The Pendulum
The Pendulum is a 12-issue miniseries of comic books based upon the Dark Carnival universe, a mythology detailed in the music of the Insane Clown Posse. Distributed by Chaos! Comics, the series was published from January 2000 until December 2001. A graphic novel containing all 12 issues was released on August 20, 2002 along with an album featuring most of the Pendulum singles. It is the group's 5th compilation album, and their 17th overall release. Prologue and Spin-Off Comics, #1 The Upz & Downz of the Wicked Clownz (1999). #2 The Amazing Jeckel Brothers (1999). #3 Raze the Desertz of Glass (1999). Hallowicked (2001). Halls of Illusion (2002).
| The Pendulum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Compilation album by | ||||
| Released | August 20, 2002 | |||
| Genre | Midwest hip hop, indie hip hop | |||
| Length | 60:08 | |||
| Label | Psychopathic Records | |||
| Insane Clown Posse chronology | ||||
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| Psychopathic Rydas chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| RS Album Guide |   |
| The Pendulum | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Chaos! Comics |
| Format | Limited series |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | January 2000 – December 2001 |
| No. of issues | 12 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Jumpsteady |
Creation
In 1999, Chaos! Comics signed on to publish a 12-part comic book series about Insane Clown Posse.[2] After choosing Jumpsteady as the writer for the series, the group decided to release new singles with each issue.[2] However, due to other responsibilities, the duo was unable to record new material for several issues.[2] Each 32-page issue of the comic was polybagged with a CD single in a cardboard sleeve; the reverse of all 12 sleeves could be combined to form a poster.
The first issue was released with a variant cover featuring art from The Amazing Jeckel Brothers, advertised as 1 in every 4 issues. On August 20, 2002, a graphic novel of all 12 issues entitled "The Pendulum Tome" was released.[2] A prologue, special Halloween comic issue, and full-length album was released with the novel.[2] The album featured all of the singles released with the comic book issues, with the exception of the three singles from The Pendulum #7 which was replaced with a spoken word intro.[2]
Plot summary
The miniseries details Insane Clown Posse's attempts to stop a demon named Killnor from destroying a priest named Father Jesus, who possesses miraculous healing powers.[2] Killnor summons the undead duo Twiztid, a crazed police SWAT team, and a host of demonic minions to stop the clowns. Insane Clown Posse call upon the assistance of the Joker's Cards to overcome the minions. An all-out showdown takes place at the demon's earthly headquarters with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance of the Pendulum.
Music and lyrics
Several songs were also featured on several other albums. The songs "The Amazing Maze" and "$50 Bucks" appeared on the 2000 compilation album Psychopathics from Outer Space. Run, Superstar, Confessions, and Nuttin' But A Bitch Thang were later featured on Forgotten Freshness Volume 3. The song "Toxic Love" was also the 2000 Hallowicked single. An alternate, cleaner version of "The Great Show" was used as the entrance music for the professional wrestling stable Oddities in the World Wrestling Federation.[2][3] The song was featured on the album WWF The Music, Vol. 3.
The song "I Don't Care" was originally slated for Dark Lotus' debut album Tales from the Lotus Pod, but instead appeared on Twiztid's Cryptic Collection Vol. 2.[2] The song was later used in Juggalo Championship Wrestling's highlights video on JCW, Volume 2.[2] The song "Ain't Nuttin' But a Bitch Thang," originally released on Insane Clown Posse's website, is a dis track directed toward rapper Eminem.[2] The songs "What Rydas Do Fo Money," "Who Wanna Flex?," "I Don't Wanna Die" were originally intended for solo albums by each member of the group Psychopathic Rydas, but the idea was scrapped.[2] Those 3 songs were the only songs on The Pendulum #7 "The Rydas EP" cd.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Issue | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Amazing Maze" (featuring Jamie Madrox) | #1 January 2000 | |
| 2. | "I Don't Care" (featuring Twiztid) | #2 Night Walkers April 2000 | |
| 3. | "$50 Bucks" | #3 No Rest for the Wicked Clowns June 2000 | |
| 4. | "The Great Show" | #4 Killers in the Mist August 2000 | |
| 5. | "Toxic Love" | #5 Road Rage October 2000 | |
| 6. | "Ain't Nuttin' But a Bitch Thang" | #6 Blades of Silk December 2000 | |
| 7. | "What Rydas Do Fo Money" (featuring Full Clip) | #7 Pendulum's Promise | |
| 8. | "Who Wanna Flex?" (featuring Bullet) | #7 Pendulum's Promise | |
| 9. | "I Don't Wanna Die" (featuring Bullet) | #7 Pendulum's Promise February 2001 | |
| 10. | "Confessions" | #8 Shards of the Looking Glass April 2001 | |
| 11. | "Superstar" | #9 A Glimpse of Crystal Death June 2001 | |
| 12. | "R.U. Wicked" | #10 Dark Carnival's Passage August 2001 | |
| 13. | "Run" | #11 Dia De Los Muertes October 2001 | |
| 14. | "Skantaclaws" (featuring ABK) | #12 Into the Netherworld December 2001 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 0:30 |
| 2. | "I Don't Care" (featuring Twiztid) | 3:45 |
| 3. | "The Great Show" | 4:37 |
| 4. | "Toxic Love" | 4:17 |
| 5. | "R.U. Wicked" | 3:57 |
| 6. | "Ain't Nuttin' But a Bitch Thang" | 4:24 |
| 7. | "$50 Bucks" | 4:05 |
| 8. | "Skantaclaws" (featuring ABK) | 3:40 |
| 9. | "The Amazing Maze" (featuring Jamie Madrox) | 4:41 |
| 10. | "Confessions" | 3:57 |
| 11. | "Superstar" | 4:49 |
| 12. | "Run" | 3:09 |
References
- Brackett, Nathan, ed. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. pp. 405–6. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- Bruce, Joseph; Hobey Echlin (August 2003). "Complete Discography". In Nathan Fostey (ed.). ICP: Behind the Paint (2nd ed.). Royal Oak, Michigan: Psychopathic Records. pp. 565–592. ISBN 0-9741846-0-8.
- Bruce 2003. p. 398–413.