Barbelith Underground > Comic Books

I remember seeing/thinking that as well. Towers fall, then the numbers run down... but I don't think it's that clean. I think the middle number jumps around.

Back to important stuff. Mister Six says this:

But essentially what I dislike about 7S is Grant's wave of ideas not connecting. I mean, he's got these four issues to fill and for me as a reader I didn't see a thread from beginning to end. There were very strong beginnings followed by fits and starts that culminated in a cliffhanger ending a year later (This is a limited review as I was turned off by Zattana, Klarion and Shining Knight by issue 3, only bought the entire Guardian mini). I was also peeved that the idea you could read just one mini and be satisfied was bullshit... for me, anyway. Zattana borrowed ideas and ploththreads from Shining Knight and the issues just seemed to focus on Grant's idea of the day rather than following the character's growth which should have been easy given the strong beginnings each mini had.

I'll take a stab at it and say that this is what keeps me in books like JSA, the character growth combined with the FUCK YEAH action sequences Benjamin is always on about. It surely is geeky and all, but I loved seeing stories such as the one where Mr Terrific talks about his dead wife and how he is 100% there's no afterlife. Then they fight Zombies. The story ended with this sequence of Mr Terrific seeing his wife in heaven but the stubborn bastard is still not 100% ready to admit comfort in a higher plan of existence. As you may imagine, I can relate to that kinda stubborness. He's a fully fleshed out character who grows and changes and has evolved but thankfully not had a miniseries or costume change.

Well, I believe I'm privy to the science behind it all, but I see 7S as a grand experiment in character growth. That's the thread in each mini. The growth of the main character. It's interesting to me that Six mentions an arc featuring stubbornly atheist Mr. Terrific, who at the end of an entirely spiritual affair, remains exactly where he began: stubbornly atheist.

Jake Jordan grows in fits and starts throughout the Guardian mini. I don't use the words "his mini", because the story presented examines much more than the main character. Jake is entirely emotionally supported by Carla in the beginning, and gains a foothold in a new self-image by the end of issue 2. Jake and Carla are at odds with the risks of Jake's new role in issue 3, and solidifies his own emotional integrity and affirms his role in the scheme of things at the climax of issue 4. That's just what's going on inside Jake.

Allegorically, the Pirate tribes of the subway serve as representative of Jake's doldrum existence. Fallen out of the economic system and jobless, Pirates cling to each other as Jake clings to Carla. The Pirates compete to find a treasure to newfound power, while Jake has already competed and won his newfound power -the Guardian job.

Can't go on. At work with deadlines.

7 Soldiers: Guardian