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Underground > Comic Books >

7 Soldiers

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19:26 / 15.10.06

Interesting question, that reading-order one. I'm currently reading in the order of Falc's reading list, which while great for putting in your head what's-happening-when, is a little disjointed in terms of the art-styles/stories, as it was when we were reading as it came out.

I much prefered reading them as independent minis, they're much more cohesive and self-contained than most people give them credit for. Especially Mr Miracle, but they all benefit from reading them as unique entities in their own right. I didn't find it hard keeping track of the crossover stuff at all, but you get a much better sense of the characters from being completely immersed in their story, rather than having the narrative jump all over the place if you read in chronological order.

Although, the benefit of following a timeline is that you get a great sense of all these pieces being moved around a giant chess-board, working towards a common goal, rather than simply following a single character-arc reading mini-by-mini.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

19:33 / 15.10.06

I'm currently re-reading them as the trades come out- having the minis mixed gives it that sense of being a REALLY BIG STORY, while reading them without the fortnightly gap between each issue is really working as far as helping the bigger picture show through (my re-readings to date have been each series 1-4- which is better for the individual minis, I think, but a lot of the epicness is lost).

20:35 / 15.10.06

Thinking about the Hammer.

One assumes it's the one that showed up in the SK flashback... but I wonder who has it now?

21:49 / 15.10.06

Yeah, the hammer has me stumped too. It's also odd that Ystin has 3 of the treasures - the cauldron, the sword and the flying horse (although Zee has this currently). But... hammer? Could this be the big drill thingy that Klarion had? what was hat called again?

23:55 / 15.10.06

I liked the father box, the die. Which was apparently replicated by Melmoth and redubbed Croatoan.

Delays or no, this series has been fine, fine work, and I'm happy to already see that its capstone will be lunatic and breakneck and human.

00:51 / 16.10.06

Well, look at how they break down:

Justina has the sword, and sort of the Cauldron.
Zatanna has the horse, Gwydion, and half of the box
Klarion has the other half of the box
Bulleteer IS the Spear (somehow)

So it would seem likely that Shilo, Guardian, or Frankie somehow have the hammer. And it's definitely Frankie's style.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

05:27 / 16.10.06

Bulleteer IS the Spear (somehow)

Well, we never did figure out where her husband obtained the basis of the smartskin, did we? Possibly smelted down an "enchanted" spear from way back? Alix is both love and vengeance, as we can see from her fight with Miss Sonic.

09:37 / 16.10.06

Melting magic weapons usually destroys their magic... but possibly.

Alternatively, given that at least two of the other treasures are organic, it's possible Alix was the Spear BEFORE she got the skin. Her last name IS Harrower....

12:32 / 16.10.06

...Isn't Alix supposed to be a direct descendant of the world's first superhero - i.e. Auracles? Could the "hushed and profane secret" of the Enchanted Spear be that it is not an object but rather an action? Some kind of ritual stabbing technique that can impale through space-time?

12:38 / 16.10.06

ZOMG.

Alix = Mary Magdalene.

Tom Hanks as Flex Mentallo in "The Morrison Code".

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

13:33 / 16.10.06

Huuuum.

The image that accompanies the reference to the spear is Aurakles with a woman, and the spear is referred to as being named both love and vengeance - maybe the seventh treasure was the woman herself? And, mating with Aurakles, led to Alix after a few thousand generations? Maybe the woman was a Pandora-type. And since Vanguard is a descendent of Pegazeus, we =know= weaponhood is carried, ah, genetically...(which sounds so ridiculous).

Probably barking up the wrong familial tree, but there you go.

I love all the references to neanderthal super-scientists.

Keith, like a scientist

14:01 / 16.10.06

all of that dovetails with "A spear, not thrown" as well. Good one, folks. We have haxored GM's secrets muahahaha.

16:06 / 16.10.06

Time for swingball!!

16:29 / 16.10.06

Could the "hushed and profane secret" of the Enchanted Spear be that it is not an object but rather an action? Some kind of ritual stabbing technique that can impale through space-time?

Or maybe it's just sex.

18:59 / 16.10.06

TANTRIC sex.

20:36 / 16.10.06

with Alix being Super-Dildowoman, makes a lotof sense, this.

20:53 / 16.10.06

I wonder who her other half might be....

21:07 / 16.10.06

The REAL Vol. 4 cover:

Frankie wins the coolness prize.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

21:32 / 16.10.06

I wonder who her other half might be....

I really want a Giant Sized Man-Thing joke to fit in here, but I don't have the chops.

10:20 / 17.10.06

I wonder how Mr.Miracle will get thosse super powers, i don't know much about the original Mr.M, he seemed pretty uncool.

Was he New-God powered?

12:07 / 17.10.06

Sn00p - what super-powers? Are you talking in spoilers here or something else?

And, AFAIK, the original MM was Scott Free, and he was New-God powered. I think.

Wikipedia is your friend.

And, on a different note, OMFG that's a cool cover. Something to replace the Quitely Bizarro pic I've had for a while. Go Frankie!

I'm almost finished on my chronological readthrough and I was mistaken upthread, it's a great way to read it, it feels fucking epic, in a way that it didn't quite when I first read it. Of course, this has a lot to do with knowing more and more as you have more readthroughs. I love the little bits than you never understand until a second or third readthrough, like Vincenzo screaming "This is for Mo Colley!" in SK. And Klarion! Anyone notice in #3, Melmoth has scars on his neck because of the beheading in Frankie #1?

"When I showed him a television, he laughed and laughed and then became violently sick."

I'm really really excited now. I wish I was in some kind of coma (a safe one, mind, with minimal risk of brain damage), so I could wake up and SS#1 would be out. I can't be doing with all this life rubbish in between!

13:22 / 17.10.06

Scott Free wasn't "New God-powered". He IS a New God. The son of Izaya, Highfather of New Genesis. Shilo, OTOH, is human, and merely using Scott's tech.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

13:37 / 17.10.06

Damn, I really wish I knew where all my 7S issues are right now so I could read through them. I moved mid way through the series and some ended up in one long box, some in others.

13:58 / 17.10.06

Then dig, Elijah!

Just reading on my lunch break - Frankie has the sword of Auracles (as asked about upthread). Klarion's drill wasn't the hammer, it was the Sapper, so it still leaves us with a missing treasure, but at least SK didn't have three of the 7 treasures, which would be very odd.

Also, in Bulleteer #4, Vigilante makes a specific reference to Alix being the 'spear never thrown', because she ducked out of the #0 shindig (I think this was questioned about upthread).

Back to the pile...

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

14:32 / 17.10.06

This might sound silly (again, read them as they were released and not since) but where did this talk of 7 treasures come from?

Oddly enough I have not waded through all 28 pages of this thread, so if it was mentioned elsewhere let me know.

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

14:40 / 17.10.06

Technically, Thaddeus Brown (name-dropped by Shilo as someone he studied) was the first Mister Miracle, then Scott.

Maybe the JLA mindwiped Shilo into forgetting Scott so he wouldn't think he was a legacy hero and join the Titans or the JSA?

The "Plastic People" process as described by Jonelle before Bedlam gets his hands on her - and the "plastic" look - reminds me of the way Phantom Lady's being drawn and coloured over in the Freedom Fighters, which has drawn some criticism. All shiny and plastic. Somehow I doubt that there's any actual reason for it, and the Bedlam stuff was part of the Life Trap initiation anyway.

I continue to love Klarion's interaction with his mother in KTWB #4 - so weirdly comical in spite the stake-burning thing.

Does Shilo technically even need to have one of the treasures? A simulation of Aurakles himself shows up, although there's the issue of size going on.

Alix continues to be the spear not thrown in #4, yeah, when she tells of Vigilante. And I'm expecting she'll figure out the true meaning of not being thrown in SS1, although I suspect this doesn't mean she's going to tantric-sex up Melmoth to save the day. Remember: vengeance and love.

Franky's next on my reread!

14:44 / 17.10.06

Don't they swing a hammer to split an atom in Avalon (7S:SK2) ?

Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

14:52 / 17.10.06

Ayup. I think we're just wondering where the hammer is now, as most of the treasures have shown up in connection with the soldiers in the present. It seems like the sort of thing Jake Jordan would have slung over his shoulder.

15:34 / 17.10.06

Brutus the Last Golem did have a fine set of hammers.

15:37 / 17.10.06

Also, 7S is all about incompletes sets of 7. It could be that the Hammer of the New Gods could be lost/in Sheeda hands.

16:20 / 17.10.06

whomever said the hammer might have been melted and used as Alix's smartskin may be on to something...

16:38 / 17.10.06

Actually, we thought the Spear was...

But I'm fairly certain the Spear is actually part of her genetic heritage, so it COULD have been the Hammer...

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

17:20 / 17.10.06

Ah ok got it, SK3 mentions the 7 treasures made by the gods and given to man to fight 'evil'.

Elijah, Freelance Rabbi

19:53 / 17.10.06

Reading digital copies at work (yay no production days) I think I have a change to make to Duncan's timeline.

B4 and G4 should be on the same day. When Alix tries to call 911 for Sally they tell her they are tied up with something big downtown. At the end of G4 when Guardian is on the phone with Carla he tells her something bad has come up and it is only him Downtown.

I think these are the same events, but we wont know for sure until SS1 comes out. That being tomorrow this post is mostly pointless I guess.

21:00 / 17.10.06

Tommorow? Next week, I think you'll find, dude. Got me all excited there, too.

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