Wrath of The Eternal Warrior #2 Discussion

[leonmallett]

I actually enjoyed this a lot, and felt it built well from the previous issue. While action is thin on the ground, I still feel the story is pretty dense, thanks to the number of panels per page at times conveying a number of beats and moments even without dialogue or text.

I thought again art complemented writing very well. So far, so good for me.

[leonmallett]

I'm actually really liked this. I reckon we'll get twelve issues of home battling his way through the Deadside challenges that pave the way to life. And I'm cool with that- the fantasy setting is epic and really works well with the character. Seeing what actually happens to him when he dies is a joy. I mean, his family is there andmasks him to die again soon! So bittersweet!

Twelve issues would be eight too many for me unless each arc presents a new, previously unknown (to Gilad), hurdle - the journey back to life should not need twelve issues if we see it as it normally progresses. But even then, when contemplating that Gilad has returned to life presumably many, many times before, Venditti needs to work hard against the risk of there being no sense of risk or peril for Gilad, so I am interested to see where he takes things.

[leonmallett]

Xaran could still be alive. She was at the end of the opening Pak arc.

Mitu died but seemed to have been resurrected as the Sword of the Dead. A plot point never followed up on.

I hope the Pak stuff is not abandoned. The eight issues felt like a bit of a mess on the whole, but there were some interesting ideas within them IMHO.

[BugsySig]

Xaran could still be alive. She was at the end of the opening Pak arc.

Mitu died but seemed to have been resurrected as the Sword of the Dead. A plot point never followed up on.

I hope the Pak stuff is not abandoned. The eight issues felt like a bit of a mess on the whole, but there were some interesting ideas within them IMHO.

I agree.

I thought this issue was pretty good, though I agree the story telling technique with so many dialogue-less pages makes it read very quickly.

I'm not sure why some people are complaining about the death scene of Gilad's wife. We already know she's dead. It's not meant to make you feel some extreme loss. The character still exists in "Eternity" with Gilad and his children. The story was more to give additional background to her and Gilad's relationship.

[hunter_peterson]

I'm actually really liked this. I reckon we'll get twelve issues of home battling his way through the Deadside challenges that pave the way to life. And I'm cool with that- the fantasy setting is epic and really works well with the character. Seeing what actually happens to him when he dies is a joy. I mean, his family is there andmasks him to die again soon! So bittersweet!

Twelve issues would be eight too many for me unless each arc presents a new, previously unknown (to Gilad), hurdle - the journey back to life should not need twelve issues if we see it as it normally progresses. But even then, when contemplating that Gilad has returned to life presumably many, many times before, Venditti needs to work hard against the risk of there being no sense of risk or peril for Gilad, so I am interested to see where he takes things.

Well, we know Humongous is the villain of the first arc and we're getting another Immortal Enemy adaptation in the Dying Man for the second. So it seems like the journey will last a while. This is just the mini-boss at the beginning- there are greater trials ahead. Which crammed into an hour and a half would feel like a pretty epic journey through the underworld, IMHO. The deluxe edition will probably be awesome.

[hunter_peterson]

Xaran could still be alive. She was at the end of the opening Pak arc.

Mitu died but seemed to have been resurrected as the Sword of the Dead. A plot point never followed up on.

I hope the Pak stuff is not abandoned. The eight issues felt like a bit of a mess on the whole, but there were some interesting ideas within them IMHO.

I agree.

I thought this issue was pretty good, though I agree the story telling technique with so many dialogue-less pages makes it read very quickly.

I'm not sure why some people are complaining about the death scene of Gilad's wife. We already know she's dead. It's not meant to make you feel some extreme loss. The character still exists in "Eternity" with Gilad and his children. The story was more to give additional background to her and Gilad's relationship.

Yeah, I really want them to build outwards from the hints PAD left in his run as to the structure of the Houses and such. I reckon we will see that when Gilad comes back to life at the end of the underworld saga. It wouldn't be hard to iron the wrinkles out of the concepts there and make it fit with everything else we've seen.

[CongoBill]

I enjoyed issue #2. While I can understand some of the complaints of a meandering story and not enough happening, I'm finding this pretty entertaining for now. I don't think you can really pass judgement on the title after just two issues. Let's see what happens in the first story arc before saying this series is a flop. I trust Venditti to come up with some interesting and compelling situations and storylines and look forward to what's coming next.

[jmatt]

Let's see what happens in the first story arc before saying this series is a flop.

I don't think anyone's saying that, I just wish he'd pick up the tempo.

[jmatt]

Thought: Mitu and Xaran aside, none of Gilad's kids live beyond the age of 18? None of them made it to 50 or 70?

And why, exactly, are they there? One might surmise that because they are his genetic offspring, they too, are somehow wards of the Earth. But the fly in that ointment is Leena. She doesn't share his genetics.

Where are his other wives, the mothers of the children not born by Leena?

Or is it the case that this little after-life nirvana is merely a concoction of what he wishes to see? His favorite wife and the children he fondly remembers?

[leonmallett]

Thought: Mitu and Xaran aside, none of Gilad's kids live beyond the age of 18? None of them made it to 50 or 70?

And why, exactly, are they there? One might surmise that because they are his genetic offspring, they too, are somehow wards of the Earth. But the fly in that ointment is Leena. She doesn't share his genetics.

Where are his other wives, the mothers of the children not born by Leena?

Or is it the case that this little after-life nirvana is merely a concoction of what he wishes to see? His favorite wife and the children he fondly remembers?

I suspect the latter.

[jmatt]

While I'm sure its nothing: Leena. Neela. Oddly similar.

[Captain Craig]

Meh.

Is Venditti gonna take this somewhere, or what? I was patient with the first issue. But this is getting very boring very quickly.

There's gonna be wrath somewhere in here, yes? This was like a clone of the first issue, just without the tour of the five senses.

If I was a new reader, I would stop at this issue. Even the art is blah.

I've been behind on my books due to the Holidays and been catching up on threads.

I need go no further than the OP to see my thoughts have been encapsulated already.
I'm really feeling let down by VEI, again, on an Eternal Warrior book. Gilad is kinda like a Punisher movie, should be easy to do, yet each time they keep screwing it up or partially getting pieces in place. How? How is that happening?!!

I enjoyed issue #2. While I can understand some of the complaints of a meandering story and not enough happening, I'm finding this pretty entertaining for now. I don't think you can really pass judgement on the title after just two issues. Let's see what happens in the first story arc before saying this series is a flop. I trust Venditti to come up with some interesting and compelling situations and storylines and look forward to what's coming next.

Sure you can. Martian Manhunter at DC was a struggle by issue #2 and I shouldn't have finished that arc but I did, then dropped the book. Horrid.
Black Knight at Marvel by #2 though, for a character I didn't have any deep passions for WAS/IS good and interesting. Two issues in should give a fair sense of pace and direction. WotEW has yet to do that.

[jmatt]

I need go no further than the OP to see my thoughts have been encapsulated already.

I'm sure they have something great in store for us; all will be redeemed once the action starts rolling. It's just that this 'writing for the trades' pacing is frustrating on a month to month basis, sometimes.

I thought your Punisher remark was funny, I feel the same way.