Text - Rhodes University

By taking the words at face value, and providing a modem context for an historical
reality, Botes mocks those who exalt its origin and existence without paying attention to
its contents.
This kind of satire is a form of revenge on Afrikaans culture, an examination and a
reclamation, because although Bitterkomix mocks Afrikaners relentlessly, the artists also
attach value to certain aspects of their culture.
Proverbs of Hell is an extract from William Blake's The Marriage of Heaven and Hell
illustrated and interpreted by Dog.
Max Plant, who is already known and recognisable to readers because he appears
elsewhere in the comic, is featured as a kind of narrator. The proverbs are seen as his
thoughts, the story as an exploration of his psyche [fig 33]. He functions as a stand-in for
the artist, like a pseudonym; Max Plant illustrating Dog.
Figure 33 Dog Proverbs of Hell pI (reduced)
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