Napalm Lullaby #2: This issue is a lot better than the first one, so I'm happy to say I'm going to hang in here. That said, Remender spends most of this issue laying breadcrumbs for paths whose ends we won't find for a while.
We begin with Sam telling Sarah that, when they defeat the Magnificent Leader, they should seriously consider her using her powers to re-create the world in their image. (Sarah's powers are more clearly - if still vaguely - defined here as allowing her to dream things into reality.) Sarah repeats aphorisms that Sam ascribes to their father, like "Reject all moral authority" and "Fear all moral authority. Especially your own." Sam makes the point that a new world order will happen whether they like it or not once they take down the Leader so why not make it one they want?
They arrive at home, which is essentially a museum of high and low culture: Renaissance paintings and the Venus de Milo stand beside a C-3PO statue and Marilyn Monroe bust. Sam and Sarah continue arguing, with Sam saying that people are too stupid to make up their own minds. (Remender certainly wrote this series with the election in mind.)
Ordering Sam to make dinner, Sarah enters their father's study. He immediately asks if she found any relics, and she simply responds that dinner'll be ready soon. At the table, their father harps on Sarah about how she didn't find a relic, and, when Sam enters with dinner, he asks Sam if he found any relics. When Sam says he didn't, their father asks what they we were doing all day.
They confess that they got three haloports to undertake the pilgrimage to the Crystal Temple and inform him that they're taking him with them. Their father is outraged, but Sam says they know "she's" been in touch with him: they found letters from inside the dome pleading with him to bring Sam and Sarah to her. (I'm assuming it's their mother.)
But it's clearly not that simple. Their father is obviously hiding them from the Leader, noting that they're the only ones (meaning, clearly, people with powers) that "the Janitor hasn't cleaned up yet." He accuses Sarah of wanting to end the world, and Sarah shoots back that he's hiding in a mausoleum "preserving a dead world." Sam takes up the cause, accusing their father of hiding. He then uses his powers to set the room full of relics on fire, prompting a smack from their father. Sam tells their father that saving the relics won't bring back the past and dares him to help them fix the future.
Later, Sam and Sarah talk on the rooftop, and it's clear the plan is to get Sarah inside the Palace so she use her powers (which is why it ups the difficulty given they only have one sedative pen). Sam comments that they have to hope she doesn't have a nightmare this time, and Sarah says it won't be like when...something happened. (I'm guessing it's when they lost their mother.)
The next day, they depart, and their father is with them. They're all dressed in white robes, and he warns the kids to think only positive thoughts in the Citadel of the Devout, as it's swarming with the Sin Police who can read their intentions. In this conversation, we learn their father previously lived inside the Citadel and the religion believes that the real Jesus is "an alien named Glokor." (Hi, Scientology!)
At the gates, the guard scans Sam's face and haloport. He realizes the haloports are for level-five clerics, which Sam and Sarah are too young to be. Sam then uses his powers to convince them to let them into the Citadel. Upon entering, I'll note that the images of the Leader look not totally unlike their father...
Star Wars: Darth Vader #45: This issue isn't terrible, though Pryde's annoyingly persistent devotion to Vader makes it clear that he's going to die ignominiously in Vader's service at some point.
In this issue, Vader brings the Schism Imperial to Tython to raid the Martyrium of Frozen Tears, an enormous kyberite confessional the Jedi built. Vader orders the Schism to strip the kyberite and use it to shield a ship, which'll clearly play a role in his plot against the Emperor. But the interesting part is that Vader witnesses Luke's confession, where he wonders if he made a mistake not taking up Vader on his offer to rule the galaxy with him. That's interesting, and I'm here for us exploring that.
Unfortunately, most of this issue is Pryde expressing disbelief that the rest of the Schism doesn't love Vader the way he does and the rest of the Schism telling him he's an idiot. [Sigh.] It is what it is.
Transformers #7: "Transformers" is absolutely the best series on the stands right now.
On Cybertron, at an unspecified time, Elita-1 leads Huffer, Kup, and Warpath to a fortress where an unnamed Transformer is. However, they're suddenly ambushed. Kup questions Elita's plan to traverse a long expanse without cover while they're under active fire, but she brooks no dissent, as they have to make it to the fortress.
Kup orders Huffer to use his shield to cover them as they break for the fortress, but the shields eventually fail and, in a brutal scene where Corona really shines, Huffer gets blown to pieces. (I should note here that Corona taking over the art is seamless. I don't know how he mimicked Johnson's work so effectively, but I only realized it was a different artist when I looked at the credits page.) Kup and Warpath return fire, and Warpath is also blown to bits. Kup orders Elita to "Save him!" as a sniper blasts off the side of his face. Elita kicks her way into the fortress to find a disassembled Transformer there.
On Earth, the Pentagon directs the U.S.S. Henry Harrison to Washington as Soundwave challenges Starscream for the leadership in the Decepticon's base, which appears to be inside a volcano. Soundwave tells the assembled Decepticons that they should be conquerors, the "ones that enslave." Instead, "barely functioning Autobots and their weakling humans" keep winning. Rumble starts to say Megatron would make it right, and Starscream backhands him, telling him "Nobody wants to hear from the pipsqueaks." Soundwave tells him that he's wrong, that they've all sacrificed for the goal of exterminating the Autobots. But Starscream has failed as leader, and he has to surrender.
Starscream tries to stall, saying Soundwave is a traitor, but Thundercracker interrupts, saying that it's their way that he has to fight off the challenger. Panicked, Starscream tries to stall again but Soundwave brutally attacks him. Under onslaught, Starscream offers Soundwave a "co-leadership model," but Soundwave beats him to a pulp. He ejects Laserbeak who — as Starscream screams, "That's cheatin--" — pecks out Starscream's eye. Starscream offers to forgive Soundwave's betrayal but Soundwave grabs him and, saying, "You kicked my Ravage.", rips out his stomach and throws him into the lava.
This entire sequence is amazing. Again, Johnson has the Transformers exhibit emotions in a way I've never seen before. Thundercracker still seems emotional over Skywarp's death when he intervenes on Soundwave's behalf, and Soundwave's comment about Ravage is dripping with hatred. Plus, Corona's art is spectacular. He really conveys these emotions so well: you can see the hatred driving Soundwave's attacks. When we get to the battle's final panel, with Soundwave standing over the lava saying, "Good-bye, Starscream," it's an emotional release for all of us.
Holding the pieces he ripped from Starscream's stomach, Soundwave announces these pieces will heal Ravage. But he pledges not to heal just his own (an interesting turn of phrase regarding his relationship to the cassettes) but to rebuild together. Asking the Decepticons if they're with him, Thundercracker takes the lead in getting everyone to kneel and scream Soundwave's name. Again, the art is great, particularly with a pleased looking Laserbeak sitting on Soundwave's shoulder.
At the Ark, Arcee observes Carly training with a rifle. Carly delights when Arcee misjudges her gun's power and blows up Carly's targets. Arcee says that Optimus calls her the best shot he's ever seen but she wishes she wasn't so good at it. Carly says she should revel in it, that it'll help kill Starscream. But Arcee cautions Carly to watch that the fire she sees inside her doesn't consume her. It's clear Arcee is speaking from experience, but Carly dismisses her.
Arcee then tells Carly about her teacher, Ultra Magnus, who saved Arcee when her clan was killed during the Siege of Cybertron. She was young, and he taught her everything she knows. Alluding to events we haven't yet seen, Arcee says she wanted justice for her people, and Ultra Magnus died because of her "path of hate." She warns Carly that it takes more than it heals, and Carly simply fires the rifle again and says, "Cool story." (I'm guessing the robot Elita saves in the fortress is Ultra Magnus.)
In the Ark, Cliffjumper laments how furious Carly is at him for not killing Starscream, and Jazz tells him that Optimus is having the same problem. We move to the hospital, where Spike is sitting in a wheelchair with Optimus, who asks him to talk to him. Spike tells Optimus that it isn't his fault, he just needs time. As they drive to the Ark, Ratchet reminds Optimus that it was Sparky's choice, and Optimus laments Spike losing his family so young as he suddenly has a memory of holding Spike as a baby.
At the Ark, Wheeljack tells Arcee, Cliffjumper, and Jazz that he accidentally revived part of Skywarp's neural cortex. As such, Skywarp is locking out Wheeljack from the systems, so it's slowing down the repairs. Wheeljack says that it's only part of Skywarp - "they fried him pretty good" - and Skywarp responds, "Eat. My. Vapor. Auto. Bast--.", and Wheeljack disconnects him.
Optimus and Ratchet arrive, and Optimus tells Wheeljack they need to find the Decepticons. Wheeljack says they need someone to get them a "bird's-eye view," and Optimus says he has a plan, looking on the disassembled Autobots.
Again, this issue was just a joy from start to finish. If you aren't reading this series, I feel sorry for you!
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