Ryan Carey joins me this week for an in-depth discussion of Nick Drnaso’s latest comic Sabrina. We started off the conversation on a totally unrelated matter and discussed the recent reporting on former CIA operative turned Batman writer, Tom King. We then shifted back Sabrina and the way it captures the bleak reality that so many of us find ourselves enmeshed in. Ryan and I discuss the books plot which revolves around the murder of a young woman named Sabrina, how two friends Teddy and Calvin deal with it, and the role that conspiracy theory plays throughout. We discussed the themes of isolation and intimacy within the conspiracy culture portrayed by Drnaso. Ryan and I also talked about how the book breaks so many literary norms including the concept of “Chekhov’s gun.” We explored the two male characters Teddy and Calvin, breaking down how both of them are essentially unlikable man children wallowing in their own self loathing. We finished off the conversation by looking at some of the broader issues raised in the book. Ryan also talked about the increased popularity of independent comics that encapsulate the bleak reality in the age of Trump.
Keelan Balderson of Wideshut.co.uk joins me once again to discuss the ongoing wave of terrorist attacks in the UK. We focus on the recent failed bombing in the Parsons Green tube station on September 15th. We begin by looking at the bombing itself and the media and governments rush to claim this was another TATP bomb. Keelan and I talk about this strange new trend in UK terrorism where all bombs seem to use this volatile substance. We then discuss the alleged bomber, Ahmed Hassan, and his seemingly quiet life in Surrey. Keelan and I touch on his foster parents and what made him leave Iraq at the age of 16. We then move onto the question of whether or not Hassan was known to MI5 or any other security services. Keelan talks about this new idea being put out by the government of the “known wolf” attacker. We also look at the use of CCTV footage in this case, and focus on some of the major questions it brings up about Hassan and the bomb. Keelan also discusses the strange allegations leveled at Amazon.com as well as the “hoax – everything is fake crowd.” We finish off by touching on the Cressida Dick’s calls for more police funding and her connection with the murder of Jean Charles de Menezes after 7/7.
In the second hour I discuss my theories on the evolution of Gladio style operations I try to lay out how this wave of low level attacks in Western Europe and America fit into the strategy of tension that Gladio sought. I also explore the over-used term Gladio B, and give my reasons for why it is not actually a continuation of Gladio. I then look at the recent mass shooting in Las Vegas and why I believe that regardless of motive, the event will be manipulated and used in the ongoing strategy of tension in the US. I attempt to lay out how the Vegas Shooting fits into the original mold of Gladio.
