Bill Luminati

Early in his career, actor/comedian Bill Murray was the voice actor who portrayed the Promethean Human Torch on the "The Fantastic Four Radio Show". At first I thought this was just a funny item of trivia. But further consideration, and a review of Murray's career, has shown me that this connection between Murray-Prometheus-The Human Torch is a matter of great synchronistic significance. Let's take a look at the works of Mr. Murray.

To begin, here's an audio clip of Murray on "Saturday Night Live" as lounge singer Nick Winters, singing an ode to our most prominent modern depiction of the War of the Heavens:

Nick Winters "Star Wars"

Murray's first screen role was as camp counselor Tripper Harrison in "Meatballs". In the film Tripper nicknames Chris Makepeace's character Rudy Geller, "Wudy da Wabbit", a play on Elmer Fudd's "Wascally Wabbit" in reference to Bugs Bunny. Some of you may be aware of author Robert Anton Wilson's account of Bavarian Illuminati founder Adam Weishaupt's vision of a Lovecraftian Shoggoth as a rabbit, which Weishaupt called "Der Hexen Hase", "the Witches Rabbit". This term is said to be punningly preserved in the Bugs Bunny cartoons by the phrase "Wascally Wabbit".

As we shall see this is not the only connection between Murray and the Shoggoth/Phooka lunar cross-dressing trickster Bugs Bunny. In the 1980 comedy classic "Caddyshack" Murray plays golf course grounds keeper Carl Spackler, who spends the bulk of the movie matching wits with a gopher in a manner that clearly is a tribute to the antagonism of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny. Murray also interacts with a rodent highly similar to a gopher in what may be his most significant role, as we see later in this post.

In between "Meatballs" and "Caddyshack" Murray starred in "Where The Buffalo Roam" as Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. The film costarred Peter Boyle as Thompson's friend and attorney Carl Lazlo. Peter Boyle is himself resonant of Prometheus due to his portrayal of Frankenstein's Monster in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy "Young Frankenstein".



In 1981 Bill Murray played John Winger, a New York City cab driver who discovers his true nature as a leader and guide after he joins the Army in the comedy "Stripes".  Murray was propelled to super-star celebrity status after starring in the paranormal comedy "Ghostbusters" in 1984, the top-grossing movie of that year. In this Columbia Pictures production, Murray starred as Dr. Peter Venkman, one of three parapsychologists who form the Ghostbusters business after being fired from New York City's Columbia University.

The logo for the Ghostbusters can be read as a diagonal bar blocking a ghost from emerging through a circular portal.



In the movie Dr. Venkman and his companions attempt to stop the fictional Mesopotamian demigod Gozer from invading New York City from a supernatural dimension. Gozer's means of opening its portal are two dog/bear-like servants, the male Vinz Clotho, the Key Master, and the female Zuul, the Gatekeeper. Vinz Clotho and Zuul possess two residents of 55 Central Park West, which in the film is described as being designed as a supernatural antenna by an insane surgeon who belonged to a secret society dedicated to the worship of Gozer.

Murry's "Ghostbusters" costars Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis also wrote the script for the film. Originally Aykroyd intended the Peter Venkman role for his fellow "Blues Brother" John Belushi. Belushi, however, died of a drug overdose while the script was being developed. The first supernatural entity the Ghostbusters successfully capture, the entity that would come to be called "Slimer", was an homage to Belushi. Slimer was described in the original script as "The Onion Head Ghost". The version of "Ghostbusters" that reached the screen was far scaled down from Aykroyd's original concept, which involved the Ghostbuster team traveling through time, space and dimensions battling giant ghosts. Instead of the rifle-like "Proton Projectors" the Ghostbusters were originally intended to each wield a pair of wands.

Things get even more interesting five years later when Murray reprised his role as Venkman in the sequel "Ghostbusters II". Notice that the modified Ghostbusters logo utilized for the sequel features the spirit form happy and more fully emerged through the circular portal. It also holds up two fingers in the yonic "V for Victory" sign.



In the film the Ghostbusters reunite to battle the menace of the spirit of fictional 16th century Moldavian ruler and necromancer Vigo the Carpathian. Vigo's supernatural plot involves an emotionally reactive slime that produces psychokinetic movement in inanimate objects. The Ghostbusters discover a river of this slime in the abandoned Beach Pneumatic Transit tunnels. This detail combines the esoteric symbolism of the subway with the major occult emblem of the Underground Stream.

At one point in the film the Ghostbusters battle the spirits of the Scoleri Brothers, who are visually based on Aykroyd and Belushi's Blues Brothers characters. The film also contains a reference to artist Thomas Gainsborough's famous 1770 painting "The Blue Boy".

Clearly the most overt esoteric moment for our Human Torch resonator comes towards the climax of the movie when the Ghostbusters use the psychokinetic slime to animate the Statue of Liberty, Columbia herself. This animation is achieved by playing the slime's "favorite song", the 1967 Jackie Wilson Rhythm and Blues classic "Higher and Higher".



In recent years Bill Murray has gained attention for his ability as a dramatic actor. His first non-comedic role came in 1984, just after the first Ghostbusters movie. In fact, Murray agreed to the role in the big-budget blockbuster as part of a deal with Columbia Pictures to get the remake of "The Razor's Edge" produced. Based upon the 1944 W. Somerset Maugham novel, Murray played Larry Darrell, who was portrayed by Tyrone Power in the 1946 film version of the story. Put simply, "The Razor's Edge" is about a man traumatized during his service in the first World War who travels to India seeking enlightenment then returns to the United States to live a simple life revoking the goal of material attainment. In the novel Maugham includes himself as a minor character, a metafictional detail. In the 1984 version the locale of India is replaced with Tibet.

Another literary adaption starring Murray came in 1988's "Scrooged", a modernized version of Charles Dickens' classic "A Christmas Carol". Murray played a TV executive with the evocative name Francis Xavier Cross. This combination is also found in the X-Men comic books character Charles Francis Xavier (the X of the X-Men being a equi-armed cross tilted 45 degrees). Both character names are suggestive of occult philosopher Francis Bacon, and also to St. Francis Xavier, co-founder of the controversial Jesuit Order.

Bill Murray made a cameo appearance as a masochistic dental patient in the 1986 "Little Shop of Horrors", a film adaptation of the Broadway musical comedy which was itself an adaptation of a 1960 Roger Corman comedy film. "Little Shop of Horrors" is the story of a vampiric Venus fly trap from outer space that arrives on Earth during a solar eclipse (an indication of planetary alignment). It was directed by puppeteer/actor/director Frank Oz and filmed on the 007 Stage in England. An alternate ending cut from the film features the killer Venus fly trap perched upon the head of the Statue of Liberty.



In 1991 Murray played Bob Wiley in "What About Bob?". Bob is a heavily phobic, child-like patient whose antics and simple nature ultimately heal and unite the dysfunctional family of his therapist. The story is a clear example of the symbol of the wise-fool who stumbles upon enlightenment.

Bill Murray's next role was in the classic 1993 film "Groundhog Day". Murray played weather man Phil Connors who goes to Puxsutawney, Pennsylvania to cover the February 2nd Groundhog Day event. Phil, who shares his name with the oracular groundhog "Puxsutawney Phil", comes to find that he is stuck in a time loop. Rather then moving on to February 3rd he instead repeats the events of February 2nd over and over again. Phil alone seems aware of this cycle and is able to freely control his behavior. After several iterations he kidnaps the groundhog and the two Phils die in a fiery car crash. But death does not break the cycle and Phil Connors awakens once again on the morning of February 2nd. Several suicide attempts also fail to break the pattern. Eventually Phil starts engaging in a process of self-improvement, training himself to be a proficient piano player and learning every detail of the life stories of everyone in the town. But the time loop persists until Phil is able to honestly and sincerely allow himself to love the character played by Andie MacDowell. Once this happens Phil finally awakens on the morning of February 3rd.

This may be the most significant role of Bill Murrays' career. The movie's title has entered the language as a reference to a ceaselessly repeating cycle, even outside the United States (the only nation with a Groundhog Day). It's message of self-betterment as a means of escaping monotonous routine has caused it to be hailed by religious leaders of many faiths. Some have even called it "the most spiritual film of our time". While it is not made clear in the movie, the original script described the repetition as occurring over tens of thousands of years. Quite clearly this story relates to the process of enlightenment, or spiritual transcendence and is emblematic of Eastern concepts of the cycles of reincarnation.

And esoteric details continue to proliferate in Murray's film roles. In "Mad Dog and Glory" (costarring Robert Di Nero and Uma Thurman) he played mob boss Frank Milo, a self-described "expediter of dreams".  In "Ed Wood" he portrayed real life B-movie actor Bunny Breckenridge, a name that could be read as a synchronistic reference again to Bugs Bunny.

Bugs Bunny and Bill Murray come into direct contact with one another in the 1996 movie "Space Jam" (a title that, like Star Wars, essentially translates to War in Heaven). Murray plays himself in the film and is present on the golf course when Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck travel through a magical portal that leads to "Loony Tune Land". They come to recruit Michael Jordan for a basketball game against the alien "Monstars". The Monstars enhance themselves by stealing the basket ball prowess of several professional players, taking from them the qualities that give the players their enhanced or special natures. The stakes for the Loony Tunes is enslavement in the outer space theme park "Moron Mountain". Later Bill Murray arrives in Loony Tune Land through undisclosed means (apparently he can travel through magical portals to cartoon realities) and participates in the B-Ball game with Bugs Bunny, Jordan and other Loony Tunes characters.
In the Wes Anderson movie "Rushmore" Murray is seen as Harold Blume, a business man who comes in competition with the extracurricular activity loving high school student Max Fischer for the affections of a teacher with the intriguing name Rosemary Cross. In the modernized Shakespeare classic "Hamlet 2000" Murray played Polonius, the character who utters the message "To thine own self be true".
Also in 2000, Murray was featured in the film adaptation of "Charlie's Angels". He played John Bosley, the only employee of the Townsend Detective Agency who ever lays eyes on boss Charlie. Seeing as Angels are the agents and messengers of God this is an important detail. Bosley is essentially Charlie's Gabriel or Metatron. Note the fiery, great pyramidal "A" of the movie's poster.



The next year Murray went from being the voice of God to being God himself, in the mixed live action/animated feature "Osmosis Jones". In the film Murray played Frank, a Zoo Keeper who is unaware of the complex civilization of anthropomorphic cells, viruses and chemicals living inside him. This movie also featured Laurence "Morpheus" Fishburne as the voice of the virus Thrax, the Red Death, which is a nod to the famous tale by Edgar Allen Poe. Chris Rock voiced the heroic white blood cell title character Osmosis Jones.



In 2001 Murray was also seen in Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" in the role of Dr. Raleigh St.Clair. Dr. St.Clair is a neurologist clearly based on Dr. Oliver Sacks, the author of the non-fictional "Awakenings" and inspiration for the fictional movie of the same name. I discuss Dr. Sacks' work in my article The Chemicals Between Us. The name "Tenenbaum", Ten In Baum (tree) can easily be read as a reference to the ten sephiroths of the Kabalistic Tree of Life. Note the name is close to but not quite the word for Christmas Tree in the German carol "O Tannanbaum".

Perhaps the greatest critical acclaim for Bill Murray as a dramatic actor came in response to his role in the Sofia Coppola film "Lost In Translation". Murray played a washed up, world weary actor in a loveless, long-distance marriage experiencing culture shock in Tokyo where he is filming commercials. He meets Charlotte, played by Scarlet Johansson, and the two engage in an unconsummated romance. The relationship brings out the better aspects of both characters. At the end of the movie Murray's character leaves Tokyo. He and Charlotte exchange a kiss and he whispers something in her ear that the audience is not made privy to. This moment was unscripted, meaning it was improvised like many of Murray's lines of dialog throughout his career. Whatever was whispered was something Murray himself composed. According to the British program "The Culture Show", which used audio enhancing equipment to analyze the scene, the "lost whisper" was "I love you. Don't forget to always tell the truth". In "Lost In Translation" Murray's character finds his better self through his friendship with Charlotte while he's living in Japan. This is the same model seen in "The Razor's Edge", with the spiritual enlightenment personified by Johansson's character.

Bill Murray appears in a pair of films by director Jim Jarmusch. As a waiter in the 2003 movie "Coffee and Cigarettes", and in 2005's "Broken Flowers" as a womanizer who receives an unsigned note from a former girlfriend which informs him he has a 19 year old son. Both films make heavy use of the checkerboard pattern of Masonic initiation and Pythagorean Sacred Geometry.





In the late 80s the success of the Ghostbusters franchise led to an animated television program called "The Real Ghostbusters". In the first three seasons of the cartoon the voice of Peter Venkman was provided by Lorenzo Music. Some may best recall Music's voice work as the unseen character Carlton the Door Man in the sitcom "Rhoda". He also provided the voice for Tummi Gummi in the NBC Saturday morning cartoon "Disney's Adventures of the Gummi Bears".



Music was also the voice for many years of animated versions of Jim Davis' Garfield character. Reportedly, Music was removed from the cast of "The Real Ghostbusters" due to a complaint by Bill Murray that Venkman sounded too much like Garfield. This is ironic as Murray provided the voice for the cartoon feline in 2004's "Garfield: The Movie" and its 2006 sequel "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" (a takeoff of Mark Twain's "The Prince and the Pauper" with a title that's a play on Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities").

Bill Murray's third film with director Wes Anderson was 2004's "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" in which Murray played the title role. A parody/tribute to oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, the part interestingly makes Murray a Submariner. Steve Zissou is on a Captain Ahab type quest to find a rare "Jaguar" shark that ate his friend. Finding his better nature through the process of his quest, Zissou opts to not slay the creature when he finally locates it (plus he's out of dynamite). When Zissou and crew locate the shark they do so in a Yellow Submarine.



Which of course references the song and film by the Beatles. The Yellow Submarine is also found in Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson's "The Illuminatus! Trilogy" as the vehicle of Hagbard Celine and his crew of Virgo Discordians.

There was talk of plans for "Ghostbusters III: Hellbent", which would be a CGI cartoon rather then live action (in part due to Murray's unusual refusal to act in the third installment of anything). In the story the Ghostbusters find themselves in a Manhattan-like Hell (or Hell-like Manhattan), ruled by Luke Sifler (Lucifer) and populated by red and green demons and Blue minotaurs.

I never would have guessed it before taking a closer look, but Bill Murray's connection to the Prometheus figure via the Human Torch is wholly appropriate. Nearly every one of the films of his 30 plus year career involves enhanced or special natures, the process of enlightenment or allusions to divinity.

To thine own self be true.  Always tell the truth.  We came, we saw, we kicked its ass!

The Life Pyrotic

Art by Bill Everett

As mentioned in my articles The Great Marvel Mysteries, the major Marvel Comics characters Namor, the Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch, representing Hermes and Prometheus respectively, were interassociated in multiple ways since their appearance in Timely Comics' (the future Marvel) "Marvel Comics" #1 in 1939. This was the initial appearance of Carl Burgos' Human Torch. Bill Everett's Namor appeared a few months earlier in a non-Timely comics publication.

That Namor is a Hermetic figure is obvious through his winged ankles. He is also an Atlantian as well as a Mutant, a being naturally born into an evolved state in the Marvel mythos. Further evidence of Namor's Hermes resonance lies in the character's mercurial nature, he switches from Hero to Anti-Hero and back again throughout his career, starting with his initial appearances in the Golden Age. This is a display of Mercury Retrograde as discussed in my article by that name. Obviously, as a sub-aquatic character who frequently wields a trident, Namor also resonates Poseidon/Neptune. In this illustration by C.P.Smith, however, Namor's Hermetic nature is made obvious by the artist's depiction of a Caduceusial Trident:



In Greek mythology the relationship between Hermes and Prometheus occurs mainly due to Hermes' role as messenger of the Olympic gods. He's the voice of Zeus. As Zeus and Prometheus are in close relation and near constant conflict, Hermes too is usually seen in opposition to the actions of Prometheus. It is worth noting, however, that Hermes and Prometheus occupy similar roles in ancient mythologies. Both characters are Illuminators and friends to humankind who bring us the arts and sciences. In certain versions Hermes is even depicted as the entity responsible for bringing fire to man. Hermes surname "Ploutodotes", Giver of Wealth, can be understood to represent the same symbolic concept.

Prometheus is one of the most intriguing figures of Greek mythology. He is a Titan, the generation of deities previous to the Olympic gods, a brother of Atlas (for whom the Atlantic and Atlantis (via King Atlas) are named, as well as bound collections of maps), Menoetius and Epimetheus (the Hind-Sight to Promethues' Fore-Sight). Prometheus comes into conflict with Zeus several times due to his role as benefactor to humankind. He tricks Zeus into accepting Ox bones as a sacrifice rather then meat, setting an unbreakable precedent. This causes Zeus to deny mankind the use of fire, but Prometheus again defies Zeus. He travels to Olympus and lights a torch off the Sun, then smuggles the ember in a hollow stalk back to mortal realm. Zeus retaliates by sending Pandora, the All-Gifted, to Earth with her box or jar of misery and evil. Prometheus is personally punished by being chained to a pillar in the Caucus mountains. Daily an eagle or vulture came and ate out Prometheus' liver, but as an immortal the organ regenerated, allowing the cycle of torture to continue endlessly. This situation persisted for many generations until, in some versions, Heracles shot the eagle and freed the Titan.


"Prometheus Brings Fire To Mankind" by Heinrich Fueger, 1817.

Initially Zeus and Prometheus are allies, Prometheus helping to secure victory for the Olymipians in the Titanomachy, the War or Clash of the Titans. In some accounts Prometheus is present at the birth of Athena (with whom he shares illuminator attributes) from the forehead of Zeus, acting as "midwife" with the use of an ax. Forethought is necessary for Wisdom to exist. Also in some accounts, Prometheus and Epimetheus help create humankind from clay.

But trouble between the two ensues when Prometheus teaches humankind the arts and sciences that make civilization possible (an act of enlightenment symbolically repeated by the gift of fire). Besides his defiance of Zeus' dictates, Prometheus, Fore-Thought, has knowledege of the events that will lead to the downfall of Zeus, a secret he is unwilling to disclose to the ruler of the gods. In Aeschylus' (perhaps) play "Prometheus Bound", Hermes, as Zeus' messenger, demands the prophecy, and when Prometheus refuses Zeus strikes him with a thunderbolt that sends him into the Abyss.

Just like Hermes, and all deities, Prometheus is a representation of a model found pan-globally in many, many seemingly diverse cultures. He is the Native American Coyote, who also stole fire from the gods as a gift to humankind and in some tales created the human race from mud, Lucifer, the Light Bringing rebel angel, the Peloponnesian hero Phoroneus, the Aztec Quetzalcoatl and Tezcatlipoca,the Vedic Agni and Yama, and the Mesopotamian Gilgamesh and Gibil.

Prometheus is also the Norse fire god Loki, in frequent conflict with thunder god Thor/Zeus, and bound and tortured till the end of time for his plot to murder the solar Balder. While Prometheus' animal torture is enacted by an eagle, Loki's is by a serpent. Interestingly both of these animals are symbols of the constellation Scorpio. Mainstream mythological study will deny this comparison, calling it a phonetic confusion with the fire giant Logi. This is not a mistake, in my opinion, but the aggregation of mythological models. Mythology does not follow the hard rules of a science. It is poetry and art. It follows dream logic. The similarities of the roles and relationships of Loki and Prometheus make their correspondence self-evident, as does Loki's name, which as the product of an Indo-European language must relate to Lux (light). Note the near exactness of the name Loki or Loke to Luci-fer. Also, like Hermes, Loki possessed a pair of winged shoes.

According to Giorgio De Santillana and Hertha Von Dechend, authors of "Hamlet's Mill", Prometheus is the equivalent of the Brahman symbol Pramantha (note the phonetic similarity), which was the male or upper stick utilized to produce fire, and symbol of the Will as the source of Activity.

"Hamlet's Mill" also contends Prometheus as being correspondent to fellow Titan, a ruler of the Golden Age, Kronos/Saturn. Prometheus in this regard may be viewed as an aspect or portion of Saturn. The authors evidence this claim by relating a Fire myth of the British Columbian Catlo'Itq tribe involving a singing stag who brings fire to all the tribes. The Stag is an emblem of both Saturn and Yama.

Suffice it to say that the story of Prometheus in all his guises is inherently related to the astronomical shifting of Great Ages. The rotating motion of the Pramantha represents the precession of the equinox brought about by the tilt of the Earth's axis, causing new pole stars to become established periodically, setting the Heavens in motion. This is associated with the castration of Uranus (ha ha) by his son Saturn/Kronos.

A few of the many modern versions of the Prometheus figure include Faust, Frankenstein and the Human Torch.

Note, the Human Torch and his variants are nearly as complex as Prometheus himself. Like ancient myths, modern comics are highly prone to reinterpretations and extrapolations, often resulting in what is called a Retcon, a "Retroactive Continuity", due largely to the employment of a "floating timeline". This makes the history of the Human Torches difficult to relate in a linear manner. To this end I relied upon the narratives presented by Wikipedia, and The Marvel Database.

The original Human Torch was created by Professor Phineas T. Horton. Horton fashioned a synthetic being that duplicated all human life functions including artificial intelligence with full emotional complexity. It was powered by "photoelectric solar cells" that covered the entire surface of the android. The power source proved volatile and exposure to oxygen caused it to burst into flames without being consumed. Horton revealed the android to the world at a press conference, keeping it in an airtight capsule, hermetically sealed.

Declared a potential danger to public safety, Horton was forced to bury his creation in an airtight tube buried under many feet of cement. Note how the Human Torch's story begins with him being buried alive, a mock death seen in many secret societies and mystery schools as an initiation process. This is the First Death of the Human Torch. A leak let in enough oxygen for the Torch to ignite, and with his flame he was able to escape easily. He quickly learned to control his flame and became a crime fighter, taking the name Jim Hammond as a civilian identity. During this era he is an ally and at other times an enemy of the Submariner.

Early in his career the Human Torch took on a ward and sidekick called Toro. Toro (the Bull or Taurus), Thomas Raymond, was the son of two scientists. His father was a fireproofing expert who worked with asbestos and his mother, Nora Jones, was a physicist working with radium. This led to the birth of a Mutant child completely immune to flames. The family came under attack from the criminal Asbestos Lady.


Art by Syd Shores

Toro's parents are killed in a train wreck orchestrated by the Asbestos Lady (she drops a tree on the tracks). Due to his immunity to flame Toro survives. He is found by Tom and Ellie Alexander, who happen to be circus fire-eaters. They adopt the boy and put him in their act. Note that circus means circle and can reference both the cycle of the Great Ages and the ring of the zodiac, the circle of animals. This can be seen as one of the reasons for the frequency of the circus and its performers throughout the arts. This becomes pertinent as this article progresses.

As news spreads of the circus' new fire-proof boy both the Human Torch and the Asbestos Lady set out to find him. When Toro comes into the presence of the ignited Human Torch his Mutant nature causes him to also burst into flames. The symbolic connotation of this enlightenment is obvious. Seeing that the boy possesses the same potentially dangerous powers as himself, the Human Torch adopts the child and takes him on as a sidekick.

After several years of adventures criminals ambush the duo and douse them with "Solution X-R", a chemical that paralyzes them and neutralizes their powers. While the Human Torch is in this vulnerable state the criminals bury him in the Nevada desert. This is the Second Death of the Human Torch. A few years later an atomic bomb test reactivates, resurrects, the Torch and he reteams with Toro who had retired without his mentor. Their adventures continue for a couple of years. Then the Torch realizes the atomic energy has made his power unstable. To prevent himself from causing harm to any innocents, the Torch chooses to completely burn himself out. This is the Third Death of the Human Torch, and this time it is a self-sacrifice.

Many years later, after the advent of the Silver Age, the body of the Human Torch is found by the villainous Mad Thinker, an enemy of the Fantastic Four. The Thinker revives/resurrects the android Torch and pits him against the Fantastic Four. This occurs in "Fantastic Four Annual" #4 from 1966 and involves the original Human Torch in opposition to his Silver Age antecedent. After breaking free of the Thinker's control, the original Torch intercepts a ray blast from the Thinker's creation Quasimodo, the Quasi-Motivational Destruct Organism, intended for the Fantastic Four. This is the Fourth Death of the Human Torch (in Fantastic Four Annual #4), and once again it is a self-sacrifice.

This time a funeral is held for the hero, and it is attended by Toro. Toro is kidnapped and brainwashed by the Mad Thinker, made to believe he is the Human Torch, and fitted with a collar that controls his actions.


Art by Marie Severin

The collar is destroyed during a battle with Namor and the two join forces against the Thinker. Toro regains his memory. In a fit of rage he pursues the Thinker's escape rocket, causing it to crash. This is the first and only death of Toro.

In the late '80s the Torch's story is elaborated. Prior to his revival by the Mad Thinker, the time traveler Immortus created a temporal duplicate of the inert Human Torch. One was utilized by the Thinker, while the other passed into the hands of the villainous robot Ultron. Ultron transformed the Torch into the synthetic android Vision.


Art by John Buscema

The use of the Human Torch is a retcon of the Vision story, who originally appeared in 1968, as a Silver Age revival of Simon and Kirby's 1940 Timely character. This interestingly turns a prominent Golden Age hero into the unrelated analog of a far more obscure one. The original Vision was Aarkus, an entity with multiple origins presented in his short career. Initially he was an alien policeman from Smokeworld, described simultaneously as "thousands of miles from Earth" and as lying in an alternate dimension, who comes to Earth to fight crime. Later he is presented as the immortal first High Lama of Shangri-la.

The Silver Age Vision is another Promethean figure, himself the product of the Frankenstein resonant Ultron. He not only can control his body's density, shifting from diamond hard to vaporous, he also fires solar rays from the node over his pineal gland/third eye. Like the original Human Torch, the Vision is a fully functional synthetic being with human emotions. He falls in love with and eventually marries the Mutant Scarlet Witch, sister of the Hermetic Quicksilver. Marvel's answer to the Flash, Quicksilver is a speedster who undergoes several phase shifts from villain to hero and back again. He comes up again shortly.


Art by Alan Davis

So the one Human Torch became the Vision, while the other was utilized as a weapon against the Fantastic Four, dying during the conflict. He is revived/resurrected years later by the Scarlet Witch and joins the splinter team the West Coast Avengers.


Art by John Byrne

He is forced to retire from super heroics when he sacrifices his super abilities in order to save the female Torch analog Spitfire. He goes on to become the CEO of Oracle, Inc., a corporation owned by none other then the Submariner. After that he joins the New Invaders and becomes the mentor of Tara an "Eve-Series Synthetic" based on his design. Tara is revealed to be a weapon of the Nazi the Red Skull, who was disguised as the U.S. Secretary of Defense "Dell Rusk". In order to save Tara, the Torch once again sacrifices himself, his Fifth Death.

The more familiar Human Torch, the Silver Age revival Johnny Storm has several significant symbolic details associated with him as well. When Johnny attends Metro College he rooms with the interestingly named Wyatt Wingfoot, who assists the Fantastic Four in numerous adventures.

Amongst Johnny's love interests are the Inhuman Crystal who spends some time with the Fantastic Four as a replacement for the Invisible Girl.


Art by Jack Kirby

Crystal has the power to control earth, air, fire and water. Later she's linked romantically to the aforementioned Quicksilver. They marry and have a daughter named Luna (the Inhumans live on the Moon).

Another girlfriend of Johnny Storm is Frankie Raye, the step-daughter of Phineas Horton, creator of the original Human Torch. Frankie also has flame powers and later volunteers to become a new herald for the Saturnian planet eater Galactus. Galactus transforms her into the cosmic powered Nova. She later partners and has a romantic relationship with the former herald of Galactus, the Hermetic Silver Surfer.


Art by John Byrne.

In more recent times Johnny Storm has also dated Namorita, the cousin (and female version) of the Submariner.


Art by Julie Bell

When the Submariner was reintroduced to Marvel Comics in the Silver Age he did so as one of the greatest villains of the Fantastic Four. He teamed several times with Dr. Doom, the two even shared a title called "Super-Villain Team-Up" in the early 70s despite the fact that by that point Namor was primarily heroic again, even serving as a member of the highly secretive team the Defenders with the Silver Surfer. As an early FF villain Namor was primarily motivated by his extreme (and rather Olympian) lust for the Invisible Girl, sister of Johnny Storm (Namor also had the hots for Quicksilver's sister the Scarlet Witch). Needless to say Johnny and Namor were seen in frequent conflict.

This interrelationship is emblemized by Alex Ross in his dystopian series "Earth X". In this story, separate from the "mainstream continuity", the Hermetic Submariner and Promethean Human Torch are combined into a single entity, Namor the Cursed.


Art by Alex Ross

The most significant interaction related to Johnny Storm and Namor occurs when the latter was reintroduced in "Fantastic Four" #4. Following a battle with the illusionist Miracle Man, Johnny has a falling out with his teammates and leaves the team. During this time he discovers an amnesiac Submariner and revives him. It is worth noting that after this encounter with Namor, Johnny quits the team for a short time, and joins his cousin Bones' circus.

"Fantastic Four" #4 was recently discussed in Robby Reed's wonderful Dial B for Blog. It was from Robby that I learned of a short lived radio program called "The Fantastic Four Radio Show", which debuted in 1975. The show presented audio presentations of mildly adapted early FF issues, amongst them the revival of Namor. Mr. Reed's powers not only include the ability to become a seemingly infinite number of super heroes, he also creates great blogs and wonderful video presentations. Here's his amalgamation of the radio program and the comic book that inspired it. Watch this video, there's a key point that comes way out from left field here:



Yes, you heard right, that's a 25 year old Bill Murray voicing Johnny Storm. The part of the Thing nearly went to John Belushi. Is it significant that actor/comedian Bill Murray played the Promethean Human Torch for a short time?

A Short Introduction to Star Wars as an Allegory of Ecliptic Age Shift

I just recently rewatched Episodes I-III and I have to say I found them of much greater interest then I did previously. My recent rereading of the Jay Weidner/ Sharon Rose article "Tolkien at the End of Time", made it very clear to me that the Star Wars story as a whole is talking about the shifting of Great Ages in the Cycle of Time.

Episodes IV-VI is the Iron Age, A Long, long Time Ago in the Great Cycle. The story ends with the dawning of a new Golden Age, the Force in Balance, as prophesied.

As an allegory of astronomical time-keeping and the transmuting nature of the quality of time, the Ages revolve in the story at an accelerated rate, as always the case in these mythological models. Episodes I-III then seem to encompass the shift from Silver to Bronze and then Bronze to Iron. Note we never witness the Golden Age, its existence is only implied.

While there is darkness on the horizon in Episode I, things are far from perfect, it is still a much brighter reality then what is seen later, populated with funny cartoonish figures like the animated sequences of "Mary Poppins". A messiah has been born as the Silver Age twilights, but this is only halfway through the Cycle, things are going to get worse. By Episode II we have entered the Bronze Age and things are becoming more industrial and more corrupt. The Bronze Age gives way to the darkness of the Iron Age by the end of episode III. The messiah Anakin becomes the near-fully mechanical Darth Vader as the Democracy of the Republic falls into the Fascism of the Empire. The Order of the Jedi Knights is destroyed and the few who survive go to live monastic, solitary lives in remote locations.

There's a clear emblem of the Bronze Age in Episode III:



This familiar looking Astro-mech droid is R4-G9, or Geenine. After Obi-Wan loses his red R4-P17, we see him with Geenine. According to Wookiepedia Geenine is the property of the pretty, blue Twi'lek Jedi Aayla Secura.

In R2-D2 and C-3PO we see a bit of the alchemical symbolism of Star Wars. R2-D2 is Silver and the Moon. C-3PO is Gold and the sun. They are threads woven through all six films and serve the role of Chorus. In Episode IV it is R2 and 3PO who set events in motion. Note how the two constantly separate and came back together. In Episode I child messiah Anakin makes incarnate Tower of Babel C-3PO, and the droid goes from base Iron appearance to Gold by Episode III. The aboriginal Ewoks worship the solar C-3PO as a god in Episode VI. Thus, the appearance of a Bronze Astromech droid is a clear signifier.

As if this weren't enough, Episode II, "Attack of the Clones" contains another emblem of the shifting of Ages, this time hidden in a rather crafty manner. We find it on the planet Geonosis (Earth Knowledge and a clear nod to the philosophy of the Gnostics), which is clearly a stand in for Saturn:



The Geonosians are hive-organized insects that look like humanoid wasps or bees:



They're being ruled by the rogue Jedi/Sith Lord Count Dooku, played by Christopher Lee. Not only was Lee also Count Dracula (the name Count Dooku clearly invoking), but also the exactly-same natured as Dooku Saruman in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy. In both trilogies Lee's character's primary chapter is the middle chapter, "Attack of the Clones" and "The Two Towers", and both films were released in 2002.

The treacherous Count Dooku captures Obi-Wan, Anakin and Amadala and rather than killing them simply he places them in the Petranaki Arena so he can make sport of their executions. Three frightening beasts are unleashed on the trio, chained to sacrificial pillars. There is esoteric symbolism all over this sequence, but I want to focus on the hidden Tetramorph in the scene.

Let's watch:


Geonosis Arena Battle One

Sorry for the overlap, scan ahead four minutes or so for the continuation of the scene:


Geonosis Arena Battle Two

I like when Mace "Shaft(of light)" Windu and crew show up.

So did you see the Tetramorph? Kinda maybe?

Okay, so in the oval or mandalora shaped arena the heroes are attacked by three beasts.


The Bull-like Reek. Anakin tames this Taurian and uses it as a mount.


The cat, tiger, or Lion-like Nexu. Amadala, the Maiden, manages to subdue the Nexu, as Virgo does Leo each Summer.



And then there's the Acklay. Scorpio right? Nope. The Scorpio emblem in the Tetramorph is an Eagle. So game over? No. This creature is Aquarius. It is a Mantid/Crustacean hybrid, a MANtid with water creature features, a Man bearing Water.

So that's three, but where then is the Eagle of Scorpio?



It is the Eagle-like LAAT/I "Larty" Republican Infantry Transporters that fly in with Yoda like the Eagles in the Lord of the Rings and rescue everyone.

The use of the Eagle for Scorpio in the Tetramorph, rather then the Scorpion leads to a slick bit of sleight of hand in hiding these symbols. Scorpio is a Water sign and Aquarius is an Air Sign, yet the Eagle is a creature of the Air and Aquarius is the Water Bearer. This shell game is played in other places.

The Great Marvel Mysteries Part Three

When Fawcett's license on the name Captain Marvel lapsed Marvel Comics smartly created a character to lay a claim on it. This Captain Marvel (Mar-vell, emphasizing the angelic "el" in his name as is the case in the Kryptonian name of Superman, Kal-el) was a warrior and spy from the Roman Empire-like alien race the Kree who were introduced to the Marvel Universe by Kirby and Lee earlier that year in the pages of the Fantastic Four. Mar-vell first appeared in 1967's "Marvel Super Heroes" #12, and he quickly developed sympathy for the primative but noble humans he was observing.

art by Gene Colan

Sales of Mar-vell's title were poor and it was canceled after issue #21. In the early 70s Mar-vell's title resumed and the character was altered by writer Roy Thomas. Mar-vell finds himself trapped within the Negative Zone but he develops a cross-dimensional telepathic bond with former Hulk and Captain America sidekick Rick Jones and the two are able to switch dimensional position using a pair of Kree designed "nega-bands". Thomas has said this was done to echo the boy/man shift of the Fawcett Captain Marvel.

Not long after writer/illustrator Jim Starlin took over the title and made further alterations, most notable being his assignment by the omnipotent being Eon to be the "Protector of the Universe". With this role came a new power, a Zen-like state of connection with all things termed "Cosmic Awareness". Eon, it is worth noting, is dedicated to protection of the Celestial Axis.


art by Jim Starlin


Cap destroys the Cosmic Cube, art by Jim Starlin.

Mar-vell's most notable opponent was the Mad Titan Thanos. For many years Mar-vell had the rare distinction of being one of the few super heroes to die and stay dead (a facet shared with Jean Grey, however, both characters have subsequently returned to the living). Mar-vell's case was particularly atypical as his death came from incurable cancer he developed from exposure to a nerve gas during a super battle years earlier. This was depicted by Starlin in the 1982 "Marvel Graphic Novel" #1. Note the Pieta positioning of Death and Mar-vell on the cover of this barely veiled astro/religious comic book allegory.


art by Jim Starlin

With the publication of this story, with this cover image, in this adult-oriented format, there could be no doubt that American comic books had recently entered the Bronze Age.

As we all know it is common for popular male super heroes to have a female counterpart introduced at some point in their adventures. Superman has Supergirl, Spider-Man has Spider-Woman, and the Shazam Captain Marvel has Mary Marvel, who is in fact the first of the female variants. Captain Mar-vell is no exception to this pattern. In 1977 a cast member from the Marvel "Captain Marvel" title gained super powers and a series all her own and in time she came to be even more important and iconic then her male character she was based upon. She's Carol Danvers, Ms. Marvel.


art by John Romita

Carol is exposed to the alien radiation of a Kree "Psyche-Magnitron" which causes her DNA to intermix with Mar-vell's, giving her super strength and durability, the ability to fly and a Spider-Sense-like "Seventh Sense" (skipping over a sixth for some reason). Note how in the second and more famous costume of Ms. Marvel we again see a stylized lightning bolt of enlightenment as an emblem.


art by Dave Cockrum

Besides her solo adventures, Ms. Marvel was a member of "The Avengers". In issue #200 of that title, one of Marvel's strangest stories (no small feat), she finds herself pregnant from what seems to be an immaculate conception. The pregnancy progresses at a greatly accelerated rate and she soon gives painless birth to a son.


Art by George Perez


Art by George Perez

The son, Marcus, grows quickly to adulthood and informs Ms. Marvel that he is from the dimension Limbo from where he had observed and fallen in love with her. He confesses that he kidnapped, brainwashed, seduced and impregnated her and returned her to Earth with no memory of the event, and in the processes served the role of being his own father.

In a confusing time-knot only super hero comic books could produce, Marcus, it turns out, is the son of the time traveling Avengers villain Immortus, who was the future version of the Avengers time traveling villain Kang the Conqueror, who was originally seen in comics in his guise as the false Pharaoh Rama-Tut in "Fantastic Four" #19. The problem was, Immortus got it in his head at one point to kill Kang, which had the effect of removing Immortus from existence (but not apparently enough-so to stop him from doing it somehow). Immortus lived in timeless Limbo and at a "moment" previous to his self-erasing he had kidnapped a woman from Earth, brainwashed her and impregnated her with Marcus. In proper comic book fashion she was a near duplicate of Carol Danvers.

After his father's discorporation Marcus concocts his scheme to get from Limbo to Earth. He chooses Ms. Marvel due to her Kree-enhanced physiology and her resemblance to his mother.

Strangely after this revelation Ms. Marvel agrees to return to Limbo with Marcus (later explained as her still being under his mind-control). Worse is that her teammates on the Avengers all seem to think it swell and wish the happy couple well as they head off to honeymoon in Limbo. It's an unintentionally disturbing comic book story that makes obvious reference to Greek mythological modes like the tragedy of Oedipus. But at least one lucky reader won a Toys-R-Us Shopping Spree.

This Rape of Ms. Marvel was highly controversial and didn't sit well with many, including X-Men writer Chris Claremont, who had also written many issues of the Ms. Marvel series. He returned the character to Earth in 1981's "Avengers Annual" #10. But back on Earth Carol Danvers is not Ms. Marvel for long as she loses her super abilities and memories to the mutant power stealing Rogue of the second Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. This leads to the now powerless Carol Danvers spending some time in the early 80s as a supporting cast member in the X-Men comics, as the telepathic Professor Xavier helps her reclaim her stolen psyche.

To make her matters worse, while with the X-Men Carol is abducted by and experimented on by the very "Alien"-like extraterrestrial race the Brood. This results in her gaining new, cosmic level super powers, due to her ability to tap into the energies of a White Hole. She renames herself Binary and joins up with the space-faring buccaneers called The Starjammers adventuring in the deep space of the Marvel Universe, and seldom appearing on the printed page.


art by Dave Cockrum

Shortly afterwards the X-Men get to make good use of Carol Danver's former Kree-spawned powers when Rogue switches sides and becomes a member of the team. Like Carol, Rogue needs Xavier's help to balance out her now warring double psyche.


Art by John Romita, Jr.

This is an aspect of the Rogue character that is completely absent in the X-Men movies, for simplicity's sake I'm sure, but it's a shame because it's an interesting facet of Rogue's character, and one present since her initial appearance in "Avengers Annual" #10. Rogue automatically absorbs the powers and memories of anyone she makes skin to skin contact with. During her assault on Ms. Marvel she maintains contact for too long and the transference becomes permanent. Rogue brings the X-Men not only her ability to duplicate powers but also Ms. Marvel's super strength, invulnerability and flight, powers that she utilizes far more frequently in the course of the X-Men's adventures. Since Rogue started her career as a mutant terrorist, the protoge and foster child of Mystique, it is possible but never clearly stated that her change in morality is due to the heroic inclinations of Carol Danvers and not those of Rogue herself.

This was the status quo for many years before Marvel revived the Avengers title in 1998 and writer Kurt Busiek and illustrator George Perez decided to return Carol Danvers to the team. Her connection to the White Hole faded and her powers reverted to levels comparable to her Ms. Marvel identity. She returned to her traditional blue costume and operated under the name Warbird, eventually returning to the identity of Ms. Marvel. This identity switch followed Marvel's fairly recent alternate reality storyline "The House of M", in which Carol Danvers operated under the identity of Captain Marvel.

But Carol was not the first female super hero to go by the name Captain Marvel. After the death of Mar-vell, Marvel Comics introduced Monica Rambeau in the 1982 "Amazing Spider-Man Annual" #16. This character, unrelated to the other Marvel Marvels, was bombarded with extra-dimensional energies by an experimental device and gained the ability to transform into living light. She served as an Avenger and eventually changed her name to Photon.


Art by John Buscema

Confusing the matter, however, is the character of Genis-Vell, the son of Captain Mar-vell, who also went by both the names Captain Marvel and Photon.


Art by Chris Cross

There was also another Ms. Marvel for a short time in the 80s, the character Sharon Ventura, a super strong wrestler and girlfriend of the Thing. At one point Sharon was bombarded by cosmic radiation and transformed into a female Thing, as Ben Grimm might say, a revoltin' development.


As Ms. Marvel, art by Ron Wilson


As She-Thing, art by Sal Buscema(?)

And this is far from the only reiteration of the Marvel character names in Marvel Comics. There was a telekinetic character named Vance Astrovik, an alternate version of Vance Astro of the future based Guadians of the Galaxy. While serving with the teen-aged group The New Warriors, Astrovik was called Marvel Boy. Later, as an Avenger, he was called Justice.


Art by Mark Bagley

Then in 2000 yet another Marvel Boy was introduced by writer Grant Morrison and illustrator J.G.Jones. This time the character is once again of Kree origin, Noh-Varr, the sole survivor of a Kree alternate dimensional cruiser called "The Marvel".


Art by J.G.Jones. Gotta love that logo.

Morrison has a true gift for enhancing the inherent surrealism of super hero comic books to a level of Baroque beauty. His "Marvel Boy" comes from and lands in alternate Marvel realities then the one presented in the bulk of the Marvel titles. He's presented somewhere between a blood thirsty super terrorist and a inter-celestial messiah in a corrupt reality of mindless devotion to synthetic corporate interests masquerading as government and society. Marvel Boy wishes to liberate this Earth and bring it to what he considers to be the Utopian state of Kree culture.

The Kree are served by/ruled by/worshipful of an ancient, telepathic living computer called the Supreme Intelligence. Created to help the Kree generate a Cosmic Cube, the Supreme Intelligence is an amalgamation of the minds of the Kree's greatest thinkers, politicians, scientists and philosophers. Morrison depicts Marvel Boy as the protagonist, however, near the end of the series another character aptly describes the Kree society as a Zen-Fascist state.

The Marvel Boy series, like Morrison's work on pre-established characters and titles like "JLA", "Animal Man", "The Doom Patrol" , the "New X-Men", "Arkham Asylum" and "Seven Soldiers" takes readers to places they never expected or experienced with these familiar figures. It's magic, he's a magician and the spells he casts are woven out of the pure esoteric symbolism inherent in the genre.

The last of the Marvels I wish to discuss as my chosen culmination of this labyrinth of children's entertainment is the ground breaking 1994 limited series simply titled "Marvels". The product of the team of writer Kurt Buseik and painer/illustrator Alex Ross, "Marvels" perhaps more directly then any of the other titles I've discussed, exercises the term as way of describing miraculous, symbolic, religious mythology on a scale from the cosmic to the deeply personal.

The Marvels of the title is the emergence of these various fantastic beings waging incomprehensible secret wars across the Universe (but mostly in Manhattan). The story is told across time from the 1940s to the early 70s from the vantage point of an innocent bystander, a figure oft overlooked and overshadowed on the comic book page. In "Marvels" this role is filled by photographer Phil Sheldon. Told in four issues (with a fifth with supportive material), the story covertly chronicles the Great Ages of comic books through typifying events from the crux points of Marvel history. All art that follows is by Alex Ross.



Issue one begins with the birth of the Marvels as heralded by Carl Burgos' Promethean Human Torch. Special emphasis is placed on the monumental rivalry between the Torch and Bill "William Blake" Everett's Hermetic Atlantean Sub-Mariner. Ross' treatment is suffused with the Classical elements of this ancient conflict. It is interesting that while observing this battle, observer Phil Sheldon loses his left eye when he's struck by a chunk of flying debris.





Issue two moves from the Golden Age to shortly after the advent of the Silver. The story focuses on the emergence of the Mutant population, feared and loathed by the majority of the normal population. This is even the case with heroic, but mysterious figures like the X-Men. The Mutant hating sentiment culminates with the creation of the artificially intelligent Mutant hunting Sentinel robots, which almost immediately go rogue. As they attempt to secure complete control for the purpose of protecting the populace, New York City erupts in anti-Mutant hysteric riots.







The third issue takes place a few years later around the monumental, near-Armageddon Coming of Galactus. Galactus, the world devourer, was conceived by Jack Kirby as God. Kirby's God, however, is a Demiurge, not the Creator. He is Saturn. This is clear. Saturn swallows his children, the planes/planers/planets.

Galactus is heralded by the Hermetic Silver Surfer, in his typifying role as psychopomp, in this case leading the whole of the world to the afterlife. This story was part of the plot in the recent "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer", which was pretty interesting. They did a great job with the difficult character of the Surfer, and it was excellent that he was voiced by Lawrence "Morpheus" Fishburne. Visually the movie makers opted to make Galactus a sentient black hole, or nebula or something, but nothing they did matched the sheer beauty of Ross' faithful enhancements of Kirby's energetic original images.





What was really wrong in the movie, however, was how Galactus was defeated (that and their fricked-up Dr.Doom). The Silver Surfer can not beat Galactus, it's a ridiculous concept. Is it too much to ask for an Ultimate Nullifier to be worked in? The Torch in Taa II could have been the trippiest Cosmic movie sequence since "2001", but I digress.



The final issue of "Marvels" focuses on a very small event when compared to the arrival of Galactus, but one that is equally mythic in its way, and clearly indicative of the shift to the Bronze from the Silver Age. Spider-Man's long-running animosity with the Green Goblin culminates in 1973 with the Goblin's kidnapping of Peter Parker's girlfriend Gwen Stacey. The Goblin drops Gwen from the top of a bridge before Spider-Man can rescue her. Spider-Man manages to snag her with a web but her neck snaps during the fall. This was a monumental moment in Peter Parker's life and for his readers, with a pathos the movie makers completely managed to miss for some reason. This was the death of innocence, the fall of the Maiden, the harsh reality that love itself is materially fragile despite even super human efforts. This was the sad and quiet beginning of the shift from the Silver to the Bronze Age.





Ross tells the story of the Iron Age with a different pantheon of figures in DC's "Kingdom Come", which we will certainly dissect with pleasure at a future point.

Part of the power of the story told in "Marvels" is that the characters exist in the time when the stories first appeared, rather then on a floating timeline utilized to maintain "continuity". This rare quality is key to the underlying meaning of this largest and most abstract handling of the term Marvels. The Marvels in this case are the Great Ages themselves. This is the allegory of the transmutation through time on a cosmic level, told as always in the form of argotic symbols.