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Rethel's "Auch ein Todtentanz"
Sooooo... there's this 1849 comic book from Germany about how foolish the peasants are for trying to revolt and get the vote and democracy. To express just how wrongheaded these foolish peasants are, the artist, Alfred Rethel, depicts Death as the head of the revolution.
The basic plot summary is: Death gets out of his grave, only to be greeted by the Furies, who go, "HEY BRO WE STOLE JUSTICE'S SCALES AND SWORD, WANNA REVOLUTION? You can borrow Vanity's fancy hat, Bloodlust's scythe, and Madness's horse!" Death says, "Awesome! Thanks guys!" and gallops away upon his pale horse of Madness to bring revolution (and Justice's sword) to the peasants.
Of course, it all goes horribly wrong, everyone dies, and AREN'T YOU SORRY NOW PEASANTS? With bonus implications that the revolution is being fomented by the Freemasons and Jews because the more things change, the more things stay the same.
This comic is counter-revolutionary propaganda, and I perversely love it. Death is the bad guy, but what's not to love? He's a snappy dresser, witty, explicitly stated multiple times to be an egalitarian to the bone, has no love for royalty and hierarchy, is pals with monstrous women, and he rides the horse of Madness, which as a crazy person I appreciate. Madness is Death's pal! No ableism from this Death!
The crowning dramatic irony of the work is, throughout the comic, Death talks about how he will win, all the peasants will be made equal in the end. The writer means dying, states that this is one of Death's lies, but in reality, Germany DID eventually become a democracy and overthrow the monarchy! Within a lifetime, even, though a long one! SO DEATH ISN'T EVEN LYING.
Also the art is really freakin' nice.
That link goes to a blog post by an art collector named Scott Ponemone, talking about his years-long hunt for copies of the art, along with explanation of what the art means to a 21st century audience, the historical context of the German revolutions from 1849, and Rethel's own politics. (There were apparently two revolutions at around this time, and this book was made around the first one. The second one was also brutally crushed, and apparently later on Rethel realized that the revolutionaries weren't just being shit-stirred, that maybe they weren't wrong.)
And since we have access to a nice printer now, and since Scott Ponemone put print-quality photos on his blog, we have made ourself a silly little print zine of the art, translated original text, and commentary.
The basic plot summary is: Death gets out of his grave, only to be greeted by the Furies, who go, "HEY BRO WE STOLE JUSTICE'S SCALES AND SWORD, WANNA REVOLUTION? You can borrow Vanity's fancy hat, Bloodlust's scythe, and Madness's horse!" Death says, "Awesome! Thanks guys!" and gallops away upon his pale horse of Madness to bring revolution (and Justice's sword) to the peasants.
Of course, it all goes horribly wrong, everyone dies, and AREN'T YOU SORRY NOW PEASANTS? With bonus implications that the revolution is being fomented by the Freemasons and Jews because the more things change, the more things stay the same.
This comic is counter-revolutionary propaganda, and I perversely love it. Death is the bad guy, but what's not to love? He's a snappy dresser, witty, explicitly stated multiple times to be an egalitarian to the bone, has no love for royalty and hierarchy, is pals with monstrous women, and he rides the horse of Madness, which as a crazy person I appreciate. Madness is Death's pal! No ableism from this Death!
The crowning dramatic irony of the work is, throughout the comic, Death talks about how he will win, all the peasants will be made equal in the end. The writer means dying, states that this is one of Death's lies, but in reality, Germany DID eventually become a democracy and overthrow the monarchy! Within a lifetime, even, though a long one! SO DEATH ISN'T EVEN LYING.
Also the art is really freakin' nice.
That link goes to a blog post by an art collector named Scott Ponemone, talking about his years-long hunt for copies of the art, along with explanation of what the art means to a 21st century audience, the historical context of the German revolutions from 1849, and Rethel's own politics. (There were apparently two revolutions at around this time, and this book was made around the first one. The second one was also brutally crushed, and apparently later on Rethel realized that the revolutionaries weren't just being shit-stirred, that maybe they weren't wrong.)
And since we have access to a nice printer now, and since Scott Ponemone put print-quality photos on his blog, we have made ourself a silly little print zine of the art, translated original text, and commentary.
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heck yeah though, scanlating 170-year-old comics. that is great :D
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I know, right? Thanks, Scott Ponemone! (Especially since no way could I ever get my hands on the academic texts he references, or likely a proper German translation.)
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