The
thing is? It makes total sense. You knew it had to be weird, but David
doesn’t confuse that with meaning that it had to be complicated. Mephisto sent Shatterstar into the past of
the Mojoverse where Arize used the fact that he was the only thing in the
Mojoverse that Mojo didn’t create to clone him, giving the rebels an advantage. Thus, he created Longshot. Then, later, Longshot
married Dazzler and they conceived Shatterstar. The (creepy) circle is complete!
In order to keep this timeline in order, Shatterstar is forced to re-write their memories and send his newborn self into the future where he was actually raised. In all honesty, it’s only this part that’s a little iffy, to me, since it doesn’t really address why Shatterstar would’ve been sent to the future in the first place (though does explain why Dazzler and Longshot don’t remember him). Before Shatterstar found a pregnant Dazzler, who actually sent his newborn self into the future? David doesn’t directly address that (and maybe if I knew more about Shatterstar's past I would know). However, he now doesn’t really have to address it, since the time loop that Mephisto has now created makes it irrelevant. The answer is that Shatterstar sent himself into the future, regardless of who may’ve done so in the original timeline. It's a bit of a dodge, but it still works.
Although it doesn’t address the “Benjamin Russell” problem, this issue does provide a totally internally consistent explanation of Longshot and Shatterstar’s origins, something that I really never really thought that we’d get and something that only Peter David could provide. The story unfurls itself beautifully, with the initial confusion over why Longshot doesn’t remember Rictor getting clarified with the unexpected arrival of a “newly employed” Spiral. At some point, I hope some author takes up Rictor and Shatterstar, particularly to address whether Shatterstar, now freed from secrecy by having his past meet his present, tells Dazzler and Longshot that he’s their son.
But, it’s a story for another day. In the meantime, I’m going to appreciate possibly the best time-travel story that I’ve ever read. David really never gets lost in the time-travel shenanigans and maintains the implications of the time loop throughout the story. It makes it all the harder to accept the fact that this series is coming to an end.
(On a totally random side note, I realized suddenly that I wonder if David is going to going to reveal the plot that the Isolationist and Jezebel were hatching. Three issues left!)
In order to keep this timeline in order, Shatterstar is forced to re-write their memories and send his newborn self into the future where he was actually raised. In all honesty, it’s only this part that’s a little iffy, to me, since it doesn’t really address why Shatterstar would’ve been sent to the future in the first place (though does explain why Dazzler and Longshot don’t remember him). Before Shatterstar found a pregnant Dazzler, who actually sent his newborn self into the future? David doesn’t directly address that (and maybe if I knew more about Shatterstar's past I would know). However, he now doesn’t really have to address it, since the time loop that Mephisto has now created makes it irrelevant. The answer is that Shatterstar sent himself into the future, regardless of who may’ve done so in the original timeline. It's a bit of a dodge, but it still works.
Although it doesn’t address the “Benjamin Russell” problem, this issue does provide a totally internally consistent explanation of Longshot and Shatterstar’s origins, something that I really never really thought that we’d get and something that only Peter David could provide. The story unfurls itself beautifully, with the initial confusion over why Longshot doesn’t remember Rictor getting clarified with the unexpected arrival of a “newly employed” Spiral. At some point, I hope some author takes up Rictor and Shatterstar, particularly to address whether Shatterstar, now freed from secrecy by having his past meet his present, tells Dazzler and Longshot that he’s their son.
But, it’s a story for another day. In the meantime, I’m going to appreciate possibly the best time-travel story that I’ve ever read. David really never gets lost in the time-travel shenanigans and maintains the implications of the time loop throughout the story. It makes it all the harder to accept the fact that this series is coming to an end.
(On a totally random side note, I realized suddenly that I wonder if David is going to going to reveal the plot that the Isolationist and Jezebel were hatching. Three issues left!)
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