I recently remembered this comic from my childhood and, upon review, noticed that from an adult perspective it's significantly more dark than recalled!
Or maybe it became more dark as additional volumes were created.
The original run of the comic, which could be described as being stylistically similar to R. Crumb, was from 1986-1993, but the artist has kept up with it on and off since and currently publishes web versions (which Hansen himself describes as so disturbing and bizarre he scares himself, at times).
The title character, Ralph Snart, is a Walter Mitty type who frequently escapes the painful realities of his life by daydreaming himself into incredible and often bizarre adventures. As the series progresses, his real life becomes as strange as his daydreams until there is not much to differentiate the two states. For this reason, his brain is sought by the arch-villain, Dr. Goot. Ralph's insanity takes the form of delusional fantasies, mostly consisting of drinking beer, that provide sub-plot respites from the main plot: Dr. Goot's eternal quest to use Ralph's brain for his own evil ends.
The series centered on Ralph, a man driven insane by the pressures of daily life now locked away in a mental asylum. He would escape his prison-like room at the asylum by dreaming himself into fantastic scenarios based on science-fiction or fantasy where he was an aggressive, cynical and sarcastic personality. The series ended with Ralph's "amazing dream powers" apparently too much for his body to contain... and his brain ends up being mutated by toxins, grows arms, legs, and a face and wanders the countryside until it reaches the offices of NOW Comics and demands that Marc Hansen rewrite the story so that Ralph is whole again.
The episodic dream stories in Volume 3 continued to revolve around his search for beer and women, and Ralph getting into trouble. A few of these tales shed some light on Ralph as a child. Volume 3 also introduced the popular character Mr. Lizard as Ralph's "fairy godlizard" (IOB) who watched out for Ralph's well-being (but usually only after getting him into trouble first).
Goot decides he can't merely kill Ralph and waste his amazing brain, though. He creates a machine capable of drawing elements out of Ralph's dreams and materializing them in the real world. He attempts to draw out Ralph's deepest inner power source but it turns out to be Mr. Lizard in disguise who has come to the real world to protect Ralph from Goot. Lizard and Ralph escape but Ralph's mind is damaged by the experimentation. Mr. Lizard takes him to see Dr. Kreegon who writes a tell-all book about Ralph and becomes rich, but x-rays show that Ralph's brain has entirely evaporated and his head is now empty. The volume ends with Ralph jumping up and running out the door, to an unknown destination.
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I recently remembered this comic from my childhood and, upon review, noticed that from an adult perspective it's significantly more dark than recalled!
Or maybe it became more dark as additional volumes were created.
The original run of the comic, which could be described as being stylistically similar to R. Crumb, was from 1986-1993, but the artist has kept up with it on and off since and currently publishes web versions (which Hansen himself describes as so disturbing and bizarre he scares himself, at times).
The title character, Ralph Snart, is a Walter Mitty type who frequently escapes the painful realities of his life by daydreaming himself into incredible and often bizarre adventures. As the series progresses, his real life becomes as strange as his daydreams until there is not much to differentiate the two states. For this reason, his brain is sought by the arch-villain, Dr. Goot. Ralph's insanity takes the form of delusional fantasies, mostly consisting of drinking beer, that provide sub-plot respites from the main plot: Dr. Goot's eternal quest to use Ralph's brain for his own evil ends.
The series centered on Ralph, a man driven insane by the pressures of daily life now locked away in a mental asylum. He would escape his prison-like room at the asylum by dreaming himself into fantastic scenarios based on science-fiction or fantasy where he was an aggressive, cynical and sarcastic personality. The series ended with Ralph's "amazing dream powers" apparently too much for his body to contain... and his brain ends up being mutated by toxins, grows arms, legs, and a face and wanders the countryside until it reaches the offices of NOW Comics and demands that Marc Hansen rewrite the story so that Ralph is whole again.
The episodic dream stories in Volume 3 continued to revolve around his search for beer and women, and Ralph getting into trouble. A few of these tales shed some light on Ralph as a child. Volume 3 also introduced the popular character Mr. Lizard as Ralph's "fairy godlizard" (IOB) who watched out for Ralph's well-being (but usually only after getting him into trouble first).
Goot decides he can't merely kill Ralph and waste his amazing brain, though. He creates a machine capable of drawing elements out of Ralph's dreams and materializing them in the real world. He attempts to draw out Ralph's deepest inner power source but it turns out to be Mr. Lizard in disguise who has come to the real world to protect Ralph from Goot. Lizard and Ralph escape but Ralph's mind is damaged by the experimentation. Mr. Lizard takes him to see Dr. Kreegon who writes a tell-all book about Ralph and becomes rich, but x-rays show that Ralph's brain has entirely evaporated and his head is now empty (ie. losing the human form).
The volume ends with Ralph jumping up and running out the door, to an unknown destination.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Snart_Adventures
Sounds like men I run into on Facebook, who want to play "comrade" and imply amazing dreaming powers.
I got one today.
***
Dear Dan, I've been browsing r/castaneda (Reddit) and reading how to get to and through the 4 Gates of Dreaming. But... didn't you already write about how to get there and cross the 5th, 6th and 7th? If so, could you give me the links to read and study them? A big hug from Toltec lands...
***
According to Dr. Goot, Snart's toxic fantasies make him ‘the most dangerous man in the world’ (the secret dream of many teenage boys); an absolutely eponymous trait of the imposed mind.
We could make one of the cartoon characters a fan of his.
WW would do that.
She likes anything weird and slightly paranoid or angry.
Gets "tips" for her witchcraft.
Can I ask why you put this topic you wrote in the flyer category?
Because of the nature of “Ralph Snart 🧠” being a decent illustrative example of the Flyer’s Mind, and of both it’s inane, and insane, narratives.
And that you don’t have to be a saint, or live a saintly life, to eventually overcome it .
In fact, from the perspective of the senior sorcerers in Don Juan’s lineage, an unreproachable saint is actually at a statistical deficit.
Maybe because they're not making enough mistakes? Too concerned with how other people will see them...
Whereas Ralph Snart, beaten down by society and life, and off his rocker (looser assemblage point), actually has a chance!
It’s true, and It doesn’t have to be as bad as ralphs Snarts case. And rather something (similar) is brewing in a lot of us unconsciously audition for roles.
I feel it’s due to a shared prompt rather
Propelled by a fantasy of enacting a continuation of a narrative. But what if Ralph Snart could have been both the fairy god lizard and Dr. Goot. 😵😵
I was Imagining the fliers mind as another story teller as it wanted to be. Desperately trying to piece the whole picture (from what seems to be endless narrations) floating within unknowns
often seeking a reward (or revenge at times)
But it almost never fails to enact a role
Further Reasons as why to mercilessly recapitulate often