6. a halo in reverse
don't should yourself to death
I’ve been thinking about guilty pleasures lately. It’s simple enough to dismiss the concept entirely and say that there’s no such thing as a guilty pleasure - and while I can support the intent, I think it’s missing something sweet. Guilt to pleasure is like spice to food, it can make it better. Why deny its existence? More to the point - why try and craft it when it isn’t really there? People often say their guilty pleasures are things they feel coyly fond of, but that isn’t really where the best version of those things - guilt and pleasure - interact.
The whole ‘guilty pleasure’ idea seems to be a holdover from its use as far back as the 1700s, where it was used sort of Calvinistically and literally, about truly fun things like frequenting brothels - things that got you sent to Hell (at least so went the prevailing cultural narrative at the time.) But the concept lingers, despite us living in a firmly postmodern world. Most of us no longer believe in a literal God who polices our thoughts in the fearful-confession sense, but we still feel or act like a monotheistic, morally-interested God or something gives a shit about our interior thoughts, despite knowing that isn’t really true. Perhaps it’s the effect of a world where social media can make us feel like all of our innermost thoughts must be validated by an audience, which isn’t meant to sound snobbish or dismissive, panopticon is a scary thing. And fear doesn’t always respond to reason, even though reasonably, most of us believe we can and should think whatever we want. Our thoughts are free to be dark, complicated, cruel, curious, or wild.
Lately, all of our punishments for our own thoughts are voluntary, the result of us putting ourselves under a self-imposed, terrible uncomfortable lens, and then trying to argue our own way out of it. Because really, the person that is most likely to nag you is yourself, if you’re any kind of shit-together adult.
Anyway, I bring this up because I was joyfully wasting my time watching competitive reality TV when I encountered the concept again. Competitive reality programs are, indeed, a popular target of ‘guilty pleasure’ discourse, but in this case, the show engaged the idea directly: challenging the contestants to make art based on their guilty pleasures. I was delighted by the contest, but the pleasures themselves? Most of them were just things they felt embarrassed to like - Anime? Broadway? Highly marketed. You’re supposed to like them. No guilt in that. I found them all uninteresting, save for one:
One contestant, a mother, said her guilty pleasure was to be alone.
Now that’s a good one. A true pleasure that comes with it a real, relatable guilt that makes it sweet. There’s no reason to feel ‘bad’ about watching a certain type of television show or listening to a kind of music. But to visually depict the bittersweet joy of time to yourself, away from the child you love more than anything? To celebrate it despite the societal guilt imposed on women who become mothers? Art. ART!
The lesson, I suppose: don’t fake guilt where there isn’t one in an attempt to be interesting. Challenge the most confusing parts of yourself and there you’ll find gold. After all, what’s better: a planned day off or a surprise one? A pastry or the last pastry? Getting the flavor no one wanted or the one everyone did? (Don’t lie. I won’t see - no one will, that’s the whole point - but you oughtn’t lie to yourself.)
NEW BUSINESS
Lots of kind words about Excalibur and X-CORP lately! I see lots of it, I don’t often respond, but I do see it and I appreciate it hugely. These books are so weird, and it’s super fulfilling that Marvel lets me do them. I love weird. I hope you do too.
The kind of books that got me into comics were always the ones that weren’t afraid to look different, be different, and steer these four colour concepts hard left into the world of weird. (Also - David Aja covers never hurt. Let’s see this one for X-CORP #4, out August 18:)
SINGLE POINT OF FAILURE!
When a deal doesn't go as expected, it's important to be open to new investors. Enter Selene and Mastermind: two potential stakeholders who stand willing to prove their worth. Everyone loves you when you're on top, but who comes through in the clutch?
Excalibur is on a break this month, but we’ll be back in September with #23. Ladies and gentlemen….please welcome to the stage...VICTOR VON DOOM!
THE CALL OF DOOM!
As guardians of the gate, Excalibur has sworn to safely escort those who quest to the Otherworld within, but their duties are tested to their limits when DOOM returns to Avalon.
Okay but the last thing I’m going to try and sell you: is that a hardcover of EXCALIBUR #1-#12 out tomorrow, August 4th, at finer comic shops everywhere?
Issues #1-#12 of our run, collected in beautiful hardback. Betsy’s ascension and accolade as Captain Britain, the new Starlight Citadel, the Druidification of Julio Richter, The Grimoire of -[A]-, his last great work before X of Swords, it’s all here. I’m very proud of it. I’ve never had a whole hardcover of my work before.
CALL TO ACTION
Get vaccinated. I don’t have anything else to say about that. Good heavens.
Stay weird. Talk soon.
-TH
21:02 08.03.21
Some people still believe in God or higher power or calling. You said people know there is no higher being but you also said we come from a predominately Religious society so the correct term would be "believe". You instead projected your own bias. Moral relativism is a slippery slope. X-corp is rather disappointing so far. It has some ok moments. Excalibur is pretty Good. Some interesting seeds have been planted.