Sept 3 2023 Monians is a comic created and developed by ZBRM (that's me). It is something I had wanted to do for a long time. I first began publishing Monians in Oct. of 2019. From Oct. 2019 to March 2023 Monians was published daily. Since March 2023 it has been published irregularly. As of March 2023 Monians is up to over 1200 pages. From the time that I was quite young I enjoyed reading American comics. Some of my favorites were Omac (1), Captain Marvel (1968), and the Hulk (115 and 140). I had tried making some comics then, but never got very far with it. Then for a number of years I was introduced to the study mythology. I learned about Greek mythology from reading Jane Ellen Harrison and Robert Graves. These books laid out the basic mythic themes of the world being created through a serpent and an egg. These myth themes can be found all over the world in vastly differing nations. Grafton Elliot Smith also delved into the universality of the serpent in world mythology in his book, "The Evolution of the Dragon." At the same time I was reading about C. G. Jung's theories about artistic expression and personality. These readings formed some of the basis for the characters and themes of Monians.
Certain science fiction stories I have read have had an influence on the Monians comic. Isaac Asimov's "Foundation" series is a work in which a character uses his science of psychohistory to predict future events. This plot theme is similar to how Eggmonia often has advance knowledge of events which most other monians appear unaware of. Frank Herbert's "Dune" influenced Monians in the aspects of having giant worms and spice which enhances intelligence. There is also a certain similarity between Paul Atreides and Redmonia. The British series "The Prisoner" with Patrick McGoohan had a big influence on Monians going back to 2020. Several episodes of Monians included allusions to this programme. George Bernard Shaw's play "Back to Methusela" interested me very much when I discovered it in 2020. It is quite a remarkable story, and an early sci-fi story, being published in 1921. In that story, Shaw imagines what life would be like thirty thousand years in the future. Monians is in its own way my vision of what life will be like in such a far time frame.
Certain thematic and structural aspects of Monians have been influenced by my interest in poetry. W.B. Yeats's poems (Sailing to Byzantium), and his book, "A Vision", have influenced characterization and the development of fantastic locations. William Cowper's life in general, and his poems (John Gilpin, The Task), have affected the style of presentation. T. S. Eliot's plays (Murder in the Cathedral), and poems (Four Quartets) have also inspired certain elements in place and expression.
For more information: performancetimehour@protonmail.ch
Back