Semi-meaningless RIPs
So DC made the incredibly silly decision to 'kill' Martian Manhunter in the first issue of its Final Crisis saga. There are raging debates on whether or not he's really dead, or when or how he'll come back, but everyone's agreed that the single panel stab-through-the-heart-while-he's-on-fire death was not the way for one of DC's best characters to go. So I'm quite sure he'll be back, just like I'm still holding out for Bart's triumphant return. I see all of this in the way that most comic readers do; looking at the art and the quality of the writing. But the part of the story that pulls at my heartstrings is Zelda's reaction, and she is not happy. It's slightly amusing and rather educational looking at it from a third-person perspective. Long before I had actual real people for the clan to interact with, fiction was the only option. My fandoms of choice offered the means by which the clan expanded and grew, and learned to deal with their human-related issues. Those were, and still are, important lessons. But in the meantime Zelda bonded with a number of these characters, which in principle wasn't a good idea because A) unlike the clan, these characters aren't under my control, and B) they have much-shortened lifespans. Zelda takes death hard, she's been built that way. And thanks to the desperate need to adapt, and find some way to cope with her excursions into the dark heart of humanity, Zelda bonds hard, and harvests both the reward and the punishment. She's still not over Bart Allen's death, and isn't even entirely sure that his soul has departed this world (or the others, for that matter). That doubt in her own senses stretches even further with J'onn now, with no body and no real proof of his untimely end. The gap in her mind that now cracks painfully raw with his absence is a source of great pain and distraction. Like a phantom limb condition, Zelda looks to reaffirm her bonds, recall and reassure and make contact, only to be greeted with an open wound, and the rememberance of similar pains from all of the other losses she has endured. It's not an easy thing to take in all at once.
J'onn's place in Zelda's circle of allies was unique to say the least. He's the only one of her DCU set that acts, thinks, and operates as a true alien. He and she were both aliens together, circling the perimeter of humanity as observers, trying to understand so they wouldn't have to be alone. They acknowledged this in one another, and spent long hours dicussing and musing. As the JLA's only philosopher, J'onn had much wisdom to impart to the still-green dragoness. And unlike the other powerhouses of the League, J'onn was pensive, and restrained. Where Bruce was hard-edged and cold, J'onn was quiet and gentle. Accepting and adapting; still at the surface, yet as roiling with power as any body of water. His resemblance in personality to Silver made him a quick ally to Zelda. Although they could never completely understand one another, they rewarded each other with comfort and reassurance in their mere presence, and unlike her other allies, J'onn was the only one who seemed to comprehend what that simple presence did for Zelda, and the strength it gave her. In the place of all this now is nothingness.
I'm very glad Nick ran Marvel tonight, so that I could distract myself with another character and try my best to keep Zelda and the other leaders quiet. If teasers deliver as they seem to hint, this is going to be a hard summer for her. Something to make her sad, no doubt, but stronger too. A painful and forced adaptation. She'll come through it alright, she's better than anything that's been thrown at her so far. But the loss is fresh and, even though it's entirely fictional, is distracting. Far better this than losing someone I actually know and love. Far better. I'll take the fictional hands-down any day!
J'onn's place in Zelda's circle of allies was unique to say the least. He's the only one of her DCU set that acts, thinks, and operates as a true alien. He and she were both aliens together, circling the perimeter of humanity as observers, trying to understand so they wouldn't have to be alone. They acknowledged this in one another, and spent long hours dicussing and musing. As the JLA's only philosopher, J'onn had much wisdom to impart to the still-green dragoness. And unlike the other powerhouses of the League, J'onn was pensive, and restrained. Where Bruce was hard-edged and cold, J'onn was quiet and gentle. Accepting and adapting; still at the surface, yet as roiling with power as any body of water. His resemblance in personality to Silver made him a quick ally to Zelda. Although they could never completely understand one another, they rewarded each other with comfort and reassurance in their mere presence, and unlike her other allies, J'onn was the only one who seemed to comprehend what that simple presence did for Zelda, and the strength it gave her. In the place of all this now is nothingness.
I'm very glad Nick ran Marvel tonight, so that I could distract myself with another character and try my best to keep Zelda and the other leaders quiet. If teasers deliver as they seem to hint, this is going to be a hard summer for her. Something to make her sad, no doubt, but stronger too. A painful and forced adaptation. She'll come through it alright, she's better than anything that's been thrown at her so far. But the loss is fresh and, even though it's entirely fictional, is distracting. Far better this than losing someone I actually know and love. Far better. I'll take the fictional hands-down any day!