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The Cuckoo Cage
The Cuckoo Cage: New Origin Stories | Goldie, Holmes, Mohammad, Alam, Master, Newland, Ghelani
4 posts | 1 read | 1 to read
The superhero of comic books and blockbuster movies might be a State-side phenomenon, with its conservative notions of 'truth, justice and the American way.' But the cultural DNA of the superhero arguably lies in a much older, more progressive, British tradition: the folk heroes of British protest history. In this unique experiment, ten authors have been charged with resurrecting this tradition: to spawn a new generation of present-day British superheroes to bring the fight back to these shores, and to more progressive causes. From the statue-toppling Bristolian with otherworldly powers, to the Essex resident protecting public spaces and parks, these characters prove that it is possible to create a new breed of superhero in ways that capture essential truths about the society we live in.
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Bookwomble
Bookwomble
The Cuckoo Cage: New Origin Stories | Goldie, Holmes, Mohammad, Alam, Master, Newland, Ghelani
post image

"On the evening of 13 May 1839, in an outbuilding of Glynsaithmaen Farm, in the Welsh hills of Preseli, a crowd of local men gathered, dressed in bonnets and petticoats - some perhaps with masks or blackened faces - to set out under cover of darkness to destroy a nearby tollgate."

- "Introduction: The Moral Economy of the Proto-Hero", Ra Page

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl

ShyBookOwl Stacking! 9mo
Bookwomble @ShyBookOwl I've enjoyed all the stories so far, but would say that the superhero element feels fairly irrelevant in most of them, and they could have worked just as well, some of them perhaps better, without it. They are good stories, though, and the historical notes about each are fascinating. 9mo
ShyBookOwl @Bookwomble good to know! 9mo
29 likes1 stack add3 comments
quote
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
The Cuckoo Cage: New Origin Stories | Goldie, Holmes, Mohammad, Alam, Master, Newland, Ghelani
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"Cass described him as 'an unapologetic, old-fashioned, elitist, one nation Conservative', whatever the hell that means. Maybe it just means he was a twat." ?? ... ??

28 likes
quote
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
The Cuckoo Cage: New Origin Stories | Goldie, Holmes, Mohammad, Alam, Master, Newland, Ghelani
post image

"At best, the American superhero is a 'morally neutral' enforcer of the status quo, that is to say, a souped-up policeman fighting scaled-up petty crime; at worst, he is a self-appointed vigilante delivering vengeance without the cumbersome red tape of a judicial system. Being 'morally neutral' means being complicit, and fetishising vigilantism borders on libertarianism (in the American sense), especially when the vigilante in question is a ⬇️

Bookwomble ... billionaire son of Gotham. To put it bluntly, the American superhero props up a reactionary, pro-capitalist view of the world.“ 🤜💥
- Introduction, by Ra Page (edited) 9mo
The_Book_Ninja Not to mention all the buildings they damage 9mo
Bookwomble @The_Book_Ninja Which I sometimes find difficult to see portrayed. I turned off one of the Transformer movies because they were destroying the pyramids! The epitome of a lefty snowflake, perhaps, but on the other hand I'm perfectly fine watching a slave trader's statue getting flung into a dock, so swings and roundabouts 😏 Marvel did a comic called Damage Control about the crew that does all the repairs after a slugfest 🚧🏗️ 9mo
The_Book_Ninja @Bookwomble let‘s have Hulk obliterating Trump towers, with the Orange beast still inside it 9mo
Bookwomble @The_Book_Ninja Green v Orange: Battle of the Century! 🍏💥🍊 9mo
27 likes5 comments
blurb
Bookwomble
Bookwomble
The Cuckoo Cage: New Origin Stories | Goldie, Holmes, Mohammad, Alam, Master, Newland, Ghelani
post image

I picked this up because of the cover, then bought it on the premise: short stories reframing the figure of the super-hero in the British context of popular protest & resistance to the establishment & vested interest. These heroes steal from the rich to stock food banks and protect parks and common land from capitalist developers. Social Justice Super Warriors! ✊🦸🏽‍♀️✊
Each story has an afterword by an academic to place it in historical context.

The_Book_Ninja Drum and Base Goldie? 9mo
Bookwomble @The_Book_Ninja Well, that would be an interesting, and undoubtedly different, story! 😁 This is Luan Goldie, a teacher and writer according to her bio in the back of the book. 9mo
31 likes2 comments