Rereading the Lord of the Rings series recently, and it's so fascinating to me how much the series is a denial of the typical juvenile power-fantasy that is associated with the fantasy genre.
Like, the power-fantasy is the temptation the Ring uses against people It tempts Boromir with becoming the "one true king" that could save his people with fantastic power. It tempts Sam with being the savior of Middle Earth and turning the ruin that is Mordor into a great garden. It tempts Gandalf and Galadriel with being the messianic figure of legend who brings salvation to Middle Earth and great glory to herself.
The things the Ring tempts people with are becoming the typical protagonists of fantasy stories that we expect to see. and over and over we see that accepting that role, that fantasy of being the benevolent all-powerful hero, is a bad thing. LotR is about how power, even power wielded with benevolent intent, is corrupting.
And its so fascinating how so much of modern fantasy buys into the very fantasy LotR denies. Most modern fantasy is about being that Heroic power-fantasy. About good amassing power to rival evil. But LotR dares not to. It dares to be honest that there is no world where anyone amasses that power and remains good.
I guess that's one of the reasons its so compelling.
below is the letter received by Neil Gaiman from the “concerned mothers of america” in ‘92, and his response :)
he mentioned this letter in a recent interview with Pink News:
“I remember getting a very grumpy letter from the ‘Concerned Mothers of America’, informing us that due to the number of gay characters in Sandman they would be boycotting us and we had to repent,” he said.
“We never repented and the sales just went up, and up, and up. So I never really worried about their boycott.”
Do you feel proud of yourself for supporting crime and corruption which is engulfing our country? Violence and death rule the streets and thousands of innocent people are murdered in their homes and elsewhere. Its excessive and needless emphasis on homosexuality, profanity and Christian bashing is well-documented and intentional. The most effective way we know how to strike back is to BOYCOTT those who promote it, and unless you stop glorifying homosexuality, we will refuse to buy any of your comics.
We urge you to write to Don Wildmon, P.O Box 2440, Tupelo, MS 33803, telling him you are tired of lost sales and will honor our request and, after publishing it in the AFA journal, we will again buy your comics.
CONCERNED MOTHERS OF AMERICA.
Neil Gaiman's response, written in italics:
I have this vision of all the Concerned Mothers of America opening their American Family Association Journal and eagerly scanning the letter pages to find out if the boycott's over, to see if they can all rush out and start buying SANDMAN again.
That was a typed postcard, postmarked Steubenville, Ohio. The next letter was handwritten (and very impressive) parchment scroll.
Transcription of the letter from the second picture:
Dear Dream Scribes,
I have been following SANDMAN since the "Doll's House" storyline, thanks to a friend who introduced me to the book. Intelligent, well-written books are a rarity in this field, I believe, and I've been delighted with SANDMAN. This dark fantasy is obviously a labor of love from a very creative and talented writer and numerous equally capable artists. (And yes, I ended up buying the trade paperbacks as well.)
I'm writing because I want to thank Neil Gaiman for the current "A Game of You" storyline. There are several subjects that are taboo for comics (probably because of the "lowest common denominator" audiences of most books as much as any social stigma), including and especially gender identity. The subject has almost never been touched upon, much less dealt with in a mature, understanding manner.
Until now. The character of Wanda is one of the most articulate, fully-drawn portraits of a transgendered individual that I've ever come across. Every word, every reaction rings true. Frankly, I'm surprised... Transsexuals are usually stereotyped as freaks, drag queens or worse, instead of being treated as real people.
This storyline means something very personal to me, because I'm also a transsexual with much the same personality as Wanda. I keep feeling like Neil Gaiman has written me into the story. (Another friend of several years, who's been trying to relate to me since my "coming out," confessed that reading these issues of SANDMAN did more to explain transsexualism than anything else he'd ever come across. "That's you, isn't it?" he said to me. "I think I'm finally starting to understand.")
I loved Wanda's reaction to the "chromosomes" comment on page 19 of the current issue (#35). That's exactly how I feel.
Thank you for the most well-written series I've ever read, from the first issue to the present, and thank you for...well, understanding the subject well enough to create a true person in Wanda.
I realize this whole letter is focusing on what some would consider a mere supporting character, one who'll be gone when this storyline is finished, but it's these fully-realized touches that ultimately make up the rich texture of this series. Everything is important, and a good story depends just as much on peripheral elements as it does on the central characters.
Besides, I thought you'd appreciate some feedback from a real transsexual who admires what you're doing with these characters. I shouldn't have been surprised to find such insightful writing on the subject in the pages of SANDMAN; it is one of the most intelligent titles in the medium.
Sincerely,
Laura Adams.
bonus: since the whole page actually contains at least three letters (ones visible on the pictures provided by OP anyway), to the similarly nosy bitches that want to read the other letter, here's an extra transcript below the cut. this is the aforementioned "handwritten in a very impressive parchment scroll" one.
Salutations from the Dreaming,
These tales which you spin have not gone unnoticed. While the stories themselves are well told, and illustrated by fine artists, The Dreaming is hard to put on mere paper.
Indeed, when the Key to Hell weighed heavy upon me, I looked in my dreams to ease the burden I bore; however, this note to you, Story Weavers, was not just to tell you I have been watching!
I wish to ask you for help.
This book of my exploits has, to say the least, have made the others of The Endless jealous.
It is my hope that some of their tales may be told also. It will help to keep peace in the family, and Nightmares from your Dreams.
Sandman
and Gaiman's response:
And you were doing so well up until the end. He wouldn't sign anything "Sandman." Honest. (Also, if he ever threatens, he gets very polite and oblique, and he rarely uses exclamation marks.) But it's a lovely scroll anyway.
I've been muttering for awhile about doing a set of seven stories or comics or something, one for each of The Endless. We'll see. I'm just about to start writing a DEATH miniseries tentatively entitled The High Cost of Living. It's going to be drawn by Chris Bachalo of SHADE, THE CHANGING MAN fame, and it should be on [reply cut off from the picture] the end of the year.
Published with an "on sale date" of September 1992, which means it hit the comic shops at the end of July 1992, so people were reading this exactly thirty years ago.
I am a total coward who loves drawing hot, typical, Romas Kukalis-esque andalites, and so I am such a sucker for Mona’s gorgeous, weird, alien designs that still feel so true to the book descriptions and the andalites’ whole ✨vibes✨
I want to take my fiancée on the best possible honeymoon, so I’m calling out to you to help me make that possible. I’m doing with sketch portraits for anyone who sends any amount to my Ko-Fi. Just send me a message with the face you’d like drawn when you do
Become a supporter of CalebRiker today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.
I want to take my fiancée on the best possible honeymoon, so I’m calling out to you to help me make that possible. I’m doing with sketch portraits for anyone who sends any amount to my Ko-Fi. Just send me a message with the face you’d like drawn when you do
Become a supporter of CalebRiker today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.
Got bored during a Christmas party, so have a thing. #spiderman #spider-man #respectthehyphen #sketch #sketchbook #drawing #ink #brushpen #art #artist #artistsofinstagram #marvel #marvelcomics https://www.instagram.com/p/BrYSQ8An5ru/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=itilsm40row8
Random doodles are fun #doodle #sketch #draw #art #artist #artistsofinstagram #surfacepro4 #mangastudio5 #clipstudiopaint https://www.instagram.com/p/Bq-iEq4HUZL/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1bqai4lj539zp
Tried something in a more stripped down simplistic style. I might play around more with this. #wonderwoman #comicart #dccomics #art #artist #artistsofinstagram #comics #madeonsurface #surfacepro4 #clipstudiopaint #mangastudio5 #fanart https://www.instagram.com/p/BqpeH65HNw9/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=14drz9g2gxwod
