Comments on: Dead Funnies

Dead Funnies

cortex — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:34:42 -0800

The Comic Bardo Thodol, or: Everything you ever wanted to know about the Tibetan Book of the Dead but were afraid to not read in a streamlined comic context. [via mefi projects]

By: Phalene

Phalene — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:52:45 -0800

Well, that's about the most coherent explaination of the karma business I've ever got. Do you start the cycle over if you get stuck in one of the alternate worlds and die again?

By: Abiezer

Abiezer — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:53:35 -0800

I'll come back to this later.

By: Guy_Inamonkeysuit

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:56:35 -0800

Yeah! Yeah, yeah! That's it! I've read the Tibetan Book of the Dead two or three times and this beautifully done piece of work rings true. Great job. Great link. Fucking smoky light. Fucking demons. I hate those guys.

By: Floach

Floach — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:07:25 -0800

That was awesome. Thanks!

By: Guy_Inamonkeysuit

Guy_Inamonkeysuit — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:08:09 -0800

Come to think of it, I did a three-page comic version of the Book of the Dead myself, back in the 80's, using funny animals. Angels, demons, sex, rebirth -- not as coherent as this. It was published in Dr. Wirtham's Comics and Stories after seeing the light of day in the funny-animal comix apa Rowrbrazzle. I ought to scan the thing in, one of these days.

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:45:57 -0800

I'm hoping the next step will be someone writing the book up in SCUMM. Ooh, or maybe Inform:

Moment of death
You are floating in an open plane, west of a clear light emanating
from nothingness.
There is a mailbox here.

> examine mailbox
The mailbox is only an illusion.

> reject light
You see another, different clear light.

> reject light
Which light do you reject?

> the second one
I don't see any one here.

> reject second light
I don't see any second light here.

> fuck you
That's a karma paddlin'.

> reject another, different clear light.
In your foolishness, you doom yourself to the Chonyid Bardo.

By: Graygorey

Graygorey — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 07:48:58 -0800

Tibetan Book of the Dead to some, typical Friday-night-out to others... six of one, half-a dozen of the other... This was great. Thanks.

By: beagle

beagle — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:05:02 -0800

Just noticed this on Projects and decided it was totally postable; then discovered that Cortex had already totally posted it. Great stuff. Looking forward to the Comic Koran. Or perhaps, better not. I'm sure the Dalai Lama would endorse the Comic Bardo Thodol, however.

By: tkolar

tkolar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:14:44 -0800

Good stuff. Thanks.

By: solipsophistocracy

solipsophistocracy — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:40:18 -0800

This is really great. Thanks a lot.

By: Eideteker

Eideteker — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:41:52 -0800

Reminiscent of Patrick Farley's e-sheep.com. Neat!

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:51:57 -0800

By: Drastic

Drastic — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:01:01 -0800

This is great. I am a little confused though - on Day 1 in the Choynid Bardo (the Vairocana), it appears that having bad Karma/being stricken with fear leads to a life in the Deva-Loka? What am I missing? Remember that's part of the benevolent hallucinations--that part of the betweenlife is the good part of the trip. So it's "fear and terror" in the good sense. Think of more Western terms like "God-fearing", or for a more secular bent, a spectacular sunset causing awe (root of awful, of course) and trembling. Various poets talking about terrible beauty. So it's awful, but attractive--thus, that's your exit! Whereas if you don't really respond (enh, it's just a sunset, I've seen plenty of those!), it's another light for you. Clearly I need to pay more attention to Projects; I would've missed this if it hadn't been posted. I approach the blue light!

By: ikahime

ikahime — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:10:38 -0800

Loved it loved it loved it.

By: paradoxflow

paradoxflow — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 09:45:10 -0800

This has inspired me to finally go read the real thing. I've been wondering for a couple of weeks now, how do you pronounce Akshobhya? Is it Ak-sho-bee-ya, Ak-sho-bye-ya, or Ak-sho-bya?

By: mrgrimm

mrgrimm — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:01:30 -0800

Whee! you doom yourself to the Chonyid Bardo I thought that's where all the good stuff happened - psychedelic visions, heightened sensations, general arousal. Oh, I see. We want liberation from all that. Grooovy. I love how the easiest path to liberation is the best. "See that light? Do you get it? ... Cool, we're outta here."

By: cortex

cortex — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:02:42 -0800

I thought that's where all the good stuff happened I'm pretty sure the guys at Infocom were just trying to sex up the narrative arc a bit.

By: blue_beetle

blue_beetle — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:09:43 -0800

Wait, Zod is the second deity?

By: never used baby shoes

never used baby shoes — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:20:57 -0800

Thanks, Drastic. I am enlightened. My problem with the whole process would be my ADD tendencies. @blue-beetle - well, he had to do something with his time after Superman 2.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 10:44:53 -0800

This is brilliant! Thanks!

By: grapefruitmoon

grapefruitmoon — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:27:30 -0800

I appreciate any version of the afterlife inhabited by the Spice Girls. Awesome!

By: UbuRoivas

UbuRoivas — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:29:53 -0800

Wait - is Ratnasambhava really....Nigella Lawson?!??

By: Pronoiac

Pronoiac — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:00:53 -0800

Good work! If you'd like further examples of comics made from photographs, that style is called fumetti.