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Elizabeth Sandifer

Elizabeth Sandifer created Eruditorum Press. She’s not really sure why she did that, and she apologizes for the inconvenience. She currently writes Last War in Albion, a history of the magical war between Alan Moore and Grant Morrison. She used to write TARDIS Eruditorum, a history of Britain told through the lens of a ropey sci-fi series. She also wrote Neoreaction a Basilisk, writes comics these days, and has ADHD so will probably just randomly write some other shit sooner or later. Support Elizabeth on Patreon.

13 Comments

  1. Jordan Murphy
    March 27, 2015 @ 5:20 am

    I think the onscreen appearance of God (dressed as a Vegas lounge act) smiting people, a vampire, and a portal to Narnia all count as overtly supernatural elements on the Young Ones. They're all one-off jokes, of course.

    Reply

  2. phuzz
    March 27, 2015 @ 5:40 am

    Now I'm going to have to go off and see how many Young Ones episodes are on youtube, so thanks for that.

    Reply

  3. Jordan Murphy
    March 27, 2015 @ 6:09 am

    If you have Hulu Plus, the entire series is on there.

    Reply

  4. Tony Morris
    March 27, 2015 @ 6:51 pm

    Could it be that part of the reason for The Bojeffries Saga's "marginal status" is because it was out of print for two decades between the Tundra edition in the early 90s and the Top Shelf collection in 2013?

    Reply

  5. Matthew Blanchette
    March 27, 2015 @ 7:37 pm

    I find it rather disappointing that in picking apart "makes Monty Python look like a comedy", you completely miss the connection between it and the actual tagline for Monty Python and the Holy Grail, which the writers clearly had in mind when devising that statement — said tagline being "makes Ben Hur look like an epic".

    Now, you may still say that said statement is irretrievably muddled, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have its point clearly in mind.

    Similarly, you completely gloss over the crucial "bowl of petunias" reference; had he been turned into a falling whale, would you have gotten it, then?

    Reply

  6. Shane Cubis
    March 27, 2015 @ 8:25 pm

    The vampire is Harry the Bastard in disguise, but you're otherwise spot-on. There are also the beheaded Elizabethan ghosts, one of whom loses his head in the lap of a farting woman.

    Reply

  7. Shane Cubis
    March 27, 2015 @ 8:28 pm

    Can I also say that, in the tradition of Blur's Charmless Man, I would have liked to have been Alexei Sayle, but then nature didn't make me that way.

    Reply

  8. BerserkRL
    March 28, 2015 @ 8:57 pm

    The "Stir Crazy" strip reminds me of this: https://funnytimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/11/200511232.jpg

    Reply

  9. BerserkRL
    March 28, 2015 @ 9:07 pm

    In addition, the self-deprecating nature of both "makes X look like Y" lines is surely deliberate. Mad magazine used to do something similar in the States.

    Reply

  10. timber-munki
    March 30, 2015 @ 1:28 pm

    I think it's a circular arguement – one of the reasons it was out of print was it's lack of popularity, especially in the US. I see it very much in the vein of The Beano and other British childrens comics which really have no equivalent in the US, the American Dennis The (allegedly, although I've never seen any evidence to warrant) Menace is just weak sauce and Archie is too concerned with the mundane.

    Given that Moore hasn't fallen out with Parkhouse there'd be little reason for him to veto any publication (in fact the Knockabut/Top Shelf collection contains a new stroy)

    Reply

  11. Daru
    March 30, 2015 @ 11:33 pm

    I love me Alexei Sayle, his show Alexei Sayle's Stuff was was brilliantly surreal, acerbic and funny show. I have always enjoyed how he was a little bit of a misfit within the Alternative Comedy scene.

    Reply

  12. encyclops
    March 31, 2015 @ 9:14 am

    The episode Sayle is talking about is surely "Bambi," and the comedians must be Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Emma Thompson. Along with series co-writer and (from what little I understand) avowed leftist Ben Elton, they played a quiz show team from "Footlights College," unbelievably posh and utterly clueless. They cheerfully bribe the quizmaster, who despite being friends with our boys has no intention of letting them win: "of course not — the posh kids win, they always do." Eventually Vyvyan declares "I'm completely bloody sick of this" and obliterates the Footlights team with a grenade.

    It's a strange episode to cite as a turning point toward the political center, but who am I to argue with the chanteur of "Doctor Marten's Boots"?

    Reply

  13. Spoilers Below
    March 31, 2015 @ 1:01 pm

    That episode is genius

    The relevant clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3HvchF49AM

    Reply

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