Tony Keen
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tonykeen58.bsky.social
Tony Keen
@tonykeen58.bsky.social
1.4K followers 920 following 1.7K posts
Teacher/academic/classicist/critic/reviewer/sf fan. Writes on classical reception & popular culture, comics, & Doctor Who. Available for talks. UK. He/him. Professor!
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tonykeen58.bsky.social
Trumpcare.
A gravestone.
November 11, 2025 at 9:08 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
This label in the local museum made me think of you and @lizbethmyles.bsky.social.
A museum case label that says: "All items in this case (apart from one or two props) belonged to Peter Cushing in his lifetime."
August 30, 2025 at 5:18 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Indeed. You didn't need clue no. 2.
A grinning balding bespectacled man in front of a pub with a cinema-style frontage, called "The Peter Cushing". Sadly, it's also a Wetherspoons.
August 30, 2025 at 5:10 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
@paulcornell.bsky.social Can you guess where I am? (Or rather was - on way back now.)
A windswept grimacing balding man in glasses, in front of a neat looking house.
August 30, 2025 at 5:02 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Bit of bedtime reading where I'm staying. @navalairhistory.com
Cover of Osprey Combat Aircraft 157: Swordfish Units of World War 2, by Matthew Willis showing a Swordfish flying past a Royal Navy destroyer towards a burning port (Narvik).
August 19, 2025 at 7:19 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
There are many for whom this is very distinctly in "Don't threaten me with a good time" territory.
A tweet from Drew Pavlou (@DrewPavlou), whose name is followed by a series of national flags and a blue tick, so you know he's one of the worst people on earth: "These are the camps that Zohran's wife is going to run in NYC now. A fucked up fate that I would not wish on my worst enemy." This is accompanied by an image of a quarry, with lines of naked men working away, watched over by tall women in fetish gear of black basques, miniskirts, long gloves and thigh-high boots, wielding whips, and captioned "This is the future liberals want." What a silly man.
June 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Same playbook every time.
"The New York Times reports that President Trump 'has also directed that subjects be depicted in a "realistic" manner, with no modernist or abstract designs allowed.'"
April 26, 2025 at 9:10 AM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
The Mandalorian looking moody in his helmet.
April 25, 2025 at 8:34 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Being trans is not a lifestyle choice, any more than being gay is. Being a vile hateful person is a lifestyle choice.
Maya Forstater @MForstater - 20h There are often unisex options. Not being allowed into the men's by rule does not mean you have the right to go into the ladies (and vice versa). That may seem unfair, but there are life choices people make. If you make extreme efforts to look like a man don't be surprised if you are denied entrance to ladies.
April 19, 2025 at 11:18 AM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
"We're going to roll back trans rights in the UK, but we'd like everyone to pretend we haven't." Yeah, fat chance of that.
"10.08 The Supreme Court ruling 'The unanimous decision of this court is that the terms woman and sex in the Equality Act 2010 refer to a biological woman and biological sex.' Lord Hodge, Supreme Court 'But we counsel against reading this judgement as a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another, it is not.'"
April 16, 2025 at 9:18 AM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
What's interesting to me about this nonsense is that Trump is going after McConnell, the man to whom, through McConnell's dishonest manipulation of Supreme Court appointments, Trump most owes his position. So basically no-one can trust Trump.
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump: "Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Main, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Rand Paul, also of Kentucky, will hopefully get on the Republican bandwagon, for a change, and fight the Democrats wild and flagrant push to not penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amount of Fentanyl, by Tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy. They are playing with the lives of the American people, and right into the hands of the Radical Left" I mean, really, it's gibberish, and transcribing it makes me sick.
April 2, 2025 at 8:17 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
James II is now out of his box, though still behind a fence.
The front of the National Gallery, with the statue of James II no longer in a box.
April 2, 2025 at 9:49 AM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
New arrivals at the ND London Library. @classicaljg.bsky.social @workingclassicists.bsky.social @romanscotland.bsky.social
Covers of Creepy Classics, A Periodic Table of Greek Mythology, and Beyond the Empire.
March 26, 2025 at 9:13 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Post your favourite Doctor Who (wrong answers only).
Anthony Hopkins as Van Helsing in Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula, in a frock coat and cloak, holding the severed heads of Dracula's wives. Tell me he's not auditioning for RTD.
March 18, 2025 at 9:20 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
The Starforce collection, however, is a bit pointless. theslingsandarrows.com/captain-marv...
Cover of Captain Marvel: Starforce. Star Force (or Starforce), who are Dr Minerva (a blue-skinned woman in a Captain Marvel suit), Shatterax (who? Silver roboty dude), Supremor (fat, green, and with tentacles growing out of his head), Captain Atlas (blue skin in a Kree uniform), Ultimus (long-haired and angry) and Korath the Pursuer (in a terrible red outfit), all making towards the reader. The background is the current Captain Marvel symbol. Text: "Captain Marvel: Starforce"
February 26, 2025 at 8:39 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
I've had a couple of Carol Danvers reviews published on The Slings and Arrows Graphic Novel Guide. There are things I like about the first Ms. Marvel volume. theslingsandarrows.com/marvel-maste...
Cover of "Marvel Masterworks: Ms Marvel, Volume 1. Ms Marvel Nos. 1-14. Chris Claremont & Jim Mooney with Gerry Conway, John Buscema & Sal Buscema." Inside this text is the original cover for Ms. Marvel 1, showing Ms. Marvel breaking through a wall, surrounded by Ms. Marvel fighting the Scorpion, Carol Danvers in her office, the heads of Mary Jane Watson, Peter Parker and J. Jonah Jameson, and Ms. Marvel defending herself against a blast with a door. Inset: Ms. Marvel's head. Text: "Ms Marvel" "Marvel Comics Group" "Approved by the Comics Code Authority" "This female fights back!" "Fabulous First Issue!" "All-out Action!" "At Last! A bold new heroine in the senses-stunning tradition of Spider-Man!" "Featuring the most mysterious woman warrior since Madame Medusa! And if you think our leading lady is something, wait'll you see her star-studded supporting cast!"
February 26, 2025 at 8:37 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
My review of the first volume of Questionable Content has gone up on The Slings and Arrows Graphic Novel Guide. Sadly, it'll be a long while before I do any more.
theslingsandarrows.com/questionable...
Cover of Questionable Content Vol. 1 by Jeph Jacques, showing a geeky young man (Marten), an attractive short-haired girl in glasses (Faye), and a grinning anthropomorphic robot (Pintsize).
February 11, 2025 at 10:46 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
In just under a fortnight, I'm doing a talk for the OU Students Association on Gladiators. You need to be an OU student to attend, but I believe a recording will subsequently be made available. www.oustudents.com/welcome-week...
Poster: "Gladiators with Dr Tony Keen, 30 Jan, 7pm - 8pm, Hosts: Arts & Humanities Society", plus picture of the Colosseum.
January 18, 2025 at 9:45 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Could definitely be worse.
The Durham Christmas University Challenge team - Liz James, Tracey McLeod, Carla Denyer (Captain), and Sophia Smith Galer. Mighty.
January 5, 2025 at 11:17 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Even better when you see the whole thing.
Cover of Marvel and DC Present The Uncanny X-Men and the new Teen Titans, signed by Walt Simonson and Terry Austin, showing Darkseid, Dark Phoenix, Professor X in Metron's chair, Cyclops, Robin, Starfire, Storm, Wonder Girl, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Cyborg, Raven, Changeling (as he still was then), Kitty Pryde, Kid Flash, and Wolverine. Phew! And the comic inside lived up to the cover.
December 16, 2024 at 8:35 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Age yourself with a movie you saw in the cinema as a kid.
A speedboat leaps over a couple of cars, driven by a stuntman who looks nothing like Roger Moore, as a redneck sheriff points his gun at it. From Live and Let Die, perhaps the best of the Roger Moore Bonds, but nevertheless, horrifically racist.
December 12, 2024 at 11:51 AM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Just to find out more about her, I looked at the Wikipedia article, and found this 1810 portrait of her in a 'riding habit', which to my untrained eye looks a lot like a modified hussar jacket.
A queen in a dark coat with gold brockade at the Friday n, and a dark hat. Fields and trees and plans are behind her, under a dark sky.
November 28, 2024 at 4:13 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
Post a movie gif from the year you were born:
Mary Poppins putting her coat on and saying: "Cheeky."
November 24, 2024 at 4:22 PM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
#ClassicsTober24 Day 31: Sejanus. A still from an unseen holodeck episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Patrick Stewart and his wig, dressed up in Roman military clothing.
October 31, 2024 at 11:11 AM
tonykeen58.bsky.social
#ClassicsTober24 Day 30: Flavius Cerialis. Just one of many commanders of Vindolanda fort, but by chance, much of the correspondence from his time in charge has survived, showing a life spent mainly hunting and replying to requests for leave. One wonders if he got the promotion he so craved.
A Roman fort (Vindolanda) from the air, showing excavated areas within and outside the fort, and reconstructed buildings at the bottom of the picture.
October 30, 2024 at 10:19 AM