Still More Swinging: This Time It Ain't Funny

With all the international outrage over the botched execution of Saddam Hussein it did seem like some heads would roll… and lo and behold Saddam’s half-brother Barzan Ibrahim took the plunge last week losing his head in the process. According to this clip taken from an Iraqi press conference – it was an ‘Act of God.’ (link) The only time I have ever seen anything like this happen is in the Comix – specifically Kim Deitch’s Shadowland:

The folks at Fantagraphics have recently repackaged the Shadowland stories into a very attractive book, one of my favorite releases of 2006 – pick up a copy at your local comic book store or get a copy directly from the source (Link)

Comments

[George]

Guardian UK cartoonist Steve Bell provides this comment on the event. Bell's work was also shown in the film "Chidren of Men" as the Michael Caine character's cartoons.

[DMcK]

Accidental decapitation is actually a fairly common hanging mishap. I learned that from the "Big Book of Death", edited by Bronwyn C., so I know it's true!

[Dale Hazelton]

A far cry from the Sad Sack and Richie Rich comics I read as a lad. Cool!

[kim Deitch]

I got it from the hanging of BlackJack Ketchum. Kim deitch

[Idiot Odyssey]

Violence porn is just s-o-o-o-o patriotic.
This kind of Patriarchism is such good and clean simple, wholesome healthy fun - for the WHOLE family! - like screaming at the moon until you burst enough blood vessels to pass out...Healthful indeed - For U... AND yer uvula!!
Good fer u, kids!
It's 2:18am... and because of the surge of 'patriotic' pride your devotional art has rigidly erected in my culture-d'sac after seeing this I'm...well, I'm just gonna HAVE TO SMASH MY F-KIN' HEAD through the nearest window and shriek,"Proud To Be 'n 'Murrican" until dawn...
JUST FER U-U-U-U!!!!!!!!
P.S.: Was Blackjack Ketchum any relation to Hank Ketchum? (jus' wunderrin'-thanx!).