Legion World Forums LEGION OUTPOST Mission Monitor Board Every 10 Years Forum Cat Framer!

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I recently received some copies of Girl Genius (a fine and unexpected gift!) and liked it so much I asked my CBS for the trades. Picking up #1 and 2 on Saturday.

That's so sad - funny, but sad

Huzzah! A new devotee of Adventure, Romance, and Mad Science!
Be sure to return to www.studiofoglio.com to read the Secret Blueprints, which contain lots of extra background info on the major and minor characters appearing in GirlGenius 1 through 10.

As for the rest of you:

...Buy GirlGenius ... Buy GirlGenius ...

I picked Girl Genius up randomly not long ago. I actually hadn't expected to like it, but I did--I'm thinking of buying some of the back collections.

It's fun.

Hm...never really heard of it before, but I'll look for it at my shop next time. LW has hardly ever let me down before in reccomendations...

Cobalt (and anyone else who's interested), you can sample GirlGenius online to see if it suits your tastes. Go to www.studiofoglio.com and click on the "FREE Stuff" button in the menu on the left. You can read GG # 1, # 9 (both sold out as individual comics, but available in the TPBs), the short story written for the first TPB, the sold-out "Secret Blueprints" (pinups & text: extra backgroud info) and the "Jagershots" (online-only gag cartoons (such as the one linked in the initial post of this thread) starring the Jagermonsters (the principal warrior/retainers of House Heterodyne)). The "Secret Blueprints" and the first three issues are in black-and-white (for thematic reasons, a la the beginning of "The Wizard of Oz")(actually, sepia tones, but let's not be picky ); from # 4 on it's in color.
The Foglios publish the comics under their "Airship Books" imprint, so if you decide you like it enough to buy it, look for it in PREVIEWS under "Airship", not "StudioFoglio". # 14 was just solicited last month; the comic is currently on a quarterly publishing schedule. There are already three TPBs collecting the first 10 issues, which comprise the first major story-arc.

Now, getting this thread back on topic ...

So, Cramer, who designated you as Legion World's Cat Framer?
Are we going to see any cats framed, or are you like Ko-Ko in The Mikado (who was appointed Lord High Executioner in order to prevent executions)?

"Our great Mikado, virtuous man,
When he to rule our land began,
Resolved to try
A plan whereby
Young men might best be steadied.
So he decreed (in words succinct)
That all who flirted, leered, or winked
(Unless connubially linked)
Should forthwith be beheaded!
And I am sure you'll all agree
That he was right to so decree!
And I am right,
and you are right,
And all is right as right can be!

This stern decree, you'll understand,
Caused great dismay throughout the land
For young and old
And shy and bold
Were equally affected.
The youth who winked a roving eye
Or breathed a non-connubial sigh
Was thereupon condemned to die:
He usually objected!
And you'll allow, as I expect,
That he was right to so object.
And I am right,
And you are right,
And everything is quite correct!

And so we straight let out on bail
A convict from the county jail
Whose head was next
(On some pretext)
Condem'ned to be mown off;
And made him Headsman, for we said
"Who's next to be decapi'ted
May not cut off another's head
Until he's cut his own off!"
And we were right (I think you'll say)
To argue in this kind of way.
And I am right,
And you are right,
And all is right, too-loo-ra-lay!"

Just what is expected of you, FC?
And what are the consequences of failing to meet expectations?

"A letter from the Mikado? What on Earth can he have to say to me? ... Ah, here it is at last; I thought it would come sooner or later: The Mikado is struck by the fact that no executions have taken place in Titipu for a year, and decrees that unless someone is beheaded within a month the post of Lord High Executioner shall be abolished, and the city reduced to the rank of a village!"

I designated myself. It's the only way to grab some power around here. Duties to be defined, by me, later. Of course, the title doesn't carry the punch of Lord High Executioner, but we live in a modern and subtler age.

However, since I like to give credit where credit is due, the "cat framer" came from Teeds' list of anagrams and the "designated" from an article I read about an artist doing underwater photography who called herself the "designated fish kicker".

Re: that Mikado song - just finished Going Postal by Terry Pratchett. Lord Vetinari and the Mikado obviously use the same techniques for personnel selection....

Girl Genius is indeed a very fun, great read. I have had it since it first hit. I found out about Phil when he was doing some illustrations for Robert Asprin's Myth stuff, and have loved his work ever since.

Sorry, now back to your regularly scheduled discussion, already in progress.

I just heard of Girl Genius recently, when I had the pleasure of meeting it's current colorist, Laurie Smith--a fellow Winnipeg-er! I'll have to check it out.

I first encountered Phil Foglio's work when he was doing the comic book adaptation of Asprin's first Myth novel (before I'd actually read any of the novels). I've been following Phil's work ever since. He's my favorite living writer-artist: I think he has a real gift for creating comics which contain both great comedy and great stories. And he plays well with others: his Angel & the Ape and Stanley and his Monster minis fitted those concepts very cleverly into DC/Vertigo continuity (as it existed when they were written). Such a pity that DC passed on his proposed Inferior 5 minseries.

It was the citizens of Titipu, not the Mikado, who wanted Ko-Ko as their Lord High Executioner. This is a loose end in the plot of The Mikado: "Lord High Executioner" is a post in the national government, but Gilbert never explains how Ko-Ko's appointment was arranged.

Some backroom string-pulling, no doubt...

Phil Foglio on the Inferior 5? I would have bought that! Also a Foglio Metal Men series... if he would have proposed it.

I actually followed Foglio before Myth-Adv, back in Dragon magazine days (anyone else remember Phil and Dixie?).

In a reverse trend, I've lost track of him since Myth days.

Well, you can, if you're willing to hunt though back-issue bins: The I5 appear as supporting characters in Angel & the Ape (it turns out that Angel O'Day and Athena "Dumb Bunny" Tremor are half-sisters).

I've got 3 "What's New?" TPBs!

Well, now you can go to his website and get caught up! In addition to GirlGenius and his work for DC, he's also done the science fiction/comedy Buck Godot (two graphic novels and an eight-issue miniseries) and XXXenophile, "The Sophisticated Smut Book with a Sense of Humor!"

Interviewer(Michael Palin): " ...but surely that's not an anagram, that's a spoonerism."
Man Who Talks Entirely In Anagrams(Eric Idle): "If you're going to split hairs I'm going to piss off."

A reminder for all you Foglio Fans:

GirlGenius: The WebComic launches tomorrow, April 18
at
www.girlgeniusonline.com