Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts

Thursday, September 20, 2018

The Real Reason For The Curse Of Macbeth!!!

Long story short: Because Banquo's ghost is a dumbass.

Longer version...we'll have to consult Zero, The Ghost Detective!

For those of you not familiar, Zero the Ghost Detective was not a detective who happened to be a ghost. He was a P.I. who investigated and thwarted supernatural doings. I know, kind of an awkward name.

Anyway, you know about the alleged curse of Macbeth, right? How you're not supposed to say the name "Macbeth" in a theater, or quote the play unless it's an actual rehearsal or performance, lest some terrible luck strike the production? Well, I think we've sussed out the reason...

Zero (he never got any more of a name than that) has a famous actor friend in town for a production of the Scottish Play...

Meanwhile, backstage...

Bad idea, because...




Now, decades of Scooby Doo and such might have modern readers thinking that this was just a crooked producer or jealous rival actor posing as a ghost. Sorry, guys, this is Zero The Ghost Detective--it's always real ghosts!!

Fortunately, Zero picks that moment to barge in...




So...

Wait, just in case you're not hep to it, in play, Macbeth had assassins murder the noble Banquo, because it had been prophesied that Banquo's progeny would be kings. Banquo's ghost shows up later, haunting Macbeth and making him look raving mad...

Anyway, so Banquo's ghost apparently thinks that Macbeth is still alive some 900 years later? He's fooled by theatrical make-up? What a dumbass.

Still, if every time someone puts on a production of Macbeth, the ghost shows up, thinks it's real, and goes on a killing spree, well, that would explain an awful lot of the alleged curse on the play, wouldn't it?

Bevins want to quit...but Zero wants to convince the ghost that Macbeth is really dead...by making him watch the play!!

And so...


And so they watch the play...

A ghost catcalling at Macbeth. Wild...

Yeah, you know, being dead and all, Banquo, shouldn't you have known that Macbeth was dead? Couldn't you have asked Kid Eternity or something? You are a fool!!

And you're convinced by a play? Do you understand the concept of fiction, or performance. ghost?!?! What a dumbass!!

But all's well that ends well!

Fin!

From Feature Comics #70 (1943)

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Judge Dredd--Lighting Fools The Way To Dusty Death!!

Hey, how about some classical theater?

No, not that Olivier.

See, it's 2112, and Judge Dredd is staking out this performance because there's a suspected drug deal going down in the audience!




Oh, I should mention that this is a slightly different MacBeth than we're used to...

And so, as Dredd goes about his judgely business, we catch some of the show...







Unfortunately, the drug bust goes south, there's a fire fight, and...


Oh, don't worry--Dink Olivier is all right!



Oh, Joe...

From 2000 AD #710 (1990)

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

The Fault Is Not In Our Comics, But In Ourselves

Yeah, DC once published a Welcome Back, Kotter comic book.

And, yeah, they once did an issue where the Sweathogs put on a production of Julius Caesar:

You kids have no idea how good you have it today, what with your "golden age of television" and relative lack of terrible comic book adaptations!!

See, Vice-Principal Woodman has vowed to cut the "Remedial Academic Program" because of budget cuts. (And vice-principals can cut state and federally mandated programs because TV)

But Mr. Kotter figures that if his class can win the Brooklyn Shakespeare Boosters' thousand dollar prize for best amateur production, well, they can then donate that money to Buchanan High, and Woodman will be forced by sitcom logic to keep the Sweathogs!!!

And so...Julius Caesar!!








I just love legitimate theater!

Well, they don't win (obviously), but Woodman is convinced by their efforts that the Sweathogs really want to stay in school, and, well, if that's not good enough to justify a 180 degree change of heart in half an hour, than I don't know what is!! Huzzah!!!

Meanwhile, the youth of today would like to know where their comic book of the characters of Two And A Half Men performing Glengarry Glen Ross is...

From Welcome Back, Kotter #5 (1977)

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Shakespeare--Soul Of The 1970s!

Bunny's little sister, Honey, is about to get caught daydreaming in class...


Oops...


That me be a little bit of an over-reaction, Miss Crinchfield!



D'oh!!!

So, Honey does what any self-respecting teenager of the 70s would do--she goes to see their friends, the superstar band The Soular System!!








Brace yourself...

Observations:

A) This class really has nothing to do with Shakespeare, does it?

B) Miss Crinchfield is an easy A

C) Methinks this might be setting up a number of students to be mighty disappointed by Hamlet...

D) We really need a 2014 version, with, say, Bruno Mars coming in to sing about how "fly" Chaucer is...

From Bunny #20 (1971)