Nature of the Catastrophe

[Harvester]

The only one of those I have yet to read is The Nature of the Catastrophe.
But it will be mine at some point not far in the future. Or is it the past.
I get confused sometimes.

[Governor of Rowe Island]

If you're a completist Harvester, I think it only fair to warn you that not all of the JC stories by other authors in 'The Nature of the Catastrophe' were reprinted in 'The New Nature of the Catastrophe.'
I only have the more recent one. :(

[DeeCrowSeer]

I've seen neither, I'm afraid. Am I right in thinking that there were comic strips (or more comic strips) in the first version? I always feel silly asking these sorts of questions, considering how long I've been here... :oops:

[Governor of Rowe Island]

I can only vouch for the more recent version, Dee, and I think they have the complete version by Mal Dean et al. Very nice they are, too.
Just occurred to me I should mention that I have the Millenium h/c edition, I don't know if any of the other editions are different.

[Doc]

I've seen neither, I'm afraid. Am I right in thinking that there were comic strips (or more comic strips) in the first version? I always feel silly asking these sorts of questions, considering how long I've been here... :oops:

Of course, John Davey is a far better source for this information, but...

The first edition has "The Adventures of Jerry Cornelius The English Assassin" as a complete story told in a comic strip. Mike and M. John Harrison did the scripts and Mal Dean and Glyn Jones drew it. The revised edition splits it into smaller stories (with individual credits, which are different) peppered throughout the volume. If I was inspired and not in the middle of something else, I would check them against one another to tell you if and where they are different. I like you a lot, Dee, but not that much :lol:

[Doc]

I've seen neither, I'm afraid. Am I right in thinking that there were comic strips (or more comic strips) in the first version? I always feel silly asking these sorts of questions, considering how long I've been here... :oops:

Of course, John Davey is a far better source for this information, but...

The first edition has "The Adventures of Jerry Cornelius The English Assassin" as a complete story told in a comic strip. Mike and M. John Harrison did the scripts and Mal Dean and Glyn Jones drew it. The revised edition splits it into smaller stories (with individual credits, which are different) peppered throughout the volume. If I was inspired and not in the middle of something else, I would check them against one another to tell you if and where they are different. I like you a lot, Dee, but not that much :lol:

Apparently, I like you more than I thought, Dee. I checked. It appears that the revised edition has additional material. And I would still trust John D. more than I would trust me flipping through both editions.

[DeeCrowSeer]

Apparently, I like you more than I thought, Dee. I checked. It appears that the revised edition has additional material. And I would still trust John D. more than I would trust me flipping through both editions.

Bless you, Doc. as I say, I hadn't seen either edition, so just knowing that there are some comics to be had is enough to whet my appetite. Very good of you to check. :)

Sorry, I've gone off-topic again, haven't I? :oops:

[David Mosley]

The Nature of the Catastrophe is the ONE book of Mike's that I've never EVER seen in any shape or form. It's conspicous by its absence in the Image Gallery, and it doesn't seem to crop up on eBay either.

I'm half-inclined to think that it doesn't actually exist in the same continuum that I inhabit.

The mass-market edition of The New Nature of the Catastrophe omits the comic strip but includes an extra text story iirc.

[Harvester]

Demos99...A gift for you to view~

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...471195-3374318

[DeeCrowSeer]

There are a couple of copies of Nature... listed at AbeBooks too (y'all be sure to follow the link from the front page, to add to the multiversal coffers! :))

Personally, I was tempted at one point to try writing some JC related "fan fiction", but I knew I'd only disappoint myself. At least when I write my own characters, there's nothing to compare them to! And no one can tell me "so-and-so wouldn't do that", because I made them and I'm the only one who knows what they're about. [Cue maniacal laughter, and weird shadows, as Dee paces over to the cupboard where he stores his characters, hanging like empty puppets from a rail] Mine! All mine!!!

:oops:

[David Mosley]

Demos99...A gift for you to view~

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...471195-3374318

Thanks Harvester, but that's the New Nature of the Catastrophe (of which I have two copies - the trade pbk and the mmp). What I'm referring to is the 1971 original edition, which thanks to Dee I've ordered as a last-minute special Christmas present to myself from Abebooks. :)

[GuyLawley]

The Nature of the Catastrophe is the ONE book of Mike's that I've never EVER seen in any shape or form. It's conspicous by its absence in the Image Gallery, and it doesn't seem to crop up on eBay either.

I'm half-inclined to think that it doesn't actually exist in the same continuum that I inhabit.

The mass-market edition of The New Nature of the Catastrophe omits the comic strip but includes an extra text story iirc.

:)
There is a copy on my shelf, but it may have originated on another plane of the multiverse, as you imply. It was a gift from that dodgy character Michael Moorcock, who is well known for fraternising with time travellers and moonbeam hoppers.

This is the contents page of the original Nature of the Catastrophe:

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION James Colvin vii
THE NATURE OF THE CATASTROPHE
Michael Moorcock 1
THE FIRMAMENT THEOREM Brian W. Aldiss 9
THE NASH CIRCUIT M. John Harrison 24
JEREMIAD James Sallis 43
SEA WOLVES Michael Moorcock 59
THE END OF THE CYCLE Langdon Jones 75
THE ASH CIRCUS M. John Harrison 79
THE TANK TRAPEZE Michael Moorcock 92
THE LAST HURRAH OF THE GOLDEN HORDE
Norman Spinrad 106
THE ADVENTURES OF JERRY CORNELIUS
Script by Michael Moorcock and M. John Harrison,
drawings by Mal Dean and R. Glyn Jones 123
THE DELHI DIVISION Michael Moorcock 138
MARROW James Sallis 146
THE FLESH CIRCLE M. John Harrison 149
A PRAYER TO MEN Alex Krislov 165
LINES OF WHITE ON A SULLEN SEA
Maxim Jakubowski 173
THE SUNSET PERSPECTIVE Michael Moorcock 180
CHRONOLOGY 198

The contents list is included in full in John Davey's Reader's Guide at the back of The New Nature of the Catastrophe.

Now that you've pointed out its absence, I'm putting a scan of the cover of the original edition in the Image gallery.

[link expired]

It appears that 2 James Sallis stories were omitted from the New edition; Jeremiad and Marrow. It does contain several additional stories however.

And yes, for some reason, the comic strip was split into several pieces for The New NotC.

There are 8 copies on ABE at the moment, all priced fairly high.

I don't have a copy of the mass market p/b of The New NotC. Can anyone confirm whether it has an extra story?[/b]

[GuyLawley]

:lol: :lol:

While I was typing that post above, the number of copies on ABE went from 8 to 7.

I guessed correctly who the purchaser was!

[David Mosley]

Thanks for the scans, Guy. I've ordered (what is hopefully) a nice ex-library edition of NotC, VG with fine D/W for آ£25, which is about all I could justify spending on a copy at this time of year. :)

New NotC MM Edition Contents:

Introduction to this Edition - MM
Introduction to Original Edition - James Colvin
The Peking Junction - MM
The Delhi Division - MM
The Tank Trapeze - MM
The Ash Circus - MJH
The Firmament Theorem - Brian Aldiss
The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde - Norman Spinrad
The Dodgem Decision - MM
The Nash Circuit - MJH
Lines of White on a Sullen Sea - James Sallis
The Anxiety in the Eyes of the Cricket -
The End of the Cycle - LJ
The Nature of the Catastrophe - MM
The Sunset Perspective - MM
Sea Wolves - MM
Voortrekker - MM
The Flesh Circle - MJH
A Prayer to Men - Alex Krislov
Dead Singers - MM
The Swastika Set-Up - MM
The Longford Cup - MM
The Entropy Circuit - MM
Interlude: Miss Brunner and Jerry - Giles Gordon
The Repossession of Jerry Cornelius - John Clute
Niki Hoeky - Charles Partington
Everything Blowing Up - Hilary Bailey
The Entropy Tango (fragment) - lyrics MM; music Pete Pavli & MM
The Murderer's Song - MM
The Gangrene Collection - MM
The Roumanian Question - MM
Bruised Time - Simon Ings
Jerry and Miss Brunner at the Beginning - LJ
All the Way Round Again - MM <= This story isn't in the Trade paperback
Jerry Cornelius: A Reader's Guide - John Clute

[Doc]

Thanks for checking that, Guy!

For what it's worth, I found my copy on ebay, when a typo had me searching for "morcock." Since the seller didn't pay attention to spelling in their listing, no one else saw it. I think it went for about $20. A similar thing happened when I found my hardcover of Warlord of the Air, except that was on ABE.

Demos, now you can rest easy knowing that at least one person will enjoy their holiday gift from you. :lol:

And thanks for the scans, Guy. You've lessened my guilt about not (finally) wiring up my scanner. :oops: