Over Year-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf January 6, 13, and 27 (2021) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Star Wars #10 (January 6):  This arc is definitely channeling "Empire Strikes Back" in that things go badly and get worse for the Rebels.  

Threepio manages to reactivate the obsolete protocol droid, or Talky, but Lobot has to intervene to make him function.  Fearing the Rebellion will just throw him on the scrapheap when they get the Trawak codex, Talky negotiates a deal with Landy to provide the translations, though Lobot will need to continue working around Talky's processing-unit corruption.  

Leia sends off Starlight Squadron, under Shara Bey's leadership, to the most likely rendezvous points for the other Rebel Fleet cells.  Off Felucia, Starlight finds the Sixth Fleet's remains.  They also find waiting for them Imperial probe droids, which attach themselves to the fighters' Astromechs to try to crack the new Rebel codes.  Bey has everyone eject their Astromechs and initiate their self-destruct sequences, which solves the immediate problem but leaves Starlight Squadron with no path home (since the Astromechs contained all the navigational data).

Meanwhile, Talky can apparently heal the "stutter" in Lobot's interface between his organic and "calcutronic" elements but keeps this information to himself.   With Starlight offline, Leia orders Talky to generate more codes, though Lando balks when Talky informs them the strain of Lobot continuing to operate Talky will likely kill him.  Given his wife is missing, Kes pulls a gun on Lando, demanding that he lets Talky do his job so Leia can transmit the emergency protocols.

If the first iteration of this series was full of camaraderie, this iteration is notable for how little everyone likes one another.  With Han frozen in carbonite and Luke disappearing on missions, Leia is left to navigate a lot of competing egos and interests.  I'm really enjoying it more than I should, which is a testament to the sort of excellent characterization that Soule often delivers.

Star Wars:  The High Republic #1 (January 6):  Scott has a high bar to clear here as he essentially has to sell us on the entire concept of the High Republic line.  I'll be honest  that I'm not sure he sticks that particular landing.  This issue isn't bad, per se, but it runs along particularly well trod paths:  the Padawan sure that she's going to fail her test, the "test" isn't really a test because the event that interrupts the "test" is actually the test, the annoying yet vaguely cute alien.  I'll hang in there for the initial few arcs because it's a Star Wars story, but at some point Scott has to offer something more compelling than what we saw here.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #9 (January 13):  I was not a fan of "The Rise of Skywalker."  Actually, to be more specific, I was a fan of "The Last Jedi" and "The Rise of Skywalker," but I wasn't a fan of us having to pretend they were somehow in the same continuity.  "The Last Jedi" exists now as almost a "What If...?" interlude interrupting the duology of "The Force Awakens" and "The Rise of Skywalker."  All that said, I'm definitely on board with Pak exploring the Emperor's construction of a secret armada on Exolgol and making it (hopefully) make more sense than it did in the movies.  I also hope Ochi manages to survive Vader, because, other than Aphra, he's probably the best new character the rebooted Marvel Star Wars continuity has produced.

The Last God #12 (January 27):  I read this issue right after issue #11, as I couldn't wait to see what happens.  I'm glad I did.  The first 11 pages really finish issue #12 with the last seven pages serving as a coda to the series.

With Skol and Valko seemingly dead, Cyanthe, Haakon, Kolba, and Shadow stand alone facing a Mol Uhtlep-possessed Eyvindr.   The Last God takes a minute to gloat, declaring his intent to descend the Black Stair at long last and send Cain Anuun into the Void.

Kolba begs a dying Skol to rise, but she tells him that they have all the help that they need in him, Mol Choresh, the God of Riddles.  Dun-dun-DUN!  Skol asks if he's always been Kolba, and he says that he hasn't.  His brothers and sisters all inhabited one body and thus died.  But, he has passed among living creatures for eons to see the world.  When he learned Mol Uhltep's avatars were born, he tried to steer everyone to the Black Stair.  Federici then shows us that Mol Choresh had inhabited several characters who moved along the story (e.g., from the first issue, the woman selling the dead puppies and Eyvindr's friend who led him into the battle against the Mol Uhltep-possed King Tyr).  He acknowledges that he may now have to do a little more to save Ang Luthia's creation.

At this point, everything starts to move very quickly Haakon tells Mol Uhltep that he'll not have Eyvindr or the rest of them and uses his power to separate the Last God from Eyvindr.  Mol Uhltep then destroys Haakon, and Federici makes it devastating:  we and Eyvindr watch in horror his skeleton and hammers simply fall to the ground.  Mol Choresh then gives himself to Skol as the Fells Pyre was extinguished when Valko stabbed her.  (I don't remember why that happened exactly, to be honest.)

The fellowship is now bringing the fight to Mol Uhltep.  Eyvindr, now Fey-infused, is at his best here, asking Mol Uhltep what color a god bleeds.  An awakened Skol chides Mol Uhltep, telling him that it was unwise to bring them to the Fellspyre since they now have a living god with them.  With Mol Uhltep on the ropes, Skol tells Cyanthe that she should be the one to kill him:  she infuses Cyanthe's arrow with Mol Choresh's energy and a determined-looking Cyanthe lets loose her arrow.  Mol Uhltep appears to return to the Void.  Valko survives for a last jab at Eyvindr, who thanks him for saving his life countless times.  Eyvindr and Cyanthe take dying Valko's hand, and Cyanthe tells him that he did what a Ferryman king failed to do.

In the past, we see a laughing fellowship together, and Cyanthe asks Haakon to sing a song.  It's a beautiful song, made all the more poignant as Kennedy Johnson reveals that they're approaching the House of Ruarc, where their fellowship shatters.  The song - about three mysterious adventurers giving gifts to a poor hunter who shares his meal - overlays the series' coda.  In the present, Eyvindr, now the Fey's guardian, brings Valko's corpse to his people.  Cyanthe and Shadow return home, and, in the back material, we learn that Cyanthe becomes Tyrgolad's undisputed ruler, even after she frees the slaves and bans Freyth's worship.  Skol, now the Goddess of Riddles we learn in the back material, returns to the Pinnacle and runs the Guild Eldritch seemingly without human sacrifice.  The issue ends unexpectedly peacefully, as Evindyr sits on a quiet bank and watches a second Fey being born.

I mentioned in my review of last issue that I hoped - but doubted - that some characters enjoyed a happy ending, and I'm surprised Cyanthe and Eyvindr do.  Haakon and Valko do in their own way, relieved of the burden and doubts that they carried for so long.  But, Cyanthe is redeemed in a way that she deserved, after the horrors she endured with the original fellowship.  It also isn't hard to imagine the joy that Eyvindr feels sitting on a riverbank watching Fey frolick after a lifetime in the slave cradles.

In his letter at the end of the issue, Kennedy Johnson answers what I long wondered:  what next?  I had thought the "Book 1" tag on the front of this series meant that we'd likely not destroy Mol Uhltep in the end.  But, Kennedy Johnson acknowledges that the simple world that he intended to create had more became a world he unearthed, which definitely is how it felt.  He hints at all the potential stories of all different types that Cain Anuun has left to tell:  the stories the Sholtuan pirates tell of the Un-Men, the demigods, demons, and elementals like Norduuk that exist.  He even acknowledges that he might not be the one to tell them, implying that the Book 1 of the "Fellspyre Chronicles" is really Book 1 of this amazing world called Cain Anuun.  

Reading this series felt like being part of the group that initially played Dungeons & Dragons with Gary Gygax without necessarily realizing what it would become.  I can't wait to see where Kennedy Johnson and all the other artists and authors go with Cain Anuun.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  At the Spine of the World #3 (January 6); Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #9 (January 27)

Over Year-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf December 9, 16, and 23 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Star Wars #9 (December 9):  This issue is fun.  I mean, sure, a Red Shirt sacrifices himself so the Rebellion can survive, yadda yadda yadda.  But, it's mostly just fun.  Soule uses a MacGuffin in the form of an old protocol droid that speaks a long-dead language as a way to pull some folks off the bench - including Poe Dameron's father Kes - and send them on a heist mission.  Lando and Lobot are also conscripted to help, and Soule uses their participation as a reminder that no one - and I mean, no one - trusts Lando.  In the end, the team gets the droid, but its processors are corrupted, frustrating Threepio's plan to use them as the basis of the new Rebel code.  Poor Threepio.  His one shining moment...

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #8 (December 16):  This issue is fascinating.  We learn the creature that we saw at the end of last issue is called the Eye of Webbish Bogg.  It's a creature of the Force, though I'm not sure if it's specifically of the Dark Side or just generally of the Force.  At any rate, as it sends attackers at Vader, it peppers him with questions about how he's been a pawn in many, many people's games.  I hadn't really thought of Vader in that way, though the flashbacks that he has to Obi-Wan, the Emperor, and Luke really underline how little control he's had over his narrative lately (if ever).  As the Eye says, "Or has your choice been chosen for you?  Or have you been chosen?  If you could choose, would you be chosen?  If you've been chosen who cares what you choose?

The Last God #11 (December 23):  And here I thought they might win.  I mean, Kennedy Johnson made it pretty clear that this story wasn't going to have a happy ending for everyone.  But, I thought maybe one of the kids might survive the encounter with Mol Uhltep.

Cyanthe and Eyvindr have a lovely moment, as Eyvindr admits that, as a slave-cradle child, he dreamt that Cyanthe and Tyr would come claim them as their son one day.  Cyanthe admits that she knew that he was Tyr's son, from the way that he wielded his axe alone.  She apologizes to him, saying that it would've been better if he had never heard their names.

This conversation is occurring as Haakon brings the fellowship (or, at least, what remains of it) to the Well of Endings, a place where the Author of All Things casts out the creations that he found displeasing.  He could never remake them again, and history would forget them as if they never existed.  Haakon plans to push them into the well, noting they exist at this point only to fulfill Mol Uhltep's prophecy.  Kolba is appalled, and Cyanthe orders him to stop.  Haakon admits that he takes no joy in killing them and tells Cyanthe that it's her fault.

Then, Mol Uhltep reveals himself by taking over Cyanthe, attacking Haakon for presuming again to try to kill him.  But, Shyf shines brightly, using her magic to dispel Mol Uhltep.  Cyanthe is amazed that Shyf rid her of Mol Uhltep's influence.  Answering a question that I had several issues ago, Shyf reveals that she's a vessel for Ang Luthia's, the Author of All Things', power.  He's the only one to defeat Mol Uhltep, and Skol reveals that it's how they'll defeat him again.  Cyanthe is annoyed Skol is going to save them again, and Haakon begs for forgiveness for almost killing her.

Haakon joins the fellowship, and they make their way to the Black Stair.  Eyvindr and Valko also share a lovely moment, and I should've known their fates just from that.  Upon approaching the Stair, Skol, Tyr, and Veikko await them.  They're willing to let everyone but Haakon pass until Skol sees Kolba and demands that they all die.  Before the battle, Haakon had used Fey magic to give Eyvindr a magic arm as well as one of his hammers.  He implores Eyvindr to be more than his father, to which he responds "Yes," as he leaps into the fray.  Cyanthe asks Kolba how the creatures knew him, and he doesn't know.  Veikko admits to Valko that she always saw the Black Crown above him and purposely held back his advancement in the Ferrymen's ranks so he'd never come to the Stair.  Valko cuts off her head, and she warns him that his use of Ruarc's blade to save Eyvindr spread Ruarc's corruption to him, just as it did her when she saved Eyvindr on the bridge.  Meanwhile, Cyanthe and Shadow make short work of Tyr as Kolba and Shyf take out Skol.

As they advance up the Stair, Haakon tells Eyvindr that he was also a slave of the Penaunqua tribe, to whom his great love belonged.  Haakon promises to speak more of it when they're done, and they reach the Fells Pyre.  As Mol Uhltep arrives, Skol thanks everyone for getting her there and begins to explode to destroy him.  But, Valko is suddenly corrupted and runs through Skol with his sword.  Cyanthe kills Valko to stop him, but she's too late as Skol is dead.  Suddenly, Eyvindr's missing arm grows thorns, and he becomes the Last God's avatar, swearing to return Cain Anuun to the Void.

So, yeah, it doesn't look like it's going to turn out well for the gang.

Undiscovered Country #11 (December 23):  OMG, you think you know where this issue is going, but that last page is a fucking doozy.

The issue begins with the corpse-like figure that we saw at the end of last issue confirming that she's Dr. Jain.  Ace and Valentina are appalled when she says that she's excited to show them the beauty of what they're doing in Unity, and she ignores their complaints as she wraps them in the same circuitry attached to the dangling brains and her coffin.  She then calls to Sam, whom she notes didn't seem like himself for a moment.  He blames it on the Destiny Man's "brief" infection.

In Unity City, Chang is telling everyone how amazing the connection to Unity was.  Daniel expresses concern over how easily Dr. Jain took control over him, and the Destiny Man's infection attacks Dr. Jain before she can explain more.  She fights off the infection and then hands Charlotte Unity's key:  a first-generation iPod.  (Heh.)  She reveals that, when the team decides which zone along the Spiral has the most to offer the world, the team can alert Aurora of its choice.  Aurora will then bring the team to its headquarters and give them "what you request to take back to the world."  (It's presumably the Sky cure, but I have my doubts.)  Jain offers to show the team the truth about Unity, but Charlotte refuses to see it without Ace and Valentina.  Dr. Jain tells her that they're already linked.  Chang talks about how he was raised in a Jakarta slum and became a diplomat because he survived by conning people.  He asks them to give Unity a chance given the beauty of what he saw.  They all agree, and Dr. Jain extends the circuity around them.

Meanwhile, the Destiny Man fights against Dr. Jain, telling her that Aurora admitted him, something that Dr. Jain finds impossible.

In the Metaverse (more on that later), Ace and Val inform the team of Dr. Jain using children to power Unity.  She appears at that point to give a long-winded explanation about how America's innovations - the airplane, the automobile, the internet - were all innovations that connected us in ways that allowed us more space.  "We talk on the phone and don't have to see each other."  America was the perfect place for these innovations:  "To be part of a connected system, to give what must be given, and then to retreat to whatever life one wants to make for oneself."  It's basically a typical megalomaniacal TED talk on steroids.

Dr. Jain explains the neurolink technology required more bio-power than Unity could generate and, as we saw, she was thwarted when she tried to pull from other zones.  Unity's citizens then made two decisions.  First, at the age of seventy, people plugged their bodies into the engine and their minds into the server (hence, the Dr. Jain that we saw in the U.S. Capitol).  More terrifyingly, they created a mandate that all second children would be given to the system at birth.  It would be a continuation of the womb, where they lived in eternal bliss.  Ace and Val immediately take issue, arguing that happiness comes from experience.  Before they can debate the issue, the Destiny Man again distracts Dr. Jain.  She then delivers another bad Silicon Valley pitch.

I have to stop here to say that Snyder and Soule get this part perfect.  It's exactly what Mark Zuckerberg would say if he were caught harvesting children's brains to power the Metaverse.  Like, exactly.  The fact that Snyder and Soule wrote this issue before Facebook became Meta is another creepy example of how predictive they are.

Jain releases the team, and Ace and Valentina are inexplicably now in Unity City with them.  Chang not unreasonably suggests they choose Unity because they could probably create the cure there, and Janet -- also not unreasonably -- suggests that it seems hard to bet that they're going to find something better than Unity as they walk the Spiral.  Valentina mentions the children, though Ace (also not unreasonably) mentions that technology always needs more power than its given.  It's Charlotte though who provides the argument that sways them:  if Aurora -- and not the empires -- picked them, then it probably makes sense to head straight for Aurora, to walk the entire Spiral.  Daniel and Valentina agree that they've been thinking the same thing, and Ace, Chang, and Janet don't object when they say that they want to move to the next zone.

Before they move, Daniel tells Lottie that they may never hear their parents message.  She tells him that she wants to hear it from them and then hugs him, apologizing for not believing him.  It's a lovely and overdue moment.  Dr. Jain then reveals that the reason that Ace and Valentina are with them is that she's kept them all in the Metaverse while moving their bodies to the U.S. Capitol.  They'll become part of the system while living out their days in peace.  She'll have "her" versions of them pick Unity so that her tech will finally move beyond the Second Sealing's wall and "the world will be in Unity."  Creepy?  Oh, most definitely.

We end with an interesting post-script, where we learn that the Juneau Event entailed the United States in 2041 (or Year 12 after the Sealing) firing a weapon that poured enough energy into Alaska to scour the state clean.  What the fuck was happening in Alaska that the United States considered it such a threat?  I can't wait to hear!

Also Read:  Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #8 (December 23);  Dungeons & Dragons:  At the Spine of the World #2 (December 30)

Over Year-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf November 4, 18, and 25 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Star Wars #8 (November 4):  It's hard to have sympathy for Zahra when she complains to Leia that a terrorist (i.e., Rebel) attack killed her parents and another one killed her mentor when said mentor, you know, destroyed Leia's planet.  But, Pak is making exactly that point here:  her confrontation with Zahra leaves Leia uncharacteristically unnerved since it's clear to her, and us, that Zahra is unhinged.  I'm intrigued to see to what lengths Zahra is willing to go to extract her revenge.

Die #15 (November 18):  Oof.  This issue, man.

Matt arrives at Verdopolis all anger and rage, and Hans is still on fire throughout this issue in depicting him.  Realizing that she's a coward, Ash's first impulse is to agree to go home, but Izzy says that they can't agree because they still have people to help.  Isabelle also notes that Matt probably wouldn't accept a surrender.  Ash suggests throwing all the city's resources at him, and Izzy is appalled that she would suggest sending those people to their deaths since Matt will cut through them like a knife through butter.  But, as Ash notes, her only power as queen is the city; if Matt kills people, it's on him.  An even more appalled Izzy calls on the Dreamer to put the entire city to sleep, ruining Ash's plan before she can implement it.  Izzy tells Ash that they will face Matt alone, and they're surprised to discover that Augustus is also still awake.  (As he reminds us later, he's God-touched, which is probably why he remains awake.)  Ash then takes Augustus and Izzy to the basement.

In Glass Town, Angela struggles to hack the Forge as Chuck, Delighted, and Dour fight the Predator-like defenses.  Dour sacrifices himself to save Chuck, and Gillen delivers perhaps this series' most heart-breaking scenes here, as a crying yet smiling Delighted tells Chuck that he wishes that he could mourn his friend but NPC aren't allowed such freedom.  (Oof.)  Chuck tells Angela to make it with the hacking, and she's forced to dedicate all her resources to it, freeing Molly from her control.

In the basement, Izzy confirms that she agreed never to bear a child.  Ash asks if she regretted that decision, because she, too, used to feel like she never wanted a child.  Izzy says that she hasn't, because she's just such a mess.  (At one point, Izzy says that she understood the subtext of "used to" and apologizes to Ash.  I didn't get this part, but I think that it's because Ash didn't get to deliver Augustus.)  Before they can actually have a grown-up conversation, Matt arrives.  Izzy gets the idea from him of combining Bear and Pyrrhus.  But, as Ash says, gods are creatures of belief, and Matt knows that he wants them dead.  Matt starts making short work of the gestalt god, and Augustus prepares to attack.  But, Ash can't let him do so, so she uses the Voice to stop him, freeing Zamorna.  She tries to use the voice on Matt, and the Maul and the Sword simply laugh at her.  

Ash asks for the Grandmaster's dice, and Sol asks if she's sure, since Galadriel turned down the ring.  Ash notes to herself that, after reading "The Silmarillion," she realizes a young Galadriel would've taken it.  She takes the dice...

...and holy shit Gillen reminds us - as if we need reminding - how fucking brilliant he is.  Augustus tells his mother that, as he's "divinely touched," he knows magic and the dice aren't magic.  Sol disagrees, saying that he killed the Grandmaster to get his die and that he's the Grandmaster...until he realizes that he isn't.  It is a toy, and he was never the Grandmaster.  

Realizing that she's fucked, Ash tells Matt to stop attacking the Bear/Pyrrhus, since it's killing Izzy.  She tells him that Izzy stayed to help people so he should kill her.  But, Zamorna is coming to kill her anyway, so he should just let him do it.  She tells him what he already knows, that Die is a threat to everyone back home and pledges to follow him if she survives to save the "real" world.  She realizes as Zamorna arrives that she was never Cleopatra or Galadriel - she was Wormtongue, manipulating the ruler.  Ash tells Matt that his father didn't raise a murderer as Zamorna appears over his shoulder.  Using the Sword and then the Maul, Matt destroys Zamorna, agreeing that his father didn't raise a murderer - his friends made him one.

At Glass Town, Angela can't bear to an attacking Molly, using her powers to stop her and allowing the Forge to create the die.  An outraged Chuck tells Angela that she doomed the "real" Molly and the entire "real" world because she couldn't kill this Molly but realizes he's being an asshole and comforts her.  At that point, the "invisible beings" retreat (they're the Predator-like creatures who I assume were Little England's Invisible Men).  Ash, Izzy, Matt, and Sol then arrive in Glass Town.  Sol informs them that the dice are traveling to the center of world so haven't yet left Die.  If they can get to the center of the world before them, the team could prevent them from combining our worlds.  Delighted then informs the team that his people have a tale about a dangerous mine that reaches to the center of the world, though no one has survived.  To quote Matt, "we're going down a fucking dungeon."

I mean, all fucking right!  Just when I thought Gillen couldn't be giving us such an amazing RPG tale, he takes us into a fucking dungeon.  I'm so excited about this next arc, particularly what happens now that everyone is on much more even footing.  Along those lines, Gillen makes it clear that Sol is now a player, and I'm fascinated to see how his addition affects the team's already contentious and fucked decision-making process.  Also, everyone - even Chuck - has undergone growth here except Ash.  What'll it take for her to do so?

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #7 (November 18):  Man, this issue is brutal.  Valance brings Cadeliah to the Rebel base on Lowik where Yura and her husband live (the same one that Valance helped establish in "Target Vader" #6).  The Rebels barely manage to fix some of Valance's injuries before Zuckuss and 4-LOM arrive.  Valance stays alive long enough to make a deal with Zuckuss to give him a head start before they go after him and to cease their pursuit of the girl's bounty.  In exchange, Valance offers them Yura's ruby.  Zuckuss accepts since, between the ruby and the money that the Empire will pay them for the Rebel base's location, it nets out the loss of the Solo bounty.  Yura promises to take care of Cadeliah and, knowing that she likely won't see him again, tearfully tells Valance that she would've loved him despite how he looked if she only knew that he cared.  Valance tells her that it's because he cared that he couldn't let her wait for him.  With tears in his eyes, a broken Valance departs.  I mean, it's just brutal.  It's hard to pull off this sort of emotion in comics or science fiction, but Sacks does such a spectacular job of it.  After all these issues featuring Valance, I think we finally see the extent to which he's been a hollow shell ever since he became a cyborg, going through the motions because he just doesn't know what else to do.  Oof.  Poor Valance, man.

The Last God #10 (November 25):  And the truth comes out!  I wasn't expecting to get the answers to all our questions in this issue, which implies to me that we're going to get answers to questions that we haven't thought to ask in the next two issues.

Cyanthe flees with Shyf on the back of Shadow as the blue dragon unleashes a blue-colored flame at them.  Shyf tries to attack, but the dragon dismounts Cyanthe and Shyf by hurling Shadow.  Kolba manages to hit the dragon with lava via his ability to control stone, but the fight ends when Cyanthe demands the rider show himself because she knows who it is:  Haakon.  I was shocked, y'all.  I truly didn't see that development coming.

Cyanthe and company follow a bent-over Haakon as he reveals that he saved Eyvindr and Valko.  He tells Cyanthe that he survived on grubs and roots to guard the Black Stair from them, "those Mol Uhltep warned us of thirty years ago."  Haakon admits that he let them live solely to draw out the rest of the team.  When Kolba asks how he knew they were coming, Haakon explains their coming was foretold.  

At this point, we move into the past.  Haakon recounts the treacherous climb up the Black Stair, the fellowship battling all sorts of creatures on their way to the top.  They then come face-to-face with Mol Uhltep.  Skol warns everyone to stay near the Pyre as the battle begins.  Cyanthe shouts that the Fey's power seems not to work against him while Haakon encourages them to keep fighting.  It's here we see the image that Skol saw in the Bloodglass happening:  Skol strikes Haakon from behind with her magic, breaking his back.  Veikko is enraged, but Skol tells her that the Bloodglass foretold that the Fey's power isn't enough.  But, Skol says that, since Mol Anwe created the Fey and Mol Uhltep, they can destroy one by destroying the other.

A broken Haakon begs the fellowship through gritted teeth not to take that step.  He expresses his belief that they can defeat Mol Uhltep, but Skol insists that she's seen that they cannot through the Bloodglass.  Jorrun and Tyr easily agree, and Veikko less readily.  Cyanthe gets ready to battle to save them, telling them that Ruarc made them all monsters.  Tyr then confesses that he does truly love her, the songbird that keeps them true.  He tells her that they've done what no one else could, but they can't take this last step because they lack the power.  He says that Skol has been right since the beginning and that, if they take this last terrible step, they'll save the world (and become kings and queens, important to Tyr).  A tearful Cyanthe agrees.  Jorunn, Skol, Tyr, and Veikko begin to murder the Fey, with Skol murdering Grey when he tries to stop them.  Skol binds Cyanthe when she tries to kill her so they can continue killing the Fey.  Before Mol Uhltep dies -- because Skol was correct -- he issues his threat that they will see their sins made flesh and lead Mol Uhltep's "most beloved servants back to the Fells Pyre."

In the present, Haakon explains that he woke near the Pyre after the fellowship left.  He wept for having led the Fey, who trusted him to protect them, to their deaths.  Then, he felt a trace of the Fey's power, so he held his hammer and prayed.  He gathered the remnants of their spirits until he held a tiny seed of light.  Cyanthe is appalled and shocked when Haakon reveals a living Fey who grew from that seed.  She tells them that all their sacrifice - and, for her, most importantly, Grey's death - was for nothing because of him.  Haakon tells her to get off her high horse, nothing that she's brought the children of Skol, Tyr (to Eyvindr's surprise), and Veikko to the Stair.  He says that they each wear "the crowns their true father gave them" and the final pages shows each of them bathed in a red light wearing a black crown.

I can't explain how brilliant I find this revelation.  I thought we were going to learn that the fellowship murdered Haakon because they made a deal for power with Mol Uhltep.  But, no.  They did the terrible thing that they did in the hope of saving the world (even if Jorunn, Skol, and Tyr were also motivated by power).  Instead, it's Haakon who dooms the world by bringing back the Fey and thus opening the door to the return of the Flowering Dead.  Suddenly, the whole narrative is flipped:  the cursed heroes who "claimed" to kill Mol Uhltep thought that they had done so, and the "new" heroes who came to the Stair to kill him again may in fact be the harbingers of the end of the world.

Undiscovered Country #10:  In the past, Jain describes her vision for Unity, but Sam confronts her about using more energy than she's been allotted to develop it.  Sam insists that it's time for her to share her research with the other zones, but she refuses, saying that she wants to do it with her people.  She pledges to make the system self-contained, and Sam gives her one year.

In the present, Ace and Valentina travel across the Shining Sea to the location of the electromagnetic burst that the rest of the world tracked 16 years earlier.  Ace explains that it was the second biggest reading after the Juneau Event but admits that even he doesn't really have a theory about what happened.  They come across a dead techno-whale and discover that a shark that looks a lot like the ones they saw in Destiny killed it.  As they're closer to the site of the "Liberty Surge" than the shore, Valentina allows Ace to take her that way to escape the shark.

Meanwhile, in Unity City, Charlotte and Daniel beg Jain to let them finish the memory from their parents, but Jain explains that Unity's memory lies in its structures, so they need to help fend off the attacking Destiny creatures to save the memory.  Jain suddenly takes command of all of Unity's citizens, including Chang.

Ace and Valentina stumble upon a walled-off replica of the U.S. Capitol and follow one of the sharks through the wall that it shatters.  They barely escape a techno-whale (which destroys their car), and a holographic Sam greets them.  Sam explains that they're only there because Jain is distracted but that they are in the right place.  Jain did find a solution to her energy problem, but it started all 13 zones on the path to isolation, starting with Alaska (presumably with the Juneau Event).  It was Jain's job to make them all play well together, but, as Sam explains, she never got there.

In Unity City, Jain fends off the attackers.  Janet accuses her of using her people to do so, but they explain that they all made the choice to make themselves available for defense of the common good when they became Unity citizens.  Jain says that she's glad that they got to see Unity at its best, since the United States before the Sealing was so divided that the only thing one side cared about happening is the other side losing.  Chang agrees, telling Janet that his experience was beautiful.

In the Shining Sea, Ace and Valentina enter the U.S Capitol's dome to find a multitude of brains connects to wires.  Valentina notes that they're small, and a voice explains that they're children's brains because they're the most pliable, "open to reconfiguration to serve the community's needs."  Ace and Valentina turn to find a corpse-like woman with long white hair in a similarly wired pod.  Is it the real Jain?  That would make sense, but, man, we took a turn here.

Also Read:  Dungeons & Dragons:  At the Spine of the World #1 (November 11), Star Wars:  Darth Vader #7 (November 11), Star Wars:  Jedi Fallen Order - Dark Temple #1-#5 (September 4 and 25, October 9, November 13, and December 4, 2019)

Over Year-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf October 7, 14, and 28 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Die #14 (October 7):  This issue is by far the series' best issue, and I had already set that bar pretty fucking high.

It begins slowly, with a diversion.  Zamorna heads to the front to march on Eternal Prussia, and Isabelle exposits that the goal of this maneuver is to pull the Prussians from Glass Town and thus enable the Little Englanders to destroy the Forge.  Meanwhile, Angela, Chuck, and Matt arrive at Glass Town and are surprised to see the Steel Dragons leaving.  On the front, Augustus and Zamorna fight the Steel Dragons.  Augustus is hurt, and Zamorna instructs him to teleport to his mother to update her that the plan is working.

In Glass Town, Chuck continues to express concern that Matt is too upbeat for his powers to work fully, another sign that Chuck is the only one who fully understands the game's dynamic.  (I say that because every time he gets drunk and irresponsible his teammates criticize him despite the fact that he's doing it to maximize his luck.)  Angela, Chuck, and Matt arrive at the Forge to face its defenses as Augustus tells Ash that Little England's attack on Glass Town has begun.  (Angela, Chuck, and Matt barely dodged an incoming missile at one point.)  Isabelle notes what a good kid August is, and Ash asks what Isabelle sacrificed to the Mourner to carry him to term and if Ash owes her.  Isabelle responds that it isn't anything that she ever wanted so I wonder if it means that she can't have children?  Isabelle says that she hopes they leave behind something as good as Augustus this time.

Just as Ash thinks they've won, Mistress Woe comes calling.  She calls in all her debts and demands that Izzy passes on a message.  For reasons that become clear, Mistress Woe urges Isabelle to do it quickly.  With no real options, Isabelle asks Bear (the god on whose behalf she had previously destroyed poachers) to send his birds with a message for Matt.  In Glass Town, the team is overwhelmed, and Matt acknowledges that it's partially because he isn't sad enough.  On cue, the bird arrives and tells Matt that his father has died.  Matt explodes with grief, functionally destroying Glass Town.

Chuck helps Angela from the rubble, and Matt demands that she use the last of her Fair gold to transport him to Angria, saying their families need them.  Angela resists, since she was going to use the gold to speed hack the Forge.  But, Matt tells her that she knows what their responsibilities are, that they've known them for months.  She concurs and teleports him.  Chuck says that it was a bad decision, but Angela says that they have no good decisions:  it was just the one that ensured most of what she cared about happening.  Angela then heads to destroy the Forge while Matt arrives at the Knights' temple.  The maul of rage calls on him to put aside the sword of grief.  Instead, he takes both weapons since he's angry and sad:  one for Ash and one for Izzy.  The weapons tell him that it is forbidden, but Matt tells them to stop him in one of Hans' best panels in a series filled with excellent panels.

In other words, ho boy, trouble is coming.

Star Wars #7 (October 7):  Soule provides us the background that we've been missing regarding Zahra.  He reveals that terrorist killed her parents and she joined the Empire.  Later, she was one of three cadets jockeying to become Tarkin's protégé.  Soule makes it clear that Zahra viewed Tarkin as a father figure, so she's devastated when she fails an assassination mission because she mistakenly thought he figuratively, not literally, meant he wanted the target's head.  (As Tarkin later explains, a Tarkin looks a man in the eyes when he cuts his throat.)  It also turns out she took out a decoy, and she becomes obsessed with tracking down the real target.  When Tarkin has his adjutant tell Zahra to report to HR for reassignment, Zahra steals a shuttle to take out the target herself.  Notably, she steals the shuttle as the Death Star is under attack, departing minutes before it is destroyed.  In the present, the Fourth Fleet responds to the Seventh Fleet's SOS call, capturing Zahra's fleet - who tracked down the Seventh Fleet after its SOS call -- in a pincer movement.  But, it's clear that Zahra has something up her sleeves so we'll see how it goes.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #6 (October 14):  I mentioned in a previous review that Pak used the previous arc to remind us how Anakin's actions on Mustafar turned him into Vader.  Pak clearly wanted us to come to that conclusion, as this issue shows that the Emperor is worried that Vader didn't fully learn that lesson.  Hoping to turn Vader's pain into fear and his fear into anger once again, the Emperor strips Vader of his prosthetic limbs and leaves him on Mustafar.  To up the ante, he informs Vader that he cannot use the Force and sends an assassin -- who looks like a cross between Batman and Vader -- after him.  You almost feel sorry for him.

The Last God:  Songs of Lost Children #1 (October 28):  This issue is mostly a hit except for one obvious flaw.  It follows Cyanthe and her Aelvan handmaiden Nykeo ten years after the fellowship "defeated" Mol Uhltep.  

While Tyr is putting down a rebellion in Tchakatla Tuo, Cyanthe and Nykeo travel the countryside so Cyanthe (in disguise) can get a better sense of the rumors of discontent that she's been hearing.  She mostly finds complaints of bad harvests and fair taxes, all ordinary laments, so she decides to return to Tyrgolad.  Nykeo convinces her to stop at a nearby house so they don't travel the roads at a night, and a couple with numerous children offers to host them for the night.  One of the young boys wears a similar hat as a boy whom the pair saw on the road earlier that day.  When Cyanthe mentions it, the mother goes into hysterics.  After calming her, the father explains Artom, the boy who Cyanthe "saw," disappeared the previous season.  He acknowledges  Cyanthe's insistence that she saw the boy, telling her that she wouldn't be the first to see ghosts, given that they loose a few kids every year.  When she asks how many kids they have, the father tells her that they care for abandoned children.  He suspects many of them are nobles' children.  The boy with the hat asks if Cyanthe really saw Artom, and the father encourages him to forget it.

That night, Cyanthe dreams of the baby she lost.  A bloody Tyr asks if she also saw the Black Crown over the baby's head.  Cyanthe asks where the baby went, and we learn that it died in childbirth.  Cyanthe awakens to discover the boy left in the night and takes Nykeo with her to get to the bottom of the disappearances.  They stumble upon a nest full of small Aelvan and human bones and discover the boy's hat.  They then discover the boy, much to Cyanthe's relief.  He then grows numerous heads and eyes, revealing the monster.  We learn that it's a Gryndel, a monster who wears the form of its victims to lure in new victims.  The Gryndel escapes, and the pair follow it to the village.  A panicked Nykeo bursts into the room to discover the father with only one baby left, the one she had rocked the previous night after the father put the hysterical mother to bed.  Cyanthe puts together that the baby is Nykeo and Tyr's.  Moreover, given the blue eyes on the Gryndel, Cyanthe realizes that the "abandoned" children here were all Tyr's.  Cyanthe then fires an arrow, not at Nykeo but at the father who's actually the Gryndel.  It dies, and Cyanthe explains that Nykeo's son only survived because the monster was sated.  In the ending narration, we learn that Nykeo subsequently hid the baby in the North or in the slave cradles, likely confirming the child is Eyvindr.

Overall, this issue is stunning in how utterly devastating it is.  Kennedy Johnson pulls no punches in depicting various parents' confrontation with the profound grief of losing a child, so much so that I wanted to wake up my own children just to hug them.  The only flaw to me is that I'm not sure that I buy Nykeo risking bringing Cyanthe to the parents' house.  I guess she thought that they'd be there only briefly, so Cyanthe wouldn't have time to put two and two together.  But, it was still a risk that I'm not sure she needed to take.  That said, I'm also surprised that Cyanthe let the baby live, knowing what we know about the Black Crown, but that makes sense in terms of Cyanthe as a person.

Transformers '84:  Secrets and Lies #4 (October 28):  Furman gives up any attempt to tell a story in this issue.  It's just a series of barely connected moments that address various discrepancies that he's identified in the various tellings and re-tellings of the Transformers arrival on Earth.  His notes at the end of this issue address feedback from folks similarly obsessed with Transformers continuity, making it clear that anyone like me just looking for stories related to the original Transformers wasn't this series' target audience.  That said, I think I'm going to re-read the original U.S. series since I picked up a lot of the issues in comic and TPB format a few years ago and haven't had a chance to read them.  So I guess some good came from this series.

Undiscovered Country #9 (October 28):  This issue is oddly straightforward.  The team divides into three groups, all gaining valuable insight into what America has become.

Oddly, Charlotte and Daniel's interactions with their "parents" is the least illuminating.  We learn that they're simulacra created from Unity's enormous databank of articles, books, memories, pictures, and videos.  Whenever someone plugs into the system, the databank grows.  In hearing the explanation, Ace realizes the '43 surge - an enormous power spike in the Pacific Northwest that was so large even the outside world could detect it - happened due to the incredible amount of energy that Unity needs to run.  Charlotte and Daniel agree to go with their "parents" because, as founding members of Aurora, they might be able to give them the answers that they need about the cure.

Meanwhile, Jain assures Chang that he hasn't become part of Unity because the security and integration system "bit" him.  You have to become a member voluntarily.  Ace volunteers, and Jain grants him limited access to Unity, allowing him to use the "diamond desert" (i.e., the nano-material) to re-create his van.

Inside the Graves' home, Charlotte and Daniel learn that the Graves thought that the Sealing would produce a country-wide Unity within ten years.  Daniel tells the Graves that his "real" father contacted him with a message, but, when Daniel did what he asked, his father eventually told him that he made a mistake and compromised the plan, at which point the Destiny Man found Daniel.  Graves père informs them that they can play back the message for them and the one that Charlotte was also supposed to receive.

In a discussion with Chang and Janet, Jain explains why Aurora's vision wasn't realized.  She elaborates on what we saw last issue:  each zone would follows its own path but contribute to the overall experiment.  For example, Destiny was supposed to provide modified aquaculture in the form of highly production strains of fish and mollusks, Unity would provide the technological advancements, etc.  But, eventually, zones likes Destiny (as we heard last issue) were exploiting their resources for themselves and refusing to acknowledge "the center."  Before Unity's neural-linking project could unify everyone, the zones' conflicts became too entrenched and Aurora ordered the Second Sealing.  Jain is confident they can develop a cure for Sky, but Chang notes that it might be too late because they have to walk the Spiral.  Janet notes that it might not need to be that way.  Meanwhile, Ace and Valentina reach the end of the zone.  Ace tells Valentina more about the '43 surge and how, at the time, they theorized that it was the advent of a wonderful new technology.  

Just as Charlotte and Daniel begin to watch the video message from their father, the Destiny Man - who the security and integration system has pulled into some sort of pocket dimension, if you will -- manages to hack into Unity's Sam, who's been taunting him.  Suddenly, the hand stopping Ace and Valentina from leaving Unity disappears, and the video Charlotte and Daniel are watching suddenly just screams that they should run.

Also Read:  Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #6 (October 21)

Over Year-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf September 2, 16, and 23 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Die #13 (September 2):  Man, H.G. Wells likes to ramble.

Wells eventually informs Ash that he believes some sort of intelligence - either the former Grandmaster or Die itself - harvested the "real" world's greatest authors' ideas to create each region.  Wells describes his horror at learning that the Schlieffen Plan convinced the Germans that they could win a Great War.  Wells create a game against war - a book entitled "Little Wars" - in the hope of convincing the Germans otherwise.  Instead, he found himself in Die, "a man of peace, trapped in a game of war."  In his conversations with the other Masters (like Brontë) he realized that they had similar experiences.  Wells says that he's the only Master resisting what he calls "the intelligence."  As Eternal Prussia is the "echo" of what his "Little Wars" was trying to oppose, he fought to keep Glass Town free to prevent Eternal Prussia from achieving its goal of capturing it.  Wells starts to walk Ash through how his stories influenced Die only to reveal he was stalling so his Invisible Men could capture Ash.

Elsewhere, the Fair inform Angela, Chuck, and Matt that they get three questions.  Angela suggests Molly should get a question, but the Fair note that she isn't a player "this time."  As Angela is asking what the Fair mean by this time, Matt stops her, reminding her not to waste her question.  The Fair tell Chuck that they're not going to cure him and Matt that nothing can cure him.  Angela asks the Fair if they're going to tell the team what it actually needs the Fair to tell it.  It turns out "the machine of Die" has been assembling itself for 200 years with the goal of combining the two worlds.  To Die, D20 represents a world, so two worlds means 20+20 or the year 2020.  (Yeah, I'm not sure I get it either.)  The Fair came to Die in 1990 to try to stop Die.  Instead, they created the time loop:  by opening the future to the present, they introduced the Fallen, victims from the "real" world who had yet to fall. 

The Fair inform the team that they were an attempt at a cure, to make it about the "real future."  (Again, I don't really get this part either.)  At any rate, Die sits at the end of the timeline and can reach back through it.  It inspires minds and sent two sets of artifacts into the real world.  In 1991 the six dice arrived.  The Fair used them to bring the team to Die as a "beta test for all humanity's fate."  (Again, it isn't clear how they were, but I assume we'll get there.)  Sol then created the twelve soldiers and sent them into 1826.  The Fair say that Sol then called for the team, setting into motion the events that created their dice:  the dice are currently being forged in Glass Town (presumably by Eternal Prussia) and once they're forged Die will reach full sentience.

In Angria, Wells is having the Invisible Men strangle Ash since it abides by his pledge not to spill blood.  (Clever.)  However, Ash tells him that the Great War happened.  Wells thinks that Eternal Prussia is his worst fear, but she tells him it's actually 1914-1918.  Wells didn't save the world, as he thought.  Most importantly, though, Die wanted Wells to create "Little Wars" so it would one day evolve into "Dungeons & Dragons," bringing the team to Die.  Wells is appalled when he realizes that he's been blind and disappears into time, ordering the Invisible Men to kill Ash.  Isabelle saves her, using Pyrrhus to burn the Invisible Men.  When Ash awakens, Isabelle berates her for once again keeping her outside the loop.  She had to beg the gods to let her know where Ash was, just like when they were 16 years old and Ash would disappear with Sol.  Ash apologizes, but Isabelle notes that they don't have time for apologies.  On the front, Aslan agrees to Ash's promise to abdicate if they can form an alliance to take out Eternal Prussia at Glass Town.

This issue continues Gillen really kicking this story into gear.  Both teams converging on Glass Town for different reasons feels organic, not like Gillen pulling the strings.  But, Ash realizing at the end that her euphoria over the truce is probably something Wells felt, Gillen's way of reminding us someone is pulling the strings.  Is it Gary Gygax?  Some future gamer?  We'll see, I guess.

Transformers '84:  Secret and Lies #3 (September 2):  This series has really devolved into Furman trying to link all the various iterations of the original continuity without any real concern about whether it's a good read.  It has become almost impossible to follow as Furman has begun introducing Japanese-only characters.  As much as I love Star Saber here, I really shouldn't have to read Furman's notes at the end of the issue to understand the story.  I'm hoping Furman uses this miniseries to accomplish his reckoning so we can get a subsequent miniseries that tells new stories set in the original continuity.

Star Wars #6 (September 16):  Pak has really done a spectacular job with Luke's story here, and this issue is a fitting end to it.  What began as Luke's quest to find his lightsaber - and then, when that failed - any lightsaber - turns into a meditation on the horror of Order 66.  

Artoo yet again saves Luke's life, stunning Verla into unconsciousness, freeing Luke from the water trap she activated at the end of last issue, and shocking him back to life.  When Verla awakens and realizes that Luke didn't kill her when she had a chance, she admits that he may be Vader's son, but he isn't Vader.  That said, she desperately tries to convince Luke that the Force sees the Jedi and the Sith as little more than tools in whatever cosmic game it's playing.  (I actually love the idea of the Force possibly have masters behind it, and I hope someone explores that one day.)  

Verla walks Luke through the horrors she faced as the Inquisitors and Vader chased her over decades simply because she had some meager talent in the Force.  Pak makes us see just as young Luke is here as he's convinced that it's his destiny to become a Jedi, despite Verla telling him that's exactly like the Force to use "destiny" to convince its tools to do its bidding.  When Luke makes it clear that he's not giving up his quest, Verla tells him to travel to a temple on Tempes.  She found a holocron and lightsaber there but left them there when she realized it was time to abandon the quest her dead master gave her.  

Undeterred, Luke travels to Tempes and is thrilled to find the holocron and lightsaber.  But, the ghost of one of the Inquisitors attacks him, informing him that he's murdered every prospective Jedi to enter the temple.  Luke defeats him - a hint at the power he wields - and returns to Leia and the Rebels as a sign of hope as they plan to launch Operation Starlight.  Meanwhile, Vader travels to Tempes to examine the sprung trap, denying the Inquisitor's request for death by reminding him that he's simply a tool.

Again, this issue is just so packed with action and emotion I found myself surprised every time I turned a page and it wasn't the last one.  Verla's warnings to Luke hint at the bitter man that he'll become, living alone on a desolate planet just like she does.  For now, though, he continues to be a symbol of hope for the Rebels at a time when they desperately need one.

Star Wars:  Darth Vader #5 (September 16):  If "Star Wars" #6 is about the horrors of Order 66, this issue is about how Anakin's actions on Mustafa set his fate.  

Vader finds himself unable to open Padmé's tomb as he remembers choking her, and it's Zed-6-7 (his inquisitor droid) who uses a med implant in her corpse to lead them to a Rebel base on Polis Massa.  Vader learns the truth:  Obi-Wan took a dying Padmé there to try to save her life.  Their investigation is put on hold as the Amidalans arrive, and Vader springs his trap, eliminating them entirely.  In the broken remains of the Rebel base, Zed-6-7 discovers a midwife droid whose memory banks are still functional.  Vader watches Padmé's last moments, as she insists to Obi-Wan that there's still good in Anakin.  Enraged when Zed-6-7 mentions how important Obi-Wan was to Padmé - with the flashbacks reminding us that he told Padmé she was lying when she said that she loved him - Vader destroys Zed-6-7 (another great droid lost) and returns to the Emperor.

The rare moment of weakness that we see in Vader at Padmé's tomb - one of the few moments that I recall in any of these series where he has any noticeable reaction to his memories - is the sign that Anakin is still in there somewhere.  After next issue though, as Vader will face the Emperor's punishment for his weakness, it's clear that Anakin will disappear even further in Vader's psyche.

The Last God #9 (September 23):  When I asked a friend if I should read "Game of Thrones," he told me that he wasn't sure if he'd decide to do so again if he had the chance, since the better the person you are the worse the things you suffer.  "The Last God" is definitely treading that territory.

In the past, the fellowship battles a Starro-esque monster as they make their way through the Abyssal Realms.  When a scavenger bird arrives, Tyr ignores Jorunn's warning that they're clever and falls into a trap...literally.  Stepping on a piece of canvas covering up a hole, he falls through it, barely managing to get his axe on the ledge before falling into the bird's nest full of hatchlings ready to feed.  Cyanthe not only doesn't help him but removes his axe; he's saved only when Haakon grabs him.  Cyanthe reveals that she knows that he tried to have sex with Veikko and, when he begins to claim Veikko is lying, she warns him that he has no one to blame but himself.

In the present, Shyf struggles to hold off the "Dwarrow wraiths," as the introduction calls them.  Cyanthe asks Kolba for help, and he wryly notes that, had they asked the Djorruk for help 30 years earlier, they could've led them through the Abyssal Realm.  Now, he refuses to help her.  Outside, Jorrun manages to grab Eyvindr.  Before he can use Ruarc's blade, Jorrun severs his arm.  I'll admit I was stunned - stunned - at this part.  Eyvindr definitely had the hero tag going for him here, and in most books it would mean that he'd escape relatively unscathed.  But, again, we're in "Games of Thrones" territory now.  Eyvindr grabs the blade with his magic - careful not to touch it for long - and jams it into Jorrun.

Inside the cavern, Shyf informs Cyanthe she can't sense Eyvindr or Valko anymore.  Cyanthe approaches Kolba who informs us that all the Djorruk opened their eyes at the same moment when the Abyssal Realm was full of beauty and wonder.  It underscores the point that he was making earlier, that the fellowship immediately trusted the powerful because they though that they'd be the most useful.  Now, Kolba notes that the Abyssal Realm may never be beautiful again, but it may be quiet after all the Dwarrows and Djorruk die.  He asks her if she's sorry she won't see the Black Stair.  Here, Cyanthe turns the tables on him:  she informs him that she's Mol Uhltep's vessel, so she never intended to climb the Stair.  She tells him that, when they met Mol Uhltep, they committed a sin even greater than the one that they did with the Djorruk and were all suitably cursed.  She expressed hope that Evindyr, Shyf, and Valko will succeed where the fellowship failed, since they're free of poison and weakness.  Taking on board Cyanthe's promise to kill herself once she's led the team to the Black Stair, he opens a door through the rock, telling her that he understands that she was punished and that he won't ask her to die for his sake.

Close to the surface, Tyr approaches Cyanthe, and she taunts him, telling him that he isn't the "big man" anymore with Grey and Haakon.  He again tries to blame Veikko, but Cyanthe tells him that she saw him try to assault Veikko.  She then confirms what I suspected:  she used the Soul Ember to speak with her father, who cursed her for a whore, cursed her for letting him die, and cursed her for bedding his murderer.  Haakon interrupts the conversation, and Tyr leaves.  Cyanthe asks why he's with them, since they're all so broken and false.  Haakon tells her that to live is to be broken; it's what makes us strong.  (I need to remember that sentiment myself in the future.)  He tells Cyanthe that her heart guides them, something the Fey see in her.  Haakon pledges not to abandon the Djorruk, to save them after they climb the Stair.  But, Kennedy Johnson reminds us his pledge doesn't come to pass, as Skol see Haakon's dead body - with a wound in the back - in the Bloodglass.

In the present, Valko carries Eyvindr's body up the mountain, chased by Dwarrow wraiths a little less terrifying than Jorunn.  He uses his magic to destroy them and arrives on a plateau.  After spending the last two or three issues trying to teach Eyvindr magic, Valko tells him that he has to do it now to save his life.  As Eyvindr tries, he just tells him that he feels death coming as a noise reverberates through the mountain.  Days later, the remaining team exists the Abyssal Realm.  Cyanthe informs Shyf that they're about two days from the Fellspyre.  They then hear the same noise the guys did.  Djorruk comments that "one" hasn't been this far south in a certain amount of time.  Before they can flee to the caverns, a black dragon appears!

As we approach the Stair, I realize now that we're still short a pretty important fellowship member in the present:  without Haakon and the Fey, how exactly does Cyanthe think the team with defeat Mol Uhltep?  I don't see why she'd lead them to their doom on his behalf, but I also don't see how they're going to defeat him.

Undiscovered Country #8 (September 23):  This issue is surprisingly straight-forward.  

Sam implies that he exists in each of the 13 zones and encourages the team not to ask questions beyond that.  He confirms that "walking the Spiral" means that they're going to need to get through all 13 zones before they get to Aurora.  A frustrated Chang seems not to understand that Destiny isn't Unity, assuming that they're going to have to engage in some elaborate game involving American lore to move to the next zone.  When he suggests they're going to have to steal Davy Crockett coonskin hat and use it to unlock a secret door hidden in Abraham Lincoln's asshole, Sam responds that Davy Crockett is in Possibility not Unity.  Chang throws up his hands and starts walking into the forest when Unity's snake-like "automated security and integration system" attacks him.  Daniel tries to help, but he's also wounded.  Sam eventually calls off the system, and they all head to Unity City in a car Sam creates whole-cloth.

In the past, we see the Graves sending off Charlotte and Daniel.  Sam reminds them that they made a deal:  Aurora would watch over the kids in the outside world (an interesting twist), and the Graves would help the Sealing happen in 72 hours.

As the team marvels at the advanced Unity City, Valentina asks Sam how it's all possible.  Sam reveals to Valentina that time in Unity is only running three times as fast as opposed to five times as fast in Destiny.  As such, he's hopeful if they can find a zone that runs at the same time they can go home.  But, it means 100 years have passed since the Sealing, so it explains how they managed to build such a technological marvel of the Pacific Northwest.  Although relatively cagey about how exactly Unity works, he does explain that essentially everything is connected to each other via "psycho-active nano-material," explaining how he created the car.

Sam introduces them to Dr. Naira Jain, the "first among equals" in Unity.  Chang and Janet immediately try to negotiate with her, but she demurs, telling them that they need to rest.  She then shows them to a replica of the Graves' house.  Charlotte and Daniel are taken aback, even more so when replicas of their parents greet them.  Jain tells the two horrified Graves children that it's her "little gift" to them, which is as creepy as it sounds.  Meanwhile, the Destiny Man arrives in Unity, proclaiming it "his land."  

Unity definitely has an edge that it's trying to hide.  After the "security and integration system" attacks Chang and Daniel, Sam comments that it's "always looking for new meat," which doesn't sound super-Utopian to me.  In the "backmatter," as Kieron Gillen calls it, Snyder and Soule introduce two new narratives.  First, a message-board post by a young Ace contemplates that America has sealed itself from the world because it's planning something:  the America he knows wants to be in control of everything.  Here, the time issues begin to make sense, as Destiny and Unity alone show us the new capabilities America would have when it emerged.  Second, the history of the post-Sealing days mentions that no one specifically says what the plan for Alaska is.  I've been wondering that, since this history makes it clear that Hawai'i is cut loose.  How do you travel the Spiral to Alaska?  Vamos a ver.

Also Read:  Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #5 (September 23)

Almost Two-Year-Old Comics: The Top-Shelf August 5, 12, 19, and 26 (2020) Edition (HERE BE SPOILERS!)

Star Wars #5 (August 5):  I don't have too much to say about this issue other than the fact that Soule reminds us just how little Luke actually knows about the Force.  He tracks down Verla, the woman in his vision, and she's the one to tell him about Order 66.  It really adds fuel to the fire when it comes to Obi-Wan and Yoda leaving Luke totally unprepared for his path as Jedi as a result of their commitment to secrets and lies. 

Undiscovered Country #7 (August 5):  Snyder and Soule pull back the curtain on the events shortly after the Sealing but, in typical fashion, we wind up facing more questions than answers.

First, we learn that the United States split itself into 13 sovereign zones.  Every American could chose in which zone s/he wanted to live.  If you wanted little to no gun laws, regulation, or taxation, you moved to Zone Destiny.  If you wanted the opposite scheme, you moved to Zone Unity.  At the state of his meeting with the heads of the 13 zones, the president informs the group that 74 percent of Americans approve of this "enhanced sovereignty."

However, Sam Elgin and his fellow Aurora members - including the Drs. Graves - rain on this parade.  Sam opens a box to show a purple amphibian, the type of creature - though tamer - that we saw in Destiny.  Elgin informs the group that nearly 20 percent of the bioengineering happening in Destiny is outside Aurora's advice.  Representative Wyath - presumably the man we'll see become the Destiny Man - argues that they can pursue any strain they want to pursue as long as they meet their quota.  This comment establishes that Aurora was approving at least some bioengineering, though we don't yet know for what purpose.  

The president interrupts the argument, noting that Aurora was the one that shot the bullet that killed federalism.  Elgin agrees but seems now to realize that Aurora was too optimistic in the assumption that the 13 zones would work together as a single "equation."  He notes Zone Bounty is tasked with manning the nuclear pillars, but Aurora suspects it's siphoning off energy.  The president suggests they make a full report in six months at the next meeting after the "cyclotronic generators" are operational.  Elgin dissents, noting that, if the cyclotrons are abused in the same way as everything else, it could be catastrophic.  

In other words, it's pretty clear now that we're dealing with a story about hubris.  Aurora clearly thought that it could keep control over the project, but it got too unwieldy too quickly, which is particularly dangerous given the project itself is messing with nature and time (again, to unknown purposes).   In the back pages, we learn that, in the initial days after the Sealing, chaos erupts in America as most Americans were unaware of the government's plans.  Even if the president's later claim of high approval rates for the Sealing is true, it's clear that it takes a while to get everyone (or most everyone) on board.  

In another flashback, Elgin talks about the initial dream, and it's clear that it isn't anything like the nightmare that the United States has become.  How we got here is obviously going to be the most fascinating part of this story.  It also is clear that it isn't just hubris on Aurora's part.  Snyder and Soule are picking up a thread straight from current American politics, the whispered idea that we should just divide up the country.  Snyder and Soule seem clearly set on showing us how that's going to look.

In the present, the team enters Unity, encountering a bleached-white landscape of trees with blue and red lines running around them.  Tentacles attack the train, and the team barely escapes before it pulls the train down into the soil.  Daniel starts to get the team going just as a cyborg emerges from the trees' shadows.  It turns out it isn't a cyborg, though:  "it" removes its mask and it's Dr. Elgin asking the team to save America.

Just like Gillen did in this month's issue of "Die," Snyder and Soule get going in earnest on this new arc after a lackluster previous issue.  Janet and Chang are now actively seeking an exit once they get a chance, and Charlotte and Valentina commit to riding the figurative train to its final destination as they're tired of the half-measures they've been taking over the last few years.  At this point, it makes sense that people are starting to make decisions and take sides.  How much more information do you need at this point?

Dungeons & Dragons:  Infernal Tides #5 (August 12):  Despite my doubts, Zub manages to wrap up all the loose ends here.

Nerys joins the Bloodrovers as they enter the infernal war machines, which serves both their purposes:  she gets to undo the chains, and they get the soul coins.  An amnesiac Minsc lassos some sort of winged Nine Hells monster, and he and Nerys ride it to Elturel.  Krydle's attempt to use the talisman from last issue to free Elturel fails:  although he successfully uses it to get control over "Thavius Kreeg, High Overseer of Elturel" (who's actually Kreegor the Betrayer, a Zariel-worshipping devil in disguise), it turns out the contract is written on infernal parchment so only Zariel can destroy it.

When Zariel arrives, Krydle successfully goads her into attacking him and manages to get the parchment in front of her attack, destroying the pact.  Aubree reminds an enraged Zariel that she was once "the Companion of Light," and the pain of the memory drives away Zariel.  Elturel returns to its place on the Prime Material Plane, Aubree becomes a paladin of Torm and knight of the Hellriders, and Minsc seems to be regaining his memory.   But, the issue ends with Krydle contemplating the infernal script on his forearm, so we'll see where the story goes.

All in all, this series was my least favorite of the Baldur's Gate heroes' adventures.  Given how high concept it was, we needed at least another issue dedicated to the actual conflict with Zariel, either by adding an issue or scaling back the time the heroes spent looking for answers in the initial few issues.  With the team returning to Baldur's Gate, I'm hoping we get a more normal set of adventures so we can focus a little more on the characters themselves and how these last few weeks have affected them.

Star Wars:  Bounty Hunters #4 (August 19):  Sacks reveals that the scene that shocked Lash at the start of this series and goaded her into killing the Mourner's Wail heir is, in fact, a shocking one:  he was trying to murder his pregnant lover, the Unbroken Clan heir.  She tells Lash that they intended to escape together since their families wouldn't accept their child, but her boyfriend balked at losing everything for his girlfriend and unborn child.  Later, we learn that Lash has raised the child and sent a message to Valance because she needs someone to make sure the child reaches adulthood since, if she does, she'll end the two syndicates' war.  (Lash is dying of a disease, explaining why she left hiding now.)  T'ongor's sister accepts Lash's reasoning and pledges to return to her wife...before Boba Fett kills her.

The Last God #8 (August 26):  Holy shit, this issue is fucking intense.  Kennedy Johnson is really stepping on the gas as we approach the end of this first volume.  It reminds me of the first two issues, where every time you turned the page something insane happened.  You can tell Kennedy Johnson has been building to this moment throughout the series, keeping the Dwarrows a mystery so that they're all the more terrifying when we encounter them.  It's notable that both fellowship encounter them in this issue as they each prepare to climb the Black Stair.

In the past, the fellowship makes its way through a desolate mountain only to encounter a man frantically running in their direction.  (Kennedy Johnson doesn't tell us what a man is doing in this area, so I wonder if we'll return to him.). He's killed by a flying hammer and the fellowship comes face-to-face with Dwarrows.  It's the first time we meet them:  they're not exactly dwarves, as I though they'd be.  They're more like short ice giants, if you will.  Speaking their language, Skol tries to ask them where the Black Stair is, but the pack's leader orders his fellows to attack.  The fellowship makes short work of them, and the Dwarrows stop short when Skol uses magic, "like the Djorruk do."  The leader informs them that they can't cross the Karkarok Mountains above-ground and agrees to lead them into the Abyssal Realm.

In the present, Cyanthe warns her companions that the Dwarrows are murderers and rapists.  Valko notes that Jorunn was one of the fellowship, but Cyanthe denies that, saying they only said he was to secure loyalty from the Abyssal Realm.  (In an example of pet peeve #2, we're first told about Jorunn on the introduction page.)  Although he climbed the Stair with them, he was more into glory-hounding.  With a final warning, the team enters the Abyssal Realm.

Returning to the past, the fellowship encounters a spectacular city, with a lava-filled, living tree-creature at its center; even Veikko is impressed.  Skol informs her that Mol Kalakto built the place.  She asks the pack's leader what the tree is, and he informs her that it's the demon Norduuk, who the God of the Forge chained.  When she breaks free, the surface land will fall into the Abyssal Realm, the surface waters will quench the Godforge's fire, and Norduuk will rule the darkness.  As they make their way through the Realm, Cyanthe encounters diminutive rock creatures with glowing eyes, one of whom begs her to save them.  She's terrified when the Dwarrows capture them, but Skol wars her to keep quiet, since they need the Dwarrows' help to get through the labyrinthine Abyssal Realm.  

The pack's leader -- who we now learn is Jorunn - brings them to the king, his father.  The king agrees to help the fellowship by giving them Jorunn as a guide if they give them magic and the "fair-haired girl."  Skol notes that's a non-starter, since Grey would eat them all, but gives them two gifts:  the culling sieve, which will allow them to consume a creature's soul and life energy including magic if the creature has some; and a blade that Ruarc created that the wielder's own life fuels to kill his enemies.  Later, at Cyanthe's urging, Skol asks Jorunn about the creatures.  He informs them that they're the Djorruk:  living statues whose magical-crafting gifts the Dwarrows want.  Cyanthe loses her shit at this point, noting that they saved people form the Flowering Dead, but they're abandoning the Djorruk who asked for help.  Tyr tries to calm her down, but, when he calls her "love," she tells him not to call her that and not to touch her.  She pulls a knife on the team, telling them that they're no heroes, they're just "dancing to the songs people sing" about them.

In the present, the Abyssal Realm is dark and grey.  In the ruins, Evindyr finds Ruarc's (now not-glowing) knife and, against Valko's wishes, keeps it.  Cyanthe assumes the Flowering Dead have killed the Dwarrows, but she stumbles upon a partially broken Djorruk.  It turns out he's the statue she first met.  His name is Kolba and asks that they leave the Djorruk alone.  When Cyanthe asks if the Dead destroyed the Abyssal Realm, he tells her that she did.  The Dwarrows used the knife to enslave and kill the Djorruk ("as you knew they would," he adds).  But, wanting more power, they tried the knife on Norduuk, changing them.  The team is then attacked by a lava monster who's apparently Jorunn, underlining Kolba's point.

In other words, the title of this issue should be, "As if things couldn't get more depressing..."  Kennedy Johnson is making it clear why Cyanthe is so bitter as he shows us the weight that she's been carrying with her all these years. 

Also Read:  Star Wars:  Darth Vader #4 (August 12); Transformers '84:  Secrets and Lies #2 (August 19)