Wrath of The Eternal Warrior #1 Discussion

[grendeljd]

While this turned out to be an unexpected direction to launch this story with, I liked it quite a bit. It may not square 100% with how a few scenes in previous comics were handled where Gilad 'dies' or nearly 'dies' from his wounds in battle, but it's close enough to reason out some believable continuity for me. I'm a big fan of this exploration of how his eternal immortality actually functions.

The earth doesn't let him 'die' when fatally wounded... But he probably does still technically die from serious enough wounds, and I think it's a reasonable extrapolation to say that his spirit temporarily crosses over into some pocket of the Valiant spiritual dimension (aka, where the deadside exists, and all those other patchwork planes as explored in Dr Mirage).

This could all happen in a split second of real time while the earth heals his body & brings him back - it kind of fits with the time distortion concept of having your life flash before your eyes before you die.

I think the story did come full circle back to the opening scene - a difference in what he's wearing from the first scene to the last is almost irrelevant when it can be chalked up to the idea that he is existing in a non-corporeal, spiritual dimension. His image is just a manifestation of his essence, not a physical body, I think.

I like the idea that he would normally take a walk through the forest as a symbolic expression of returning to the real world, and that in this case, *in addition* to the fact that the earth was not intending to bring him back, he also chose to go on a divergent path through the spirit realm to see where the voice he heard came from. To me, the demons exist in a separate pocket of this spiritual realm we witness in the story, one where they seem to be able to sense his presence whenever he has 'died' and arrived in his own pocket, and made plans to lure him to them.

I really liked the artwork, in particular the sequential panelling choices made to convey the emotional impact of the scenes - I suggest to anyone who just flips through and glances at panels without any dialogue to take the time to slow down & let the visual presentation sink in a little more.I know Donovan mentions it gets a little repetitive, and maybe he has a point, but still... I dug the art

[grendeljd]

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue (& Bloodshot Reborn #8), please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr41/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in

[grendeljd]

I just re-read the book again, and I should revise what I said above a little. Clearly, Gilad has taken the path through the demons before, as they are anticipating his return through them. However, when he walks through the forest, a voice asks him if he intends to depart the realm. I think that is an important distinction, in that he does not *always* go to where the demons are waiting in order to return to life.

Makes me wonder what it is that drives him to chose to go through the demons. Is he after something else? Something he has not yet found?

[dornwolf]

I dont really like how heavily Fred van Lente's take on Eternal Warrior has been retconned, so many aspects of his EW / Geomancer arc have been written over by other people.

I didn't really think this really retcons too much of Fred's version, he still I think treads pretty close to what Fred established not over the top zealot but still driven to protect the Geomancer. I do think we're slowly moving away from Greg Paks version of the character however. I'm thinking all that's left is the Eternal Emperor at this point.

[bRai]

The earth doesn't let him 'die' when fatally wounded... But he probably does still technically die from serious enough wounds, and I think it's a reasonable extrapolation to say that his spirit temporarily crosses over into some pocket of the Valiant spiritual dimension (aka, where the deadside exists, and all those other patchwork planes as explored in Dr Mirage).

This could all happen in a split second of real time while the earth heals his body & brings him back - it kind of fits with the time distortion concept of having your life flash before your eyes before you die.

This is exactly what I was thinking upon my initial pass. That Gilad's existence in this plane is some sort of hibernation period while he's being rebuilt (faster, stronger...), and that his Little House on the Deadside was all a psychological projection/sublimation of some sort.

My expectation is that this arc ends up being somewhat akin to Dante's Inferno. Maybe the Gollum-like troll dude is Virgil?

[ChiptheRipper]

My expectation is that this arc ends up being somewhat akin to Dante's Inferno. Maybe the Gollum-like troll dude is Virgil?

This is exactly what I'm thinking, this is Gilad's Inferno. Tying into the "your life flashes before your eyes" thing, think of how many mistakes and failures must flash before Gilad every time he 'dies'.

[Tony_H]

The earth doesn't let him 'die' when fatally wounded... But he probably does still technically die from serious enough wounds, and I think it's a reasonable extrapolation to say that his spirit temporarily crosses over into some pocket of the Valiant spiritual dimension (aka, where the deadside exists, and all those other patchwork planes as explored in Dr Mirage).

This could all happen in a split second of real time while the earth heals his body & brings him back - it kind of fits with the time distortion concept of having your life flash before your eyes before you die.

This is exactly what I was thinking upon my initial pass. That Gilad's existence in this plane is some sort of hibernation period while he's being rebuilt (faster, stronger...), and that his Little House on the Deadside was all a psychological projection/sublimation of some sort.

My expectation is that this arc ends up being somewhat akin to Dante's Inferno. Maybe the Gollum-like troll dude is Virgil?

Nice work with the "Little House" characterization! That sequence also reminded me of the way the nanite-Bloodshot relationship was portrayed in the early VEI Bloodshot arcs.

Also, Venditti's tip of the hat to Tolkien in Wrath reminded me of how Pak referenced Conan and Elric in his first EW arc. It's easy to see Gilad in a fantasy/sword & sorcery milieu.

[lorddunlow]

I really enjoyed this. (I'm finally catching up! I skipped some - I still need to read all of Imperium, all of Ninjak, half of Unity, and about 10 issues of X-O, but I'm getting there!)

Glad to be joining the discussions again.

First of all I want to comment on the retconning. It's minor and I believe it actually can fit into existing continuity.

Tama mentions in Book of Death #4 that he's allowed to "rest" this time. Not sleep. There is seemingly not a finality to his rest - it's ambiguous. I believe that when he usually is wounded beyond repair that he "dies" like he does in A&A #9 and is immediately brought back. But every once in a while, the earth allows him some R&R in his Deadside paradise. Some time in heaven, as it were. I believe it is then his choice to return or stay dead. If he stays dead the earth will choose another guardian. That's why his Deadside wife is frustrated - he has always chosen to return.

Second, I have a theory as to why he goes into the demon realm instead of his seemingly usual path to the world of the living. What is different this time, is Kay is dead and probably in Deadside (or a connected realm). Knowing the failure and heartache Gilad felt by letting her die, he plans on trying to seek her out to apologize or make amends in some way.

Just my

[lorddunlow]

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue (& Bloodshot Reborn #8), please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr41/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in

Nah. Sorry, too many Canadians.

[jmatt]

Second, I have a theory as to why he goes into the demon realm instead of his seemingly usual path to the world of the living. What is different this time, is Kay is dead and probably in Deadside (or a connected realm). Knowing the failure and heartache Gilad felt by letting her die, he plans on trying to seek her out to apologize or make amends in some way.

Just my

I like it!

[grendeljd]

If anyone would like to hear our OTV:VCR podcast discussing/reviewing this issue (& Bloodshot Reborn #8), please follow the link;

http://onlythevaliant.com/episodes/vcr41/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to any who listen in

Nah. Sorry, too many Canadians.

[CongoBill]

I quite liked it and thought it was much better than I was expecting. I thought it was a good idea to see what many of y'all are describing as a slow issue or one where not a lot happens. The last thing I wanted to see was Eternal Warrior fighting hundreds of weird demon-like creatures that stand no chance against him while he says things like "you will die at my blade, "stay down," and "arrrrrghhhhh."

Let's get down to the core of Gilad. What makes him happy? What are the mechanics of his eternalness? Why would he ever leave his family/paradise (assuming he does)? Also, we have an interesting mystery in the archer. I am absolutely on board for this book, though if issue 2 is nothing but Gilad fighting those creatures, I will be disappointed.

Well said. I really enjoyed this issue. The art is fantastic and the storytelling had a very "zen" quality to it. Some interesting questions were raised, such as the identity of the archer with the mysterious lineage, as well as where this place is and are Gilad's wife and children stuck there in perpetuity where they never age or grow? If that's the case, isn't it a bit cruel that Gilad keeps them there and only visits when he happens to "die" on earth? We'll see. I expect there is far more to the story than what we saw in this first issue. My only quibble is with the Slather character's Gollum-speak, which was too similar to the LotR character, but that's a minor one. Overall I'm really excited for this series. I do want to learn more about Gilad's reality beyond what a master warrior he is.

[CongoBill]

Second, I have a theory as to why he goes into the demon realm instead of his seemingly usual path to the world of the living. What is different this time, is Kay is dead and probably in Deadside (or a connected realm). Knowing the failure and heartache Gilad felt by letting her die, he plans on trying to seek her out to apologize or make amends in some way.

Just my

But Kay is currently living in Bloodshot's head!

Kidding!

Actually, I really like that theory. It'll be interesting to see if Venditti goes that way.

[leonmallett]

I really enjoyed this, and feel Venditti wrote a better opening issue this time than he did with X-O Manowar #1; I felt more was told, and more effectively, in this first issue than that other one.

For me the art was ideal for the type of story being told.

I think the idea of time is meaningless in the resting paradise, as others have suggested above, which means it can easily reconcile with what we have seen before.

A strong start in this reader's experience.

[leonmallett]

...
The zombie-bears and people-impaling-tree-branches were EXPONENTIALLY more terrifying here than they were in Book of Death.
...

Totally agreed; a missed opportunity, and I hope VEI think more carefully about artist and artistic choices for those 'spine' event minis in future. Book of Death has been the only real mis-step for me, as I feel Gill was not suited, and the decision to set scenes in day time reduced the impact of the imagery, but it shows they need to think carefully IMHO.