Spike: Shadow Puppets issue 1
Summary
Tokyo, year ago. Some types in hooded robes attack an old man in a puppet studio. Blood is spilled on a photo on which the man is hugged by a duck.
Los Angeles, now. Spike is fighting a demon in a bar. Expressive pictures are juxtaposed with sardonic commentaries: "Lately I've been working alone. And to tell you the truth I'm bloody loving it. I've played sidekick fo far too many people. The girl was fun. She let me be the dominant one every now and then. But after years of playing by other people's rules it's bells and whistles being on my own."
Spike deals with the demon, saves the girl (who turnes out to be gay), lights his cigarette from the burning demon and leaves into the night - lonely man in a city full of happy couples, modern Sam Spade, perfect hero of a noir crime story.
Spike keeps his cool until he is attacked by a demon "from the third rung of hell" whom he owes money. It quickly becomes obvious that Spike's thoughts are nothing but self-deception: "This loser's getting off lucky, let me tell you", he thinks as he runs away. "Go home by way of back alleys of the surrounding streets just to make sure there are no innocents in need of rescuing". As he enters his dilapidated home, his neighbour, old woman, destroys his cool image completely by offering him scones. "You're wasting away to nothing", she says.
In his IKEA-furnished flat Spike discovers Lorne, who shows him a tape with evil puppets from the episode Smile Time. Turns out, they moved to Japan, and now Japanese children are found brain-sucked. Lorne shows Spike an envelope signed "For Spike!! (Not the Ponce)" with Smile Time file - photos and clippings from Japanese newspapers. Spike ponders on the mission. There are more "cons" than "pros"... but demon "from the third rung of hell" appears and starts to fulminate. So Spike is forced to go to Japan with Lorne. They buy tickets on "the only airline that caters to the supernatural".
Upon arrival they're met with the army of puppet!ninjas. Obviously, their leader is Marko who "digs rubber duckies" and is "all about eating cookies in bed". (I'm not kidding - it's written on the page, honestly). Marco is a twin of "Polo" - the puppet Angel destroyed in Smile Time. New puppet!team consists of Marco, dragon Snuff, cigarette-smoking skank Fauna (who provides insight "B comes after A in the alphabet!") and veteran Ratio Hornblower, "the only old face. And, actually, his face is 25% new".
Marco shoots at Spike with "official Smile Time Cannon" and orders him to go back to America. Spike refuses and promises to "send him back to whatever children's television workshop hell spawned you". Another wave of puppet!ninjas attack Spike. They are armed with sais - and they are countless.
To be continued...
Analysis
There is a weird duality in Smile Time. On the surface it's the funniest and the most whimsical episode of the show. But under the surface it's one of the most dark and disturbing commentaries on modern media and the notion of a superhero in contemporary culture.
So, it's Smile Time again. It's always hard to follow in somebody footsteps, but BtVS proved that the second try may be as interesting as the first one, if not even more compelling. Think Buffy and Faith. Think Angel and Spike. So, although the set-up of S:SP is too familiar (souled vampire vs evil puppets), I won't judge the plot by the first issue and will wait for the further development. I hope for new, unexpected twists in a deliciously snarky and dark story about puppets and puppeteers.
Overall, the first issue of S:SP gives the impression that the comics inherited the tradition of the show. Like AtS, S:SP is something you want to return to, to reread, to think over. There are countless small details that make the story three-dimensional. For example, when Spike gives his card to the girl, she wonders about "the symbol on the card. It looks like a butterfly with a big knife in its head". Writer doesn't linger on this funny note - readers are supposed to imagine Spike's card to the extent of their naughtiness.
On the same panel there is a curious fragment of a small child who points at burning demon and smiles. It's a well-thought detail - children often display morbid fascination with gore and cruelty. I wonder if it's a casual stroke or conceptual idea to be developed in the next issues.
The fugure of wee!puppet!Angel on Spike's lamp is hysterical. Obviously, Urru used Whedon's sketch for Chosen. I have to confess that I haven't noticed it the first time; gasped and laughed the second time; and started to wonder if it could have some significance in the future issues when I was reading the comic for the third time.
When Spike weights pros and cons of going to Japan, he thinks about the possibility of "an imprompu reunion with the Slayer while I'm away". Since the writer is a self-professed Buffy\Angel shipper (which, ironically, makes him a hero of Spike-haters, who quote him as the ultimate source) I'm very uneasy with everything he writes ship-wise, but I admit that so far he doesn't push his bias and navigates very cautiously in the stormy waters. Interestingly, Spike doesn't mention Buffy by name, but mentions Andrew. I wonder if it's a contractual matter or a subtle reminder that Spike avoids pronouncing Buffy's name even mentally because it hurts too much.
The visuals: I love Urru's expressive style. He's very good at catching the movements and finding unusual angles. His Spike is a certain departure from James Marsters' look, but he's neither bland nor ugly and his movements are swift and predator-like. You almost hear the flapping of the tails of his duster.
Questions, questions...
Marco is "all about eating cookies in bed". Is is a throwaway phrase or intentional parallel between him and Angel and Buffy's cookie speech in Chosen? Are Marco and Polo reflections of Spike and Angel? (I have to confess that my vision is a bit skewed: Polo "loved pidgeons" and in Russian "pidgeon" is slang for "gay".)
The envelope. Who had sent it? Interestingly, on the preliminary stage the envelope was signed simply "For Spike" without "(Not the Ponce)" addition. Nobody but Spike calls Angel "ponce". Hmmm... Joss is toying with time-travel in the secong s8 arc - maybe S:SP is also using this trick?
And, last, but not least. Since it's almost a month till the next issue of Puppet!Spike's adventures in Tokyo, I recommend a very well-written and ingenious fic about Puppet!Spike's adventures in Rome SpikePuppet by kelso