Positions - 02.06.01
Positions - 01.22.01
Old School News

Fetal Positions

	Eric Millikin

Feb. 14, 2001 - Happy Valentine's Day, party people. Let's read some love letters.

Dudes

what the fuck was that all about you cumstain androids

Some guy from the UK

It was about how the regulation of our bodies by the state and other institutions has changed since the eighteenth century. It was also, in a much more subtle and tangential way, about your mom.

greetings,

i just discovered your comix about 2 days ago in Angry and Literate #1

i was interested, i was attracted...im working threw the website right now....interesting stuff...one of you is in an Industrial band??? in this town? odd....anyway...i think i like your comix, do you relese it on a regular basis? also, would you do an "exlucive" strip ever? yeah....

david

Greetings to you, David. I've been in and out of punk, metal and industrial bands since the fifth grade. Perhaps you remember the saturation air-play of "Fuck the Pigs" on MSU student radio. Currently I'm in the middle of some really experimental compositions, the results of which will hopefully lead to my complete commercial sell-out. Maybe if enough people e-mail me I'll post you an mp3. Casey used to DJ, but regrettably had to unload his gear when his blood supply became too low to sell.

The regular basis we release or comic on is Monday through Friday here on the site. Various alternazines and what not publish us as well. We should be in Angry and Literate 2 this spring, as well as Butcher Paper.

As far as exclusive strips go, it all depends. If you want us to do it for free, it depends on how down with your ideas we are. We're always up for doing new cool and unusual things. If you want to pay us, then it all depends on how much bank you've got and how broke we happen to be. So, fly your ideas and your cash past us, and see what happens.

Apparently selling out is my theme today.

Hey dudes!

Did you notice the scathing letter to the editor regarding studentangle yesterday? It was truly fetusx-complaint quality. smirk. Ah well. Kind of unsettling, to say the least. I remember all the criticisms of the fetus during its reign -- how did you guys handle such scathing ignorance? :)

John

Damn, that's a good question John. How do we handle criticism? Introspection. Deep soul searching, my friend. The first thing anyone has to do in the face of criticism is decide whether they actually are in the presence of "scathing ignorance." We need to be open to the possibility that we are wrong and that the criticism may be properly placed.

In this case, the artist (John) is accused of being anti-feminist. If he likes to think of himself as a feminist, then he needs to ask himself how his readers could possibly misinterpret his work so badly. Perhaps his feminism, no matter how well conveyed in other aspects of his life, is not being communicated very well in his newspaper strips. Or, if he strives to be anti-feminist, then he should feel satisfied that he has made his points so clear to his audience.

Perhaps it would be helpful take a look at the depiction of the only female human character in Fetus-X, Alicia. People who consider themselves to be feminists have written to say they enjoyed seeing Alicia at the beach shooting down predicta-dorks last summer. They liked seeing her resist the advances of vampires. They also seemed particularly fond of posting Alicia's Valentine in their workplace. Now, if an employer sees a gun-toting Alicia taped to the coffee shop cash register, and that strip happens to make him think twice about continuing his pattern of sexual harassment, well, then you can just chalk up on more culture-war victory for the Fetus.

Let's get back to the letter to the editor. The writer wonders whether John will "protest that it's only a comic strip." I certainly hope that he does not. I firmly believe that we have the power to change the world through six-and-a-half inch strips of newsprint. Others agree, whether they be one of the 450 members of our fan-club or one of those who feel that Fetus-X is a threat to their world-view and try to silence us. Artists need to accept this responsibility, and seek this responsibilty, otherwise they are doomed to the production of predictable, pointless drivel. It is sad enough that many of our readers are afflicted with the brain malady that forces them to expect all comics to be three panels and a forgettbale punchline; we don't need any more creators who feel the same way.

Well, crap, my laundry's dry and my adrenaline rush is dying down. Thanks for writing in, John, David, and anonymous UK person. Anyone else got something to say? E-mail dudes@fetusx.com.

Keep your fetus cool,