A. Heathen

Huh?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure I remember reading that Steve Evans is going to play a major role in this story, so he can't be dead already.

It’s a bit of a tradition for each writer to introduce a new supporting cast, with maybe the odd old-school character here and there. How heavily will you rely on previous cast memebers? Can you give us examples of some of the new characters that you’ll be bringing in?

 

Well, where Mike takes JC to leaves him with very few of the previous supporting cast for a lot of my run. I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but he takes him to a pretty desolate place but there are appearances, very important ones. New characters include St Oran, a painter called Chris Cole who goes to John for help with an empathy curse and becomes a mate, also Steve Evans who is a mysterious local council official who spends a lot of time in the office toilets resisting the urge to slaughter everyone he works with. Steve Evans is my boyfriend's name - I felt it was the least I could do given that he'd introduced me to Hellblazer in the first place.

One aspect of science that is currently similar to religion is that there is a cartel of people controlling what we know who do not necessarily let us know all the evidence at their disposal.

That is where Big Business has the financial control.

That's not completely new - Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone only because he had the money to bribe a patent officer; Columbus only "proved" the world was not flat (of course, he didn't) because of financial support.

But now we have massive progresses held back by drugs companies because they need "proof" (or because cure A would cut down sales of Symptomatic Treatment X) and by home electronics companies because they want us to buy the old equipment and then have to replace it.

People are not getting the point I am making that the VAST MAJORITY of people are not scientists. They don't go out and decide to test gravity, motion, which way the world spins even though they can. They don't even consider how their VCR works.

Except that people do go out and test things that they are told.

When you're a child you touch hot things despite being told they will burn you.

And after building up a body of experience you learn to trust people's advice.

This is where the religious-minded step in and add embellishments like "if you covet your neighbour's ox, you'll burn in the pits of Hell" and being trusting souls, many people fall for it without so much as an iota of evidence.

That's why it is faith, and for the most part one shouldn't criticise anyone who holds that view - merely those who wish to enforce it on others.

Think of the speculative fiction where religion has held sway through the Age of Enlightenment and everyone is stuck in rooms lit by candles ... if you stifle scientific thinking, there's a whole lot of progress that is lost. But that doesn't mean that everyone has to do the thinking. Such are the benefits of humans being a sociable collective bunch.

So if we take it on faith and do not actually understand or even try to prove scientific theories ourselves doesn't that mean that to most people it is a religion?

 

 

 

In that case any aspect of life where people follow the advice or theories of people more knowlegable in field than themselves could be termed a religion.

 

Though thinking of politics and economics that might make sense.

Completely correct analogy, Claire.

While not all science provides conclusive proof, the difference to me is following what someone believes to be true versus what someone has shown to be probably true. Science has always maintained a search for the truth. Replacing old truths such as "the world is flat", "atoms are the smallest particle", "bread mould is bad" with new ones is what science is about. Meanwhile, religion thrives on asking people to accept things unquestionably, so science is a threat to some extremes.

Interesting to note that "intelligent design" is a rational scientific change from religion in the light of evolution gathering more and more evidence.

Isn't football BRILLIAAAANNNNTTTT !?

Birmingham City's excellent performance against Charlton (universally acknowledged as robbery) they have obviously spent all week with Chris Sutton training them in goalscoring. Because everyone was at it against the WORST team I have ever watched.

(Yes, I even got to St Andrews for this one.)

Top Entertainment.

The cover's crap. Story's not much better. I thought the dialogue was pretty stupid. "What?" "What what?" "What?" The sequence of events felt disconnected and sort of pointless, there didn't seem to be much of a reason for anything happening. And why would John help this guy, especially after Cheryl's death and giving up on magic? So he jumps right back in with both feet for a complete fucking stranger? For free? Just to mix it up with this Steve Evans character? I generously give it a 5.

One possible reason in keeping with recent events is that he's just torn the Tate Club a new arse and probably sees Evans' challenge as a chance to continue in that vein.

Told you it was the ten of clubs.

Look into my eyes, directly in the eyes, not around the eyes.

I love you Mr Rogan, it's good to have you back.

I just voted, and there's already three of me...

The other two are voguin' cos they're not really Rogan.

This has been a favourite of mine (and no, he wasn't sent off)

Going darn sarf to London for a few days next week...any Hellblazers down there recommend any interesting watering holes (in a 'constantine' kind of way) to visit ?

I am staying around the Tottenham court rd area..........

Yeah, let me know which days are you around and I am sure I'll be up that way on a couple of days.

Yeah, Wreckless Eric, that's a nice touch. Surprisingly full of brand names that pub scene.

I liked this issue a lot. Stripped of too much continuity baggage, I can see Ms Mina and Sr Manco doing the business here. The story of Chris Cole is a conundrum, and who else was trying to mouth the spell backwards even before John deciphered it for Chris? The family's story read a bit awkwardly to me, something to do with the flow from one person to another.

Incidentally, the "distressed glamour magazine cover" works better than I'd have thought. But it is TOTALLY worthless as an indication of the story within - other than Leo possibly referencing it on the 1st page. As I said before I wish there'd been more of a coherent theme.

Damn this TV programme is going to cost me money !

Your card was the ten of clubs.

since oldboy i wouldnt laugh at asian films. dont heard much about it, if i can i will check it out and its predecessor.

btw, i agree with points 1 n 2 you made.

i dont agree with the third, because i dont want to understand :lol: ;)

i sure will check out its imdb site.

whats good also from park besides the films you mentioned?

i only know those two.

Once again, Jonathan Ross is on television telling me about Asian films I already have, but Stephen Chow's King of Comedy and God of Cooking look like being me next purchases. His Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle are EX-CELLENT - and you CAN laugh at them.

Just seen Lady Vengeance. Park Chan Wook's follow up to Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (not seen) and Oldboy (seen and enjoyed very much).

It's a much more consistent film than Oldboy and not as ultraviolent. I have described it elsewhere as "Oldboy for girls" and that's because it is a very similar narrative to that Geisha film (which I enjoyed, but less so and on a different level).

Lee Geum Ja is sent to prison for 13 years after she is found guilty of kidnapping and murdering a five year old (oh wait, he's six and I'm confusing this with the news). She builds up a network of contacts in prison that helps her plan revenge against the man who made her do this.

The film runs from her release in prison but flashes back to the prison-bound story of each of the people who helps her. There is a priceless moment of bull-dyke action like you'd expect in a women's prison story, and a great moment where she puts down the pastor who has supported her release "I've converted to Buddhism".

Like Oldboy, this film continues past the point where it could end nicely, but in this case the add-on is consistent and shocking in a different way and the extra endings are justified.

Once again one of these films has been marred slightly by tossers in the cinema laughing inappropriately at certain events on screen. My friend Pete said when this happened during Beat Takeshi's "Blood and Bones" a portrayal of a twisted father's reign of terror on his family, and during another "The King" http://imdb.com/title/tt0396688/ at a similar nasty moment that the direction was at fault, but I disagree.

There are people who just don't want to immerse themselves in a film, and laugh (1) to deal with stuff they find uncomfortable and (2) because they don't (want to) understand and (3) sadly because that's what people think of Asian films.

There are wry smile moments on Lady Vengeance, like when one guy offers another his knife because he only has an axe handle ... and the second guy says "I think I'll be okay" and puts the axe head on that handle. But a couple of really dark moments had twats laughing. No wonder I watch most of these on DVD !

MojoPin, I've only ever met and talked to the previous writers in the context of conventions (Jamie, Brian) or public talks (Warren).  I've never discussed the book with them on any level at all.  We didn't consciously avoid the subject, it just never happened.

And Warren had them slippers on at the time.

Not to be a cheeky bugger or anything but did you ever post out that second issue of Local, Ade ?

Ooops !

If you still want it I'll do it Friday.

I've mentioned it.

When do they need to contact you by?

No but if you want to sell it on, go here:

(or tell me and I'll post there for you)

http://www.thevhive.com/forum/discussion.p...=THEV&msg=324.1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...&category=85990

I was tempted.

But I am hoping you get a Cheap Trick comic job.

Dear Mister Mike Carey,

I am always being a fan of your work on the Keany Reeves comic, but wish to ask this did you give the name of your Pantera comic after a Tom Robinson Band song just to get your own revenged back upon them?

Thank you

Adriano Ronaldo,

Rio De Ferdinando,

Brasil.

Funnily enough that's my least favourite, St Apathy.

Even though there were some dreadful bits of dialogue in Brian Azzarello's attempts to better Dick Van Dyke (and mostly he hit the pony on the noggin).

"You people need to fucking well get over yourselves" is my current fave.

Me too.