What is Samhain?
Review: Heads Up Penny
by Cat Baldwin
By Amanda Sledz
for ZORI3
A standard rule of comedy (and, come to think of it,
nonfiction writing) is that if you're going to take a risk
and go on stage/to the page ovaries out, spare no
one--not even yourself. On that note,
I'm pleased to endorse a comic that does, in fact,
spare no one: a mistress of the obvious placing a
blinking strobe-light over everyday behaviors that
deserve a little poke.
Heads Up Penny is a DIY comic publication by Cat
Baldwin, starring a cast of stick-figures (who painfully
sprouted arms in part deux of this series) introduced
with elliptical statements such as "...on roommates"
and "...on "those" girls." Reading like an inspired
conversation between friends, the sunglasses-clad
drawings offer subtle character distinctions, like
pants or dresses, frills and punk hair, etc. The text is
to the point, employs careful use of silence, and lets
no one off the hook.
I tend to feel endeared to books that make me feel a
little embarrassed when I see myself (without the
follow-up excuses and behavior justifications), but
with just a nasty case of humanity hanging out. This
(in my case, whistling and avoiding eye-contact while
everyone reads the attention deficit section) allows
Heads Up Penny to double as a conversation
starter. And nothing inspired this more than
Baldwin's roommate observations, which lead to:
“Holy shit, remember when you lived with that guy
who jerked off all over the bathroom floor in
response to a pile of dirty dishes? That was
awesome!”
When a book takes you towards this kind of
dialogue, it inevitably spirals toward a mad desire to
communicate with the author: "I wonder if she ever
had a roommate who was too much of a mother-
pampered dumb shit to figure out that doing a load
of laundry while someone takes a shower is a
prescription for a screaming match?" Or: "Has she
thought about exploring the greater world of
academentia? There could be a thousand comics
written about professor evaluations, and
constructing a thesis with MLA style!" And: "I'd like to
see her go after hipsters a bit more, since they're my
top contender for individuals who need to be left on
a deserted island to die, with nothing but their CD
collections and sour expressions for survival."
Heads Up Penny is good for that, in the same way
Baldwin's drawings are good for transposing your
own emotional reaction onto the characters carefully
concealed eyes. This is good writing framed in the
brackets of illustration, demonstrating moments of
excellent comic timing and wicked observation skills.
Cat Baldwin
doesn’t offer anything more (in terms or writing or
illustration) than what is necessary, and this careful
understanding of the inevitable ADD of her
readership could lead to a long-term career. After
all, Baldwin's got an endless source of material,
since what she reflects on is the human condition, of
which there is currently no cure.
It might be worth it in the long term for Cat Baldwin to
focus her observations and carry them further. While
the salt and pepper of a little bit of this, a little bit of
that, is great for introducing characters to readers,
eventually it's nice to have a meaty single subject to
digest--or just a few. I'd also recommend the
following: number your pages! As a reviewer, how
am I to reference the witty comic on page 18, if there
is no page 18?
Heads Up Penny oozes good creative mojo, and
reminds the reader that anyone with get-out-of-bed
drive can produce something, too. I recommend
checking it out and seeing what sort of comics start
unfolding in your own head in response to Baldwin's
prompts.
Check out Heads Up Penny's two issues, mini-
comics, and other schwag either here or at http:
//www.headsuppenny.com
acquaintance (who has given me permission to
poke lightly at her): "Halloween, hurray! Are you
doing anything? OOooooo! What is Samhain?
Does that mean you can't have fun?"
Never! Trickster humans are built for fun! Now, if
you believe the proselytizing inflammatory
fundamentalist websites, Samhain is just business
as usual for occultists: another day of formulating
fiendish plots and co-conspiring with the devil for
our ultimate goal of Christian corruption and world
domination! Mwa-ha-ha! If you believe the
average search engine, Samhain is that band
Glen Danzig formed after the Misfits. In reality,
this holiday is a day and night dedicated to the
honoring of ancestors.
In Celtic tradition, Samhain (basically pronounced
Sow-in) marks the beginning of a new year. For
Celts and non-Celts, this time period is
considered of special significance, as it is thought
that on this night the line dividing our world from
other worlds turns transparent, making
communication between the living and dead and
other-worldly beings possible. Since the dead
have the option to wander more freely, some
choose to acknowledge this by paying tribute to
ancestors through (for example) the creation of
an ancestor altar. Others also choose to pay
tribute to patrons/deities/totems who play an
ongoing role in their daily spiritual lives. In short:
the idea is that you can see them, and they can
see you. Since they can see you, it might be a
good idea to offer a wink of some kind.
This "wink" can manifest in a million different
ways, the limits only being imagination and desire.
Generally various flavors of Wiccan and pagan
groups offer public rituals for anyone interested in
attending. For those who prefer something more
private, one popular choice is the preparing of a
"dumb supper" for ancestor-feasting pleasure.
The preparer of the supper would arrange a
place setting at a table for deceased relations,
including foods and vices they may have enjoyed
in life. These include things like alcohol, tobacco,
and sugary foods. This presentation offers a
formal welcome to any spirits interested in visiting,
and participants in the supper remain silent for
the entirety of the feast, in order to encourage
visiting spirits to speak.
If you would like more information on the various
interpretations of this holiday, and means of
celebration, check out the following sites.
Wikipedia on Samhain
Celtic Interpretation
Pagan News
Reclaiming tradition
by Anna Araujo
For ZORI3
In the 80's, economists called Brazil “the Sleeping Giant"; a huge
country filled with natural resources and diverse means of existence and
economy, poised to be the next Super Power. Guess what? Twenty-five
years later, Brazil hasn't become powerful; in fact, last August we found
out that Brazil is among the top 8 countries with the most unequal
distribution of wealth and income according to the United Nations. These
countries are:
- Namibia
- Lesoto
- Botswana
- Sierra Leona
- Central African Republic
- Swaziland
- Guatemala
- Brazil
I know this is only one aspect of the big picture; but what does it mean?
It means I live in a country where there is a woman with her
undernourished baby in her arms, and she´s at the corner begging for
money from someone driving BMW´s newest model. For those of you
who don´t know: we pay 3 times the cost of an imported car here in
Brazil. Disparity? Injustice? Absurdity? Yeah.
I wish I could blame it all on globalization. I wish I could blame it all on
imperial capitalism. But you know what? Since I returned to Brazil two
months ago, I realized that I was wrong. Globalization is not the only
villain. Here's some of our daily news headlines:
- The President of Congress resigned because he was
accused of and found guilty of corruption. His resignation
does not prevent him from running for office next election, which
he already plans to do.
- 15 congressman have been accused of being involved in a
major corruption scheme involving about 900 million Reais
(400 million dollars). The scheme has been traced to high
offices in the federal government and many think that the
president knew about it all.
- In February, a judge killed a security guard at a grocery store
, when he wasn't allowed into the store after business hours.
Everything was recorded on a security camera. The judge's
lawyers are alleging that the judge suffers from a mental disorder.
- One year ago, a mayor was accused of keeping money
originally allocated for school lunches for underprivileged
children in rural communities.
And there´s more, so much more.
Brazil is a country that is so vast, with the most amazing natural
beauties, so many wonderful places, wild species and plants, enormous
starred skies, warm and soothing ocean waters, a richness of natural
scenarios, and the warmth of the people… all being consumed, little by
little, by greed, by blindness, by power.
Despite all of this, I still believe in a positive future. I do believe that the
entire world will become a better place, although it sounds so idealistic.
We need to live honestly with peace in our hearts, and wishing good for
everyone and everything around us. The present is what we have to
improve, so we can taste the sweet fruit of the future.
Love and Peace,
Anna.
Random Verbal Masturbatorium
