Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Stickleback Part 8 References

Busy one, this week....


Page One - Sir William Ashbless

Yes, that's the future owner of the R.M.S. Leviathan, all right. If Len Chipps had taken that eye-symbol amulet around Ashbless' neck as well as his City Fathers membership chain, the events in Leviathan would never have happened...






Page Two - Bey's Costume & Aleister Crowley

Bey's party costume refers to Roger Corman's 1964 film Masque Of The Red Death. The guy taking his cloak on the right of the panel is meant to be a young Aleister Crowley (hence his dialogue, "do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law.")






Page Two - The Wicker Man

Inspired by the giant sacrificial figure from Anthony Schaffer's 1973 film The Wicker Man, the centrepiece for the City Fathers' big shindig is in fact a giant cage-dancing assembly, topped by the twin faces of Gog and Magog, much in the style of the Roman god Janus.






Page Two - The Hermaphrodite

A regular character from old pagan ceremonies - Christopher Lee's character takes the part in the final ceremony in The Wicker Man, The Victorians purged the figure of the Hermaphrodite from many surviving Pagan celebrations.






Page Three - Harlequin and Hobby-Horse
Harlequin is a mischievous trickster and precursor to Mister Punch, an obvious symbol for Stickleback himself.

The Hobby-horse is another character from pagan celebrations, and also 18th century slang for a harlot.






Page Three - The Gargoyle

Inspired by Bok the Gargoyle from the 1971 Dr. Who story, The Dæmons.








Page Three - Lyme's Mask

Inspired by Azal the Dæmon from the 1971 Dr. Who story, The Dæmons.








Page Four - The Oak

The Oak was the central symbol of the Druid faith. The image of a giant tree, however, comes from Norse mythology. Yggdrasil the World Tree connected the three worlds of Norse cosmogony, and sheltered the last men though Ragnarok, the last battle that ends the world.






Page Five - Stickleback's gang in Salvation Army uniform

Sorry, just as baffled by this as you are :-)

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