Thursday, February 4, 2010

The Dresden Codex @ BibliOdyssey!


left: original right: 1933 attempt at re-mastering

As I've written many times before, one of my favorite blogs is BibliOdyssey. Yet again, here is a really good example of why I am so fond of Pecay's site.

"The seventy four pages are sewn together producing an eleven foot document which was originally folded up between protective wooden covers bearing engraved jaguars"


"The basic colors used from vegetable dyes for the codex were red, black and the so-called Mayan blue."


It's in less than mint condition, the fig bark paper pages are flaking, the color is faded, (if it had staples they'd be all rusty) but just like a crummy ol' reader copy of a classic comic, you can still perceive the aura of power and glory radiating from its pages. (I am incapable of looking at stuff like this and not thinking of Jack Kirby. )

I know I'm going to be studying the visuals today, soaking up what I can!
The Mayans sure did know how to make comics, didn't they?



5 comments:

Charles Brownstein said...

You know - it's right there, though I never thought of it before, but this stuff is either obviously a huge influence on Theo Ellsworth (http://theoellsworth.blogspot.com/, author of Capacity) or he's channeling it through some strange primal means.

Larry Marder said...

One of the other!
When I met him a few years back I had absolutely no idea who he was or what sort of work he did.(Ditto for Sarah Oleksyk who I think I met the same night.)I'm not so sure he had any idea who I was for that matter as my work was all out of print at the time, I was just some old guy getting introduced by Charles Brownstein.

However, NOW I know his work. I really REALLY need to write about him.

Charles gave me a copy of Theo's book "CAPACITY" last summer and I only revently got around to reading it. Okay, more like devouring it,savoring it, being knocked back onto my ass by it.

I WILL wriite more on it soon but until then take my word for it and check it out!

http://www.secretacres.com/store/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=52

Larry Marder said...

Ooops.I meant one OR the other, of course"

Vernon said...

On the subject of old comics, Larry, might you post any old Red Starr and Garbanzo Gangsters era-Beanworld?

Larry Marder said...

Yes, as the time seems right.