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Love and the Law


22 August 2001...October 2001
(24 pgs.)

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COVER
The predominance of green and orange and variations thereof reflects the contents of the majority of this issue. The creators are credited above the title amidst some bubbles. Only one of the caduceus snakes is visible and two Prometheas are shown in profile looking young and slightly Egyptian. Some fish & jellyfish swim across from left to right at their chin level, the drawings of them become more simplified as they move right. Underneath are 5 Venus signs with the middle one proudly proclaiming eisner award winner which was for Best Single Issue in Issue #10
. Peter Max is thanked as the source of the cover.

TITLE
From Anonymous
"Love and the Law" isn't a direct quote but it is a direct reference to Crowley's Thelema or 93 current. The Law is the law of Liber AL vel Legis, "The Book of the Law", where you will find the statement "Love is the law, love under will" in chapter I verse 57. You will also find the dove and the serpent in that same verse.
Also from TL:
from the Bible, especially the New Testament. The law is of course the Halacha, the jewish ritual law with its detailed prescriptions what to eat, what to do or not on Shabbat and so on. In Christianism, the "law" has been obliterated by the grace and the love of Jesus - see for example Acts 15, and the letters of St. Paul (Romans 3,28; 13,10: "Thus the love is the fulfillment of the law").

SYNOPSIS
In the Mayors mind all the trapped legions of demons are in Hell. Promethea overpowers the 5 Swell Guys. Promethea(5) and (6) enter Netzach which is an underwater realm or an ocean of emotion. In this sea of green Promethea(6)/Sophie has memories of her mother and her own birth and Promethea (5)/Barbara remembers the death of her husband.
Both are overcome by their strong emotions and surrender to love. They surface on a shore to encounter Death who dismembers them but it is only a metaphorical death.

QUOTES
“And who gives the bloody snots of an infant flayed alive and roast in hell what you think, you trickling excrescence?” – Sonny Baskerville, pg 2
“You are not here to think, you leprous little scab! The only purpose of your mildew-like existence is to do my bidding! Do you understand??” – Sonny Baskerville, pg 2
“…I worked with Daley in Chicago. He wasn’t a patch on this guy.” – Henchman 1
“He’s good. The muttering’s creepy though.” – Henchman 2 2
“Yeah. The muttering’s creepy. Personally, I like the raving and bellowing better. It’s more normal.” – Henchman 1
“Yeah. Raving and bellowing’s good. Plus, I gotta say, the voters love him.” – Henchman 2, pgs. 2-3
“Oh, balls. Roger’s down…” – Bob, pg 3
The leader of the 5 Swell Guys displaying great leadership skills as ususal
“…I’m much more in touch with my emotions…and she still has a way to go.” – Promethea 2(b), pg 5
“Austin was just explaining’ stuff to me, about Thoth and his Ape. This communication theory stuff about signal and noise. And, uh we had sex. I mean I don’t want you to think I’m unfaithful to Steve. It’s just…” – Promethea(5)
“Barbara, it’s fine. I understand. Different things are important here.” – Promethea(6), pg 6
“You’ll see me later, down the road, but I won’t know you. I’ll be a completely different person there.” – Austin Osman Spare, pg 7
“So, that’s Austin Osman Spare. He’s sort of intense isn’t he?” – Promethea(6), pg 8
“It’s a good job I’m, already dead.” – Promethea(5), pg 8
“I can breathe and talk! It’s like being underwater in a dream.” – Promethea(5), pg 10
“…it’s water on a symbolic level. Water as a symbol of emotion. An ocean of emotion.” – Promethea(6), pg 10
“It’s kinda weird. Ordinary life, it’s got these ancient symbol systems runnin’ all through it, and nobody even thinks about it.” – Promethea(5), pg 11
“…nobody loves anybody nobody love me…” – Sophie, pg 12
“…and I’m sixteen and boys love me a little while that’s what they mean when they say about doing me they mean they love me…” – Trish Bangs, pg 12
“…that’s me in 1970 when I first turned into Promethea. God look at me. I was really pretty.” – Promethea(5), pg 13
“Everything comes out of the water…Everything that’s alive…Organisms struggling and reproducing in this rich green soup…and the whole world, every species, results from that. That first attraction.” – Promethea(6) pg 17
“The tree of life. And Venus is the only planetary symbol that completely reprises its shape. They say it’s because that’s the principle the entire universe is founded on: Love.” – Promethea(6), pg 19
“I’m good. I’m just not blissed out any more.” – Promethea(6) pg 21
“It makes you wonder if we have emotions, or if emotions have us.” – Promethea(6), pg 20
“I already died. I—I really don’t need to go through that again.” – Promethea(5), pg 22
“Before progressing to the solar sphere. The highest self, it’s like our lower personality…the thing we think of as us…has to die.” – Promethea(6) pg 22
“Y’know that metaphorical stuff…it really hurts.” – Promethea(5)
“Y-yeah. Sort of gets the idea across, though, doesn’t it?” – Promethea(6)

NOTES & ANNOTATIONS

Netzach
Reality Creator Workbook Series

Page 1: Note all the devils framing the panels mostly in sexual positions:

Page 1, Panel 1: caption
Hell isn't just a metaphysical location but also a state of mind. In Christopher Marlowes Dr. Faustus when Faust ask Mephistopholes how he can be summoned up to earth instead of being permanently trapped in hell Mephistopholes answers:
Why this is hell, nor am I out of it.
Here is the dictionary definiton of hell:

  1. a)often Hell The abode of condemned souls and devils in some religions; the place of eternal punishment for the wicked after death, presided over by Satan.
    b)A state of separation from God; exclusion from God's presence.
  2. The abode of the dead, identified with the Hebrew Sheol and the Greek Hades; the underworld.
  3. a)A situation or place of evil, misery, discord, or destruction: “War is hell” (William Tecumseh Sherman).
    b)Torment; anguish: went through hell on the job.
  4. The powers of darkness and evil.
    Taken from Dictionary.com
    Panel 2: Asmoday
    Earl Ronove
    Ronove
    Panel 4: Purson
    Panel 5: Astaroth

    Page 2, Panel 1: Bael
    Panel 2: Note the skulls on Mayor Baskervilles' tie.
    Panel 3: Sonny certainly has a way with words.
    Panel 5: Daley in Chicago
    There were 2 famous mayors named Daley in Chicago:
    Richard J Daley and Richard M Daley.

    Page 3 Panel 2: Note the hovercar and the Love Club.
    Panel 5: Rogers' face from Panel 3 is repeated on the screen.
    Pages 4-5: Sun symbols at either end. Last time we see the devils doing naughty things to each other.
    top panel: L9 seems to be a continuity mistake from the last page of the last issue
    Note the clock reading just after 9 o'clock.
    Page 4 panel 4/Page 5 panel 1: Nice split personality of Promethea depicted by her face being also split not only across two panels but across 2 pages.
    Pages 6-7: Note the green flowers. They look like roses to me. Roses are green...
    Page 6 panel 2: Note that the lightning struck tower is still visible in the background.
    Page 6 panel 3/Page 7 panel 3: Note the strange faces still floating around Spare.
    Page 7 panel 2: Nice little green crab emerging from the water.
    Pages 8-9: The edges of the panels gradually start dissolving as we move into the water.
    Page 8 Panels 1-3: nice fish with human faces and a couple of small merpeople carrying bows and arrows.
    Page 9 Panels 1-2: Note the faces made by the cliffs on the seashore.
    Panel 2: Saturday Night Live
    John Belushi
    Pages 10-11: Note that the conversation bubbles underwater are all in blue.
    Page 10 Panel 2:
    Yellow Submarine
    Sea of Green
    Yellow Submarine Art
    In Ian Macdonald's Revolution in the Head pg. 165 we learn:
    "The Beatles ran into Donovan, with whom they got on well. The following day McCartney stopped off at Donovan's apartment and played him Yellow Submarine, asking for a suggestion for the closing lines. The latter obliged with 'Sky of blue, sea of green'"
    It looks like emerald...
    No doubt a reference to The Emerald Tablet
    Here are Various Pieces on the Emerald Tablet
    What is the Emerald Tablet?
    Page 10 Panel 2/Page 11 panel 1: The image comes from Crowley's Book of Thoth, part one, chapter one. Here is the diagram and two others from this section:

    To see it in context click on the following link and just scroll down to past "Summary of Questions Hitherto Discussed" section.
    The whole of the Book of Thoth is available online at the following link
    Some more information about this image not mentioned in detail by Crowley's Book of Thoth
    Azoth of the Philosophers.
    It is also sometimes referred to as the Weekday Heptagram.
    Here are some images helping to explain it:

    from this page


    Pages 12-13: Sophie/Trish memories on page 12
    Barbara/Steve on page 13
    Page 12 bubble 1: Just how old are Achocalypse Pops?
    Does anybody else find it disconcerting that somehow we've moved from Sophie's memories to memories of her mother Trish?
    Page 13: All seen from Steve's perspective. We get to see him writing in his notepad on bubbles 1 and 4
    Nice to hear once more about Smees, the Night Queen and the Temple.
    Pages 14-15: Don't forget to read the words on the fish bodies:
    Broken Alone Hurt Empty My Fault Afraid So Sorry Gone Guilty Never Sad
    Page 14 Panel 2/Page 15 Panel 1: Note the profile face looking upwards from the sea bed.
    Pages 16-17: Victory is posed very much in a manner reminiscent of the Birth of Venus by Boticelli:

    This is an image which Terry Gilliam reproduced so well with Uma Thurman in The Adventures of Baron Munchaussen:

    There are 4 small mermaids attending her.
    Note the sea horses amidst the flowers.
    Pages 16-17 center lower panel: Victory opens her arms to the two Prometheas.
    Pages 18-19: Basically just one giant panel with a time lapse of Barbara and Sophie before and after they swim through the Venus Symbol.
    Note the profile face looking up on pg 19. The edge of the panel starts to lose its' fluidity and becomes more solid as we start to...
    Page 20 Panel 1: ...Surface...
    the green sun is still shining.
    Page 21 lower panels: start to become more realistic once again.
    Pages 22-23 top panel: Eyes and beetles in the sky. Cactus and scorpions on the ground. We are now on Route 24
    Page 23, Panels 2-4: great shock effect. Death can be seen as just one big panel split into 3 on this page.
    Page 24: The panels gradually lighten as we move away from Death and start heading towards the next Sephiroth.

    to be corrected and finalized later. Issue 16 Pandemonium
    Planning Proposals…Five pointed star…Celtic Hall..South Facing
    Easel 1927 alien landscape
    Woman artist…bisexual mild addiction to cocaine
    Netzach
    Communication theory signal & noise different things are important here
    This bit of me belongs in Hod
    smeary faced looking around his head. I kept chaging I was like 16 or something
    7th Venusian sephiroth
    Netzach victory love emotion
    Surf water roses warm body temperature Paint emotion Saturday Night Live John Belushi
    Being underwater in a dream
    Water on a symbolic level. Symbol of emotion. Ocean of emotion
    Emerald Crowley Book Heptagon magical order 7
    Classical planets around vs lines days of the week gods representing…
    Monday – moon
    Tuesday – Martial God Tiw
    Wednesday- woden Mercredi Mercury
    Thursday – Thor not mentioned
    Firday – Freya Vendredi Venus
    Saturday – Saturn (not Mentioned)
    Sunday
    Me kitchen cereal (achocalypse pops)
    Nobody loves anybody
    16 boys love me a little
    20 bars drunk nobody wants me. I’m a joke my stupid name Trish Bangs
    22 pregnant Juan I though he was the one. She will love me…reminiscent of Miracleman cover
    Barbara
    1970 when I first turned into Promethea all bubbles from Steve’s POV
    Smees night queen temple astral monster
    Anniversary…Steve’s dead
    Heartbreak bigger than the sea.
    Calm surrender
    Gold fish turned green
    Surrender to lover
    Bliss warm drifting peaceful tears womb
    E#veryhting comes out of the water that’s alive
    Organisms struggling reproducing rich green soup
    First attraction
    Particles organisms planets suns Everything holds together
    Venus Jewels kabbalah
    Tree of life Venus only planetary symbol completely reprises it’s shape
    Scared angry depressed all reactions
    Good just not blissed out anymore
    Dragged thrown around by mods & feelings maybe that’s just life
    It makes you wonder if we have emotions or if emotions have us?
    What’s higher than imagination or intelligence or emotion
    Changing color darker
    Dreams intellects feelings
    Self that has higher self is higher will soul
    (24) Death
    just a metaphor lower personality the thing we think of as us has to die
    earthly attachments worldly ideas petty emotions change move on change scary but natural
    cactus plants beetles scorpions magical plants animals associated with this path. Menacing imagery skeleton scythe symbo…
    that metaphorical it really hurts
    way to go before morning

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