Die #17 (June 9): I found this issue difficult to read, and I had to read it several times (and read the Lovecraft Wikipedia entry) to sort of understand it. In last issue's essay, Gillen promised this last arc would focus on the characters, but they fade away almost entirely here in favor of Gillen's musings on Lovecraft.
Just like Brontë and Wells, Lovecraft remembers the moments before he came to Die. On Earth, Lovecraft dreamed of cults devoted to his work, and Hans shows us modern role-playing gamers. Conversely, on Die, he dreamed of his Earth self writing about the gamers' experiences. As Chuck says, the "Call of Cthulhu" manuals are the "evil tomes that sent the world mad." Lovecraft's description fits the "time-pretzel stuff" (as Angela calls it), as Lovecraft's work is essentially the transcription of his dreams of gamers playing said work. It's clever, but I can't say that it's particularly interesting. Gillen also informs us that Die is an amoral god waiting at the end of time who found its way into our world through gamers.
This issue's only interesting reveal to me is the nature of the Fallen. Die stores, and feeds upon, each world that gamers create: the Fallen are the characters that die in these worlds. Lovecraft says that the multitude of Fallen on Die (not to mention the Fallen's existing in Die before the team arrived) shows that the team fails in its quest. Matt dismisses his attempt to disillusion them, remarking that he didn't have much hope in the first place. Proving the gods' uncanny timing, the Dreamer calls in Izzy's debt and has her kills Lovecraft, unleashing the realm's horrors. Angela uses her remaining gold to teleport them to safety.
Chuck is outraged at Izzy's casualness given that she was the one who demanded that they treat everything in Die as real. She defends herself by saying that they know that Lovecraft was just an echo, and Chuck calls bullshit: "When we exist, we exist." His seriousness robs him of his luck and gives Sol an opening to attack him. Ash saves Chuck just as many-tentacled creatures attack them. Sol has struggled with remembering this realm throughout this journey, and but he's able to open a door - seemingly due to his connection to Ash - to safety.
As I said, it's clever. But, this issue reads more like on of Gillen's essays - a rumination on the nature of RPGs - than it does a comic. With only three issues left, I hope that Gillen really focuses on the characters in the remaining issues. They've endured so much here, and I'd like some idea about how they feel that their experiences are going to affect them in the "real world" if they manage to save it.
Undiscovered Country #13 (June 23): This issue is surprisingly direct.
The team enters Prosperity, the Zone dedicated to America's soft power. Sam informs the team that they need to create an American masterpiece to leave the Zone and asks which genre-specific island (e.g., film, music, poetry) the team wants to visit first. Sam informs them that the eventual masterpiece will "revive" the Zone and its goal to renew the American dream, something that it's apparently lost in the 300 years that have passed here since the Sealing. The team wisely appoints Ace as the ship's captain, but, before they can set sail, a group of black-and-white characters - 1930s gangsters and femme fatales - attack the ship. Sam refers to them as "forgotten creations and abandoned icons" who stalk the seas. The team manages to escape, but a femme fatale takes Valentina overboard. She awakens later on an island, and her childhood heroes - a gaunt-looking Captain Flag and the Last Line - greet her.
In terms of the characters, Valentina takes center stage here, as we see her confused childhood self fleeing a coming attack with her wealthy family. (It's where we're introduced to her obsession with Captain Flag.) Before they can board their helicopter, a mob pushes the limousine off the dock, echoing Valentina's predicament in this issue. We also see Daniel comforting Lottie, telling her that she shouldn't feel guilty since they did nothing to set into motion what their parents and/or Aurora did. She agrees, committing to finding Aurora to cure everything.
In other words, it's a nice reset and I'm interested to see where we go in this arc. It really allows for the possibility of serious zaniness.
Star Wars: The High Republic #6 (June 30): This issue was fine, but I'm done with his series. Star Wars is an incredibly rich environment right now, and I don't have the same connection to these characters as I do ones in other series. Onwards and upwards!
Also Read: The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #1 (June 9)
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