Annotated Leatherjack

[Dudley]

Annotated first episode of Leatherjack, by Nick M.  

Your thoughts?

Link: http://2000adpassnotes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">2000ad Pass notes

[The Amstor Computer]

One general note:

The annotations on, for example, The Chapel Perilous & the leatherjack fish are interesting and help to open up other layers of the story to the reader. However, the entries on relatively common phrases or terms like "bring them down to earth" or "war of attrition", or words like "dowager" don't really add much to the annotations & the writer should probably take for granted that a typical reader will be familiar with these things & simply leave them unmentioned.

Not bad, though.

[Floyd-the-k]

Leatherjack was okay but I can't get into reading annotations on it

[Goosegash]

Here's another one: Page 11, Panel 2 "Quintember is the cruelest month" - a misquote from the very first line of T.S. Elliot's The Wasteland, in which the cruelest month is in fact April.

[Quirkafleeg]

Pedantic nit-pick... It's 'The Waste Land'

[scutfink]

Weeeeeellll, seeing as this appears to be the more popular thread on the subject, let me just cut and paste my, slightly edited, thoughts from earlier...

Impressive, in terms of the effort [he's] clearly put in. Not my favourite story, by not my favourite writer. Better you than me etc...

Just to pick [him] up on a few things though...

The fact that they were in use around the 1600?s suggests the story is set later than 938AD.

No shit sherlock, the spaceships are a bit of a giveaway too...

:)

Aaaand...

?xenotoxins? ? I?m having enormous difficulty finding out what these are. I?ve got a feeling they are a naturally occurring defence mechanism produced by the body. Any help gratefully appreciated.

I presume xeno as in xenophobe or xenomorph (or the post Zero Hour DC miniseries Xenobrood) meaning alien, IIRC derived from the Greek (Or possibly Latin.) for outside. Toxin as in toxicity, Toxic, toxicology, Tox.- screen, toxosis (I might have just made that last one up.) meaning poison, IIRC derived from the Latin (Possibly Greek.) for, erm, poisonous.

Put them together and you get a typical john/SMITH compound word ostesibly meaning alien poison, with a distinct undertone of 'Look at me, look at me! I am considerably cleverer than you!'.

scutfink

Prog 534 Club Member 0000000010 G

[Funt Solo]

Yes, it certainly wouldn't do for anyone to go about blatantly displaying their intelligence.

[scutfink]

There's a difference between displaying your intelligence and showing off 'cause you know a voluminous word...

:)

And besides, subtlety is always better than blatancy(?), nobody loves a smart arse...

scutfink

Prog 534 Club Member 0000000010 G

[Dudley]

We'll not have that word used on my thread, thank you so very much.

[Floyd-the-k]

I'm with scutfink here - a lot of the time, although not always, it's just saying 'aren't I clever?' rather than actually being clever.

Does Gerard Manly Hopkins get a mention in the annotations? I think Smith gotcaught his habbit of runstitching words together from him

[john_s]

"Put them together and you get a typical john/SMITH compound word ostesibly meaning alien poison, with a distinct undertone of 'Look at me, look at me! I am considerably cleverer than you!'."

scutfink


Which I suppose makes you equally clever AND a big show-off, does it?

What's clever about "xenotoxins" anyway?  It's just daft SF window-dressing and a pretty obvious made up compound word.  Personally, I don't want to read old-style SF that talks about rayguns and warp drives all the time, but maybe that's just me!

Thanks for your opinions anyway... :-P

Cheers!
john

[auxlen]

Ah, yes John back when Sci-fi was all fun and not so dark and 'real'.

I was gaming last night and saw a group of peep with a clan tag (OMG Lazers Pew Pew Pew), which reminded me of how fun sci-fi used to be.

[Satanist]

I much prefer to show off my ignorance, which is boundless by the by.

[scutfink]

Hhhhhokay, where to start, where to start?

Posted by john s:

Which I suppose makes you equally clever AND a big show-off, does it?

Nah, we?ll come back to that in a minute?

 Posted by john s:

What's clever about "xenotoxins" anyway? It's just daft SF window-dressing

Well, to be honest, nothing much. It is as you say ?a pretty obvious made up compound word? a minor symptom of a larger disease, if you like?

I only picked up on ?xenotoxins? because it was mentioned in Johnnythree?s annotations, (But you knew that, you?ve been following both these threads. :) )it appeared he was somewhat baffled by the word, in the spirit of friendliness and community I was just trying to help clear things up. Admittedly I used my comments as an excuse to take a pop at your tendency to (IMO) use ?daft SF window-dressing? in place of characters that I can identify with and care about, (I tend to do that at any given opportunity.) ?

Posted by fink:

not my favourite story by not my favourite writer

Maybe that?s just me :)
Which brings us back to?

Posted by john s:

Which I suppose makes you equally clever AND a big show-off, does it?

A big show off? Because someone asked a question and I supplied an answer?

Posted By fink:

?xenotoxins? ? I?m having enormous difficulty finding out what these are. I?ve got a feeling they are a naturally occurring defence mechanism produced by the body. Any help gratefully appreciated.

I presume xeno as in xenophobe or xenomorph (or the post Zero Hour DC miniseries Xenobrood) meaning alien, IIRC derived from the Greek (Or possibly Latin.) for outside. Toxin as in toxicity, Toxic, toxicology, Tox.- screen, toxosis (I might have just made that last one up.) meaning poison, IIRC derived from the Latin (Possibly Greek.) for poisinous.

Showing off? ?Look at me, look at me, I?m so clever I can?t even tell Greek from fuckin? Latin! And putting poisonous through a spell checker? Waaay to clever for that??

Yeah, john, I?ve been trying to limit my comments to your work as a writer, but  there?s just something about your posts here, beyond the childish petulant ?I know you are, but what am I?? tone, which leads me to believe you?re not a very nice person, another symptom?

It seems to me you enjoy taking the intellectual high ground, a repellent habit I try to avoid, I?m always happy to own up to my own inadequacies when ever they?re made apparent  (Note to self: must hide inadequacies more betterer.)?

You pepper your writing with incessant ?I am considerably cleverer than you!' technobabble, (A charge you didn?t see fit to refute.) and judging by the tone of your responses to my post, you like to ensure everyone knows you?re the cleverest guy in the room in the real world too?

So, yeah, back to that disease metaphor (Sorry, I am watching House as I am drafting this?) the diagnosis is in and, end of the day, you?re just a bit of a bully aren?t you john, okay so it?s intellectual rather than physical bullying, doesn?t make it any less reprehensible behaviour though?

Just my opinion :)



STOP PRESS:

Since taking the time and effort to think out an intelligent response (Also, I?ve got work to do, the big downside of a full time job?) it seems I?ve been provided with a little more ammunition?

Time for a kneejerk reaction?

Posted by john s:  
 
 
Maybe because you're just the kind of show-off you accuse me of being? And gutless with it too, since you take refuge in another thread...

I honestly couldn't give a flying fuck WHAT you think, fink! What you think of "Leatherjack" is academic. But when the pan starts calling the kettle black...

Guess it takes a smart arse to know one, eh? ;)

?Posting personal opinions on an internet message board? You big show-off!?

Taking refuge? Ooooh run and hide! Here comes john s and he?s pissed!

Actually I was having two separate conversations on two separate threads, and I decided to bring my earlier comments, and the reactions they provoked, to the attention of a larger group...

Was it my idea to post two threads on this topic? Knowing my opinions of your writing, what do you think?

And in conclusion, I didn?t call you black, kettle, I called you a shit writer who still (somehow) manages to be regularly published and attracts an audience of tens of thousands?

Maybe they should include a free jar of skin thickening cr?me wit every internet connection

So yeah, you?re right, it takes a smart arse to know one?

But everyone can spot a cunt.

So,  to conclude in the spirit of your earlier post



Stop hitting yourself?
Stop hitting yourself?
Stop hitting yourself?

[Richmond Clements]

My, this is going well, isn't it?