps-cross-eyed-mosquitoes-and-bowlegged-ants-loving-that-joker-but-which-one/#comments Tue, 06 Sep 2016 15:00:42 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=64378 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/63323/%e2%80%9cdreams-writings-and-our-outlandish-human-imaginings%e2%80%a6-they%e2%80%99re-at-the-very-heart-of-it-%e2%80%9d/ http://sequart.org/magazine/63323/%e2%80%9cdreams-writings-and-our-outlandish-human-imaginings%e2%80%a6-they%e2%80%99re-at-the-very-heart-of-it-%e2%80%9d/#comments Mon, 18 Jul 2016 16:30:46 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=63323 “ 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/62864/%e2%80%9cits-like-underneath-everything-there-is-just-chaos%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d-perspective-and-politics-in-providence-7/ http://sequart.org/magazine/62864/%e2%80%9cits-like-underneath-everything-there-is-just-chaos%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d-perspective-and-politics-in-providence-7/#comments Tue, 08 Mar 2016 17:00:49 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=62864 “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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/61573/%e2%80%9cthe-fourth-means-is-most-terrible-and-rests-on-the-eviction-of-a-soul%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d-transcription-and-trauma-in-providence-6/ http://sequart.org/magazine/61573/%e2%80%9cthe-fourth-means-is-most-terrible-and-rests-on-the-eviction-of-a-soul%e2%80%a6%e2%80%9d-transcription-and-trauma-in-providence-6/#comments Sat, 16 Jan 2016 16:45:27 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=61573 “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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/60411/being-the-frightful-smile-of-their-creator-providence-5/ http://sequart.org/magazine/60411/being-the-frightful-smile-of-their-creator-providence-5/#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2015 11:00:05 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=60411 “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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/59985/there-was-no-hand-to-hold-me-back/ http://sequart.org/magazine/59985/there-was-no-hand-to-hold-me-back/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2015 17:00:36 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=59985 “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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/59828/howd-you-do-my-little-siren/ http://sequart.org/magazine/59828/howd-you-do-my-little-siren/#comments Sun, 06 Sep 2015 00:00:55 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=59828 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/59300/and-thus-exemplify-this-process-duality-duplicity-and-dissolution-in-providence-2/ http://sequart.org/magazine/59300/and-thus-exemplify-this-process-duality-duplicity-and-dissolution-in-providence-2/#comments Fri, 07 Aug 2015 11:00:50 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=59300 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/59020/a-quite-unexpected-afterthought-on-the-multiversity/ http://sequart.org/magazine/59020/a-quite-unexpected-afterthought-on-the-multiversity/#comments Sat, 18 Jul 2015 11:00:51 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=59020 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/58437/leng-were-all-on-leng-alan-moores-providence-and-the-cthulhu-mythos/ http://sequart.org/magazine/58437/leng-were-all-on-leng-alan-moores-providence-and-the-cthulhu-mythos/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2015 12:00:54 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=58437 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]]]> 4 http://sequart.org/magazine/57670/multiversity-2-superjudge/ http://sequart.org/magazine/57670/multiversity-2-superjudge/#comments Wed, 20 May 2015 11:00:16 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=57670 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]]]> 11 http://sequart.org/magazine/56550/the-multiversity-ultra-comics-1/ http://sequart.org/magazine/56550/the-multiversity-ultra-comics-1/#comments Thu, 16 Apr 2015 11:00:57 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=56550 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/56058/can-you-read-the-ravens-speech-multiversity-mastermen-1-splendour-falls/ http://sequart.org/magazine/56058/can-you-read-the-ravens-speech-multiversity-mastermen-1-splendour-falls/#comments Sun, 15 Mar 2015 11:00:36 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=56058 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/55605/further-thoughts-on-nameless-1/ http://sequart.org/magazine/55605/further-thoughts-on-nameless-1/#comments Sun, 01 Mar 2015 12:00:55 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=55605 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/54972/character-and-portrayal-in-snyders-batman/ http://sequart.org/magazine/54972/character-and-portrayal-in-snyders-batman/#comments Thu, 12 Feb 2015 12:00:23 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=54972 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/54946/the-multiversity-guidebook-1-maps-and-legends/ http://sequart.org/magazine/54946/the-multiversity-guidebook-1-maps-and-legends/#comments Wed, 11 Feb 2015 12:00:54 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=54946 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]]]> 1 http://sequart.org/magazine/53513/the-multiversity-new-thunderworld-adventures-1/ http://sequart.org/magazine/53513/the-multiversity-new-thunderworld-adventures-1/#comments Sun, 04 Jan 2015 12:00:12 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=53513 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/52817/cosmic-trigger-the-play-review/ http://sequart.org/magazine/52817/cosmic-trigger-the-play-review/#comments Sun, 07 Dec 2014 18:00:56 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=52817 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/52644/the-multiversity-pax-americana-1/ http://sequart.org/magazine/52644/the-multiversity-pax-americana-1/#comments Mon, 01 Dec 2014 18:00:46 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=52644 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]]]> 3 http://sequart.org/magazine/51762/multiversity-the-just-1-review/ http://sequart.org/magazine/51762/multiversity-the-just-1-review/#comments Tue, 04 Nov 2014 18:00:57 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=51762 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/51487/multiversity-whatever-happened-to-the-supercontext/ http://sequart.org/magazine/51487/multiversity-whatever-happened-to-the-supercontext/#comments Sun, 02 Nov 2014 12:00:35 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=51487 “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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/50369/multiversity-2-society-of-super-heroes/ http://sequart.org/magazine/50369/multiversity-2-society-of-super-heroes/#comments Sun, 28 Sep 2014 17:00:56 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=50369 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]]]> 1 http://sequart.org/magazine/49622/multiversity-1-review/ http://sequart.org/magazine/49622/multiversity-1-review/#comments Wed, 03 Sep 2014 20:25:12 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=49622 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/48692/vikings-and-hyperreal-heathenry/ http://sequart.org/magazine/48692/vikings-and-hyperreal-heathenry/#comments Wed, 06 Aug 2014 11:00:27 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=48692 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/48493/kali-yuga-1-review/ http://sequart.org/magazine/48493/kali-yuga-1-review/#comments Fri, 01 Aug 2014 09:00:31 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=48493 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]]]> 1 http://sequart.org/magazine/48110/a-conversation-with-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-james-roberts-part-two/ http://sequart.org/magazine/48110/a-conversation-with-transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-james-roberts-part-two/#comments Wed, 30 Jul 2014 11:00:14 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=48110 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/46997/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-interview-with-james-roberts/ http://sequart.org/magazine/46997/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-interview-with-james-roberts/#comments Fri, 27 Jun 2014 20:00:32 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=46997 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/43149/dc-frankenstein-in-post-millennial-publication-part-two/ http://sequart.org/magazine/43149/dc-frankenstein-in-post-millennial-publication-part-two/#comments Fri, 16 May 2014 11:00:52 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=43149 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]]]> 3 http://sequart.org/magazine/41855/impressions-of-charlie-gillespies-the-many/ http://sequart.org/magazine/41855/impressions-of-charlie-gillespies-the-many/#comments Sat, 19 Apr 2014 20:00:42 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=41855 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/40661/thoughts-on-promoting-gareth-edwards-godzilla/ http://sequart.org/magazine/40661/thoughts-on-promoting-gareth-edwards-godzilla/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2014 11:00:49 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=40661 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/39857/harley-quinn-2-review/ http://sequart.org/magazine/39857/harley-quinn-2-review/#comments Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:00:54 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=39857 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]]]> 2 http://sequart.org/magazine/39602/megatron-supreme-leader-of-all-decepti-wait-what/ http://sequart.org/magazine/39602/megatron-supreme-leader-of-all-decepti-wait-what/#comments Fri, 31 Jan 2014 02:49:39 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=39602 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/38670/thus-strangely-are-our-souls-constructed-dcs-frankenstein-in-post-millennial-publication/ http://sequart.org/magazine/38670/thus-strangely-are-our-souls-constructed-dcs-frankenstein-in-post-millennial-publication/#comments Thu, 23 Jan 2014 12:00:42 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=38670 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]]]> 0 http://sequart.org/magazine/38147/harley-quinn-1-review/ http://sequart.org/magazine/38147/harley-quinn-1-review/#comments Thu, 26 Dec 2013 18:00:52 +0000 Dave Whittaker http://sequart.org/?p=38147 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]]]> 2