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Oh, and thanks, Oddboy.

OK. Calmed down a bit now.

One thing.

A few hundred years ago, you may have been burning your so called pagan mates at the stake.

I know you didn't mean this as an insult. But it's a... well. It's just wrong, OK?

Paganism died out entirely in the sixth century AD. Modern Pagans follow a religion that has only existed for a century and a half (of course, just because it's new does not mean in and of itself that it is necessarily wrong - all beliefs have to start somewhere).

The people burnt at the stake (or more often hanged) were mostly (if not all) Christians, and to imagine that there was some sort of anti-pagan holocaust (some people reckon that nine million pagans died during the witch-hunting years. Well, considering that it was something like 250,000 people died in witch hunts altogether over that period... that's a pile of pooey pants) is not only an insult to history, it also denigrates the memory of those innocents who died.

I suspect that a few hundred years ago, I'd have been burned at the stake myself.

The site I've linked below is a good one with a lot of good resources on the history, especially since it's written from a pagan viewpoint.

Link: http://wicca.timerift.net" target="_blank">A Pagan who knows about history

It's a symbol, not a historical fact and in this case, their are no historical facts about Judas are there? (Just biblical facts, which are different)

Well, yeah. Of course it's a symbol. That's the point.

Oh, and speaking as someone with a research degree in early religious lit. under his belt (graduation in July - silly hats ahoy!) - no, the Bible is an historical sourcebook as much as any other ancient text.

 If you don't see it, you don't see it.

Let's draw a line under it, shall we?

OK, Paul. Truce?

FWIW, as I said, I think that Black Siddha could be quite good... I think the next episode or two will make or break it. And the Redeemer was great. Really great. Old-school.

The new ABC story was... dull. Although I liked, as I said, the artwork.

The whole Judas thing seemed to serve no purpose in the story, other than to make some point about religion.

Against my better judgement, this is why I'm personally attacked by this.

Fact fans take note: Judas is unique in the Bible as having died in two muttually exclusive ways - either hanging himself off a tree or by falling over and accidentally disembowelling himself). Neither of these deaths involve a gallows. The only death on a gallows - or the quivalent thereof - is that of Christ himself. Mills is not a stupid man (although he clearly reads some dodgy history books) and is no doubt well aware of this.

Basically the story's saying that the only saviour for a robot with a soul is a betrayer. That their faith is a sham. The droids are all a satire on human characteristics anyway. It's more subtle than a lot of Mills' stuff, but it's a swipe at a belief system, a faith, a way of life.

This is not the same as criticising an institution. I don't take kindly to being called evil. particularly not by a comic writer.

For a thought-provoking and intelligent take on a Judas-religion, go read JL Borges' short story "Three Versions of Judas". Still faintly blasphemous, but in a nice way, y'know.

Look.

Paul, I like you, I don't want to get in a fight with anyone - especially you - and I apologise for losing it.

This is why I hate getting into arguments about religion.

I'm not going to convince anyone and I'm too angry right now to post a coherent argument, so I'm going away to cool off.

If you'd been raised by the Christian Brothers or one of another child abusing christian societies that have existed in the UK and Ireland Wood, perhaps you might feel differently.

Oh, here we go.

Straw man time, then. You know what? I grew up spiritualist. Some spiritualists abuse and exploit people. Some muslims abuse and exploit people. Some atheists abuse and exploit people.

So. F*****g. What?

All that proves is that human nature sucks big time.

Never underestimate the human ability to use something worthwhile and beautiful into something petty and ugly.

Pat mills is not saying your god, your papery book or your beliefs is worthless.

Actually, yes he is, he has, and has done so repeatedly.

I happen to find stuff that's critical of blind belief and religious institutions highly entertaining. Dogma? Great film. Life of Brian? Harmless. Last Temptation of Christ? Well made and thouht provoking.

But Mills goes beyond that. He aims for the institutions - that's fine - but then gives as a reason the belief system behind it.

For example, I only recently reread the Black Hole story and realised that Mills has the Monad quote Jesus as if the words are (the Monad's) own.

What do I make of that, eh?

Slaine's anti-Christian adventures were not directed at the Church. they were directed at Christianity itself.

If Mills was directing his bilge at the Church, I wouldn't care. But he directs it by default at ME.

Well, go on then. Sod off.

So I've got an axe to grind. But frankly, I think I have a right to grind it.

See, the mind mail and stuff didn't annoy me so much. And I thought Carlos Ezquerra's artwork was ace.

I've got an agenda. I AM a Christian, albeit a pretty liberal excuse for one, and I find it actually personally offensive that MY faith is misrepresented in such an appalling manner. Mills is a bigot.

I can't separate that out from this. I guess you don't understand what it feels like until it's you being lied about and getting the hate.  

I don't care that the guy's a Pagan. I know several really cool Pagans. They're all right by me. He can publish entire incantations if he wants, tell everyone how cool being a Pagan is. Just as long as he shuts up with his hateful bilge.

Pople like Mills, who have this warped view of history and this hate on for Christianity - the kind of people who many more balanced and sensible Pagans call "fluffy bunny pagans" - give Paganism a bad name.

Link: http://wicca.timerift.net" target="_blank">A Pagan (a Wiccan, actually) with a sensible persp

... This was bloody rubbish. All this mind-linking mallarkey and Deadlock's miraculous escape from peril badly papered over with some pseudo-mystical guff, and ... well, I could go on but I won't.

I agree utterly. Pat Mills has hardly written a thing that has not turned out to be complete crap for years.

Although the Redeemer was OK. Probably because while it still had swipes at religion (change the record, Mills!), they were so subtle and hidden behind the funny OTT 40K violence that they didn't spoil the plot.

I'm also enjoying Black Siddha, although it's teetering on the brink of Pat Mills-style utter crapness.

I think one of the things that really really pisses me off about the man's shallow fundamentalist way of looking at things (which is my main beef with Black Siddha) is the way that the bad guys are all like, "I'm really evil, I am, and I like being evil, and I'm going to kill you all in evil, evil ways".

What a pile of crap. Apart from betraying the worldview of a fundamentalist (disagree with me and you're with the terrorists etc.) it's just so unrealistic. NO ONE who is sane considers themselves to be evil. I mean, that even includes the flippin' Satanists, for heaven's sake crying out loud!

Oh, and Jim? Rob Lowe (the psych lecturer, not the actor) and Becky Hansell say hi. I hope that means something to you.

We had a Eurovision party. So we were all pissed out of our brains.

Best. Eurovision. Ever.

We were rooting for the Uk to come last. The cheer that erupted from our house when Latvia got their four points was momentous.

I made a phone vote for Austria.

Yeah, but there's nothing stopping people doing stuff at home for their own use.

I should post a pic of my 54mm Johnny Alpha sometime, although it pales into insignificance next the excellent job you've done on Dredd and Mongrol.

Humanoids do US editions of a lot of great Euro stuff that you can get in Fprbidden Planet or your comic shop (if you ask nicely. I did): I've got heaps of the stuff. I particularly liked Bilal's Dormant Beast and Nikopol Trilogy.

Jude Law in a brief cameo. No, really.

...that apart from all those FHMs I found in my attic that time (which have mostly gone - don't underestimate the power of Martine McCutcheon), I've been asked by a friend to sell on eBay (I've got a better feedback profile and I'm getting commission. Which is nice) their entire run of Meg vol. 1, the first few vol2 Megs, some best ofs, some issues of Crisis, a couple of Revolvers, some specials, and 2000ADs from 616-803 (obviously they won't fetch much, but hey, I'm only selling em for 50p each).

There's some Deadlines, and a couple issues of Blast! too.

Haven't got all of it up yet, but I will in the next week or so.

Anyway, if any of you guys are interested...

Link: http://cgi6.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewSellersOtherItems&userid=johnheronproject&completed=0&sort=3&since=-1" target="_blank">What I'm selling.

Why does it have to be the same?