Die #16 (May 12): As with the first issues of previous arcs, this issue is slow as Gillen establishes the framework for the story that he's going to tell.
The team leaves Angria on a ship, The Gothic, with Augustus standing on the shore and telling a gagged Ash that she'll be as dead as his father if she returns. They arrive on the creepy island that houses the dungeon that they need to descend. Explaining the creepiness, they discover that the island's inhabitants can't dream unless they sacrifice victims and read their viscera. (Sol noting that dice replaced viscera as a way to discern fate and fortunes).
Chuck provides the loveliest moment of the series so far, as he gets Delighted drunk so that he can leave him on the island with the ship. In so doing, he gives Delighted the chance to see the Dreaming Lands again, as he wished. (Delighted is profound here, noting that, after he speaks, he still leaves space for Dour to speak. He observes that we all become spaces in the end.)
In order to skip several levels of the Fallen-filled dungeon that extends below the sea, Chuck has the team use the submarine that Little England gifted them. Arriving on the ocean floor, they enter not Jules Verne, as Chuck originally thought, but Lovecraft, showing this descent is going to be a fucking doozy.
Dragon Age: Dark Fortress #3 (May 26): I have got to stop reading these "Dragon Age" mini-series.
This issue should be devastating: Ser Aaron sacrifices himself to separate Shirallas form the red-lyrium sword, thus allowing Fenris to kill him. DeFilippis and Weir even start the issue reminding us how devastating Shirallas' journey has been, his life seemingly just a long string of tragedies. But, something about these "Dragon Age" series means that it's hard to summon emotions for these characters, regardless of what they suffer.
For this issue, I think the main problem is the art, as it's difficult to follow the action at key moments. For example, Fenris has Vaea accompany him to open a gate, but it isn't clear what they accomplished in doing so. In another example, I had to re-read the issue to realize that Vaea substitutes for Tessa in dispatching Nenealeus.
But, the plot also has problems. The professor who created the sword tells the team that they can defeat Shirallas if they separate him from the sword. But, the professor ridiculously claims that he only wanted to see what the artifacts could do, not create a "monster" like Shirallas. I mean, this assertion doesn't make sense on the face of it. It wasn't like he stopped Nenealeus from infusing Shirallas with red lyrium. What exactly did he think was going to happen? DeFillipis and Weir also introduce (to my reckoning) some idol at the end of the issue that was apparently important the key to this entire enterprise but of which I have no memory. Solas also randomly appears at the end for reasons that I don't understand, but, by this point, I didn't care.
[Sigh.] I have got to stop reading these mini-series!
Also Read: Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge #1-#5 (April 24, May 22, June 26, July 31, and August 28, 2019); Star Wars: The High Republic #5 (May 12)
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