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Underground > Comic Books >

7 Soldiers: Mister Miracle

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Hallo, Paper Spaceboy

17:06 / 27.01.06

I dunno. Barda does not need rescuing, and the Holy Grail implies she is the object of a quest.

I actually think it would be more viable to consider Barda & Scott as two sides of the concept of Escape: Guile and Brute Strength. Scott escapes from traps but Barda breaks them.

17:22 / 27.01.06

You know what else I'm thinking?

She starts as a bad girl. There's another story.

06:33 / 28.01.06

I really like this series! Sure the art isn't A-list, but it's okay. Having just read the 3 issues back to back, I find it totally works and it totally rocks. The links to the overall story and other titles are there too, especially thematically (growing-up, exploitation, the invasion of powerful outside forces, etc), and with one more issue left to bring in the Sheeda I honestly don't get what some folks are complaining about. Oh, well. Different strokes, I guess.

As for Scott and Barda, yeah, I think they're long gone. Shilo doesn't strike me as a vehicle for the New Gods (and Scott in particular) in the same way that the homeless people are vehicles for the NG's. The NG'S are trapped in those bodies after having escaped the destruction of New Genesis, right? Shilo on the other hand is an outgrowth of this earth and is discovering an affinity within himself for more expansive realms. He's transcending his flesh and going to a higher level. It's a very different process, a different journey. It reminds me of the dove and the snake at the end of Promethea, with Shilo's journey being like that of the snake. Shedding skin and transcending matter vs. divine spirit inspiring flesh. Sure we can all channel archetypes and Darkside is Lex and Chad is War and all of that, but I think AS CHARACTERS in this story, the New Gods are Higher Beings that became trapped in some bums, whereas Shilo's a human on his way to becoming a New God. As for Scott and Barda, they've transcended beyond this Gameboard altogether, beyond Earth and New Genisis, to who-knows-where.

23:27 / 30.01.06

picking up from Chad's comment in the Bulleteer thread:

well, given the fact A*S is in a separate continuity, maybe Shilo can emerge in JLA's trophy room... =)

let's pick up on this theory: if Shilo IS in Qwewq [which would make for a very cool Life Trap] then are all the Seven Soldiers there too [re: #3 cameos]? or is this baby universe emulating events from regular DCU?

it would sit well in the "JLA as higher beings" perspective.
and *perspective shift* is what MM may turn out to be about, too.

00:48 / 31.01.06

The problem with that theory is that Ne-bu-loh IS Qwewq. So he'd be inside himself, which is kinda weird.

02:35 / 31.01.06

Gentlemen. Please.

See that baby bear there? That's Nebuloh/Qwewq. He fits inside the Momma Bear. She's the DCU.

Now, in Classified, we saw the JLA drop down into Qwewq in order to persue and apprehend a supervillain, Black Death, who was also native to the DCU. While there, they say things like: "Ten minutes in this place could be hours in real time. We can't use our usual techniques here... It's important we use our powers precisely and discreetly."

Much ado was made about the fact that the JLA was "trapped" inside the infant universe so that shenanigans could be played by Black Death's allies. But they are not trapped. They have simply lost contact with the above universe, and require contact to be re-established. How do the JLA "escape", and ascend back into their universe? They use a BOOM TUBE.

Now, we can argue all we want about New Gods being a race of superhuman beings living on a nearby planet in the DCU, but that'd be boring and much, MUCH less than the themes imply.

I'm suggesting that the universe of the New Gods is represented by Papa Bear. Shilo is vessel in which the godliness of Scott Free is trapped. Let go of your need for Scott to be a separate entity. These are GODZ! We all accept that Archons exist in shapes and times alien to comprehension, why not unleash the same logic for New Genesis and Apokolips? But whether Scott is inside Shilo, or whether Scott is the unfolded god of which Shilo is a subset, is truly beside the point. The point is that again, our fantastic heroes are trapped in a mundane world. And require contact to ascend.

Classified ended with the Ultramarines being dropped down to be heroes on the Earth inside Qwewq. BOOM! Let's assume patterns repeat. Who, pray tell, will be sent as cavalry to aid the Earth of DCU against the Sheeda? BOOM!

02:36 / 31.01.06

Ha! Boom Tubes are umbilical cords!

The Natural Way

08:07 / 31.01.06

I certainly have no problem w/ universes being imbedded in themselves. Invisibles 101, Mario. They're not in Qweq, tho' - Qweq didn't have the luxury of superheroes.

I like boom-tubes as umbilical cords, Chad.

11:16 / 31.01.06

Qweq didn't have the luxury of superheroes

Or super-anything. Black Death was the first superbeing it'd seen. Which makes Shilo being a super-escape artist from(/bound within) QwEwQ pretty unlikely.

19:50 / 12.02.06

It's easier to understand when you realise Xyu/eon is a lower order presence of Robotman Reformed.

Do you see?

On a bad day, maybe, but isn't that the same for all of us?

20:29 / 12.02.06

Jack of Fire... what are you talking about? I went through the thread looking for the quote you bolded. No such luck. Elaborate?

20:34 / 12.02.06

Nevermind. Got it.

12:21 / 08.03.06

Bump. You're on, Yotsuba.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

13:43 / 08.03.06

*Reads #4*

*Crumples Up Chronology And Throws It In Nearest Dustbin*

Sweet read, though. And not in the Reverse 180 Ollie kind of sweet. The puppy in a sunshower kind of sweet. Slight crosscurrent with the rest of the saga but definitely one of the more enclosed 4 issue stories of 7S.

13:57 / 08.03.06

The puppy in a sunshower kind of sweet.

You expect less from the man who gave us We3?

14:03 / 08.03.06

Any spoilers for those of us who won't be able to read it for 4 hours?

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

14:06 / 08.03.06

Mars, I don't even know where I'd start. There's like 58 issues of plot content in the issue. Perhaps that's spoiler enough.

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

14:09 / 08.03.06

Mars, I don't even know where I'd start. There's like 58 issues of plot content in the issue. Perhaps that's spoiler enough.

14:26 / 08.03.06

Any Sheeda?

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

14:29 / 08.03.06

Just a mention.

14:32 / 08.03.06

Any obvious links to the uberstory?

14:36 / 08.03.06

One more question:

Yes or No, no details... is there ANY mention of Scott Free?

Yotsuba & Benjamin!

14:39 / 08.03.06

Um, I didn't catch any Scott Free reference. The only mention of the uberstory is in that brief reference to Sheeda and Summer's End. No Metron hiding the lapel of his Seven Men Of Slaughter Swamp suit coat under his costume or anything.

14:55 / 08.03.06

So much for the "Shilo is Scott's mortal host" theory, I guess...

17:31 / 08.03.06

Superstrange issue. "Last Temptation" x Donna Troy = Shilo Norman. Aaron was left field though. Which Shilo was real?

20:14 / 08.03.06

The way it was structured even justified the shifts in art, realities with-in realities and all.

As an embodyment of a primal force there's some play in the higher order New Gods theory. Dark Side's fiction suit burning away in the heat of time and even a nod to "Crisis."

"Die for Dark Side" returns, met with "Die for what's his name(?)" Half expected that death row inmate to claim "he wasn't the god of Shilo's fathers."

Nice touch on the DC continuity prison warden era as well.

20:43 / 08.03.06

Head hurts, but I think I understand what happened.

The Shilo we see in #1, post black hole, is not the real one. In the black hole, he meets Metron, who sets him on the path to empowerment.

The next two issues are a phantom life, crafted by Omega, but ALSO taking place in the real world. The "Blaine" Shilo dies, to be replaced by "Suburban" Shilo, who dies of old age (having lived his phantom life in a short span), and is replaced (I think) by Warden Shilo.

Warden Shilo meets up with Aurakles (see Ystin's sword) who mentions a Spear (that was never thrown?) who somehow awakened him long enough to fight off Omega, and return to his prior existence.

I'm fairly certain that the last page is supposed to be a happy memory, replacing the trap of the memory of his brother's death.

(BTW, his brother's death is not a creation of Grant's. Although the name may be... I don't have those issues handy).

Does Omega remind anyone else of the Sheeda's Mood 7 Mind Destroyer?

20:48 / 08.03.06

Oh, and a link to ponder:

http://www.dcuguide.com/who.php?name=oracle

21:14 / 08.03.06

The last page is the aftermath of Shiloh's escape. After his encounter with the Alan Moore-acle the scenes of his para-lives are intercut with him hanging in that alley all night when he was a boy, his first escape.

When the memory shows him finally break free of the straightjacket he's back in touch with motherbox, now a womb-coffin, and he confronts Omega.

It's his neverending initiation. (Note his straightjacket on the back of his chair at the ice cream parlour).

Great issue. Great mini about coping with grief, aimlessness, senselessness.

There's little room for doubt of Metron's 7 Unknown Manitude.

21:17 / 08.03.06

Oh, also:

Darkseid complaining on Desaad's psychiatrist's couch is utterly priceless. Desaad'll get his flogging and then the two will be back to their usual top/bottom antics.

I wonder if they'd say "Die for Darkseid!" in the sack. I hope so.

21:49 / 08.03.06

'Cause Mario's link didn't work for me.

ORACLE I

Overview: Beyond time and space exists the Oracle, a cosmic entity who knows every secret of the universe. He can be summoned by those in need of his assistance, but not easily (it once took the combined might of Dr. Fate I, Zatanna, and Yz the Thunderbolt to call him), and the answers he will give are cryptic in nature. Furthermore, he always lets the ones summoning him solve the matter for themselves. The Oracle appeared when the JLA and the JSA searched for the time-lost Seven Soldiers of Victory (I), in order to save Earth from the threat of the Nebula-Man.

First Appearance: Justice League of America #100 (August 1972)

21:55 / 08.03.06

My fault, bad HTML.

I also found an old interview on Comicon where Grant specifically namedrops the Oracle:

"We're also doing the origin of the cosmic character Oracle, from Justice League 100 - 102, the 'Unknown Soldier of Victory'"

22:10 / 08.03.06

Just some things I noticed.

"I studied Houdini, Steranko, and Thaddeus Brown".

Houdini is self-explanatory.

Steranko is Jim Steranko, who was an escape artist in his youth (and one of the sources Kirby used for Scott Free).

And Thaddeus Brown is Mister Miracle I.

The "God Exterminators" are Dark Side & Dezard.

Next to the Mister Miracle cross in the graveyard scene is one for Multi-Man... who also lives serial lives.

22:24 / 08.03.06

So "Oracle" might be a New God? One that was enslaved by the Sheeda?

Metron: "Free ALL of us."

22:32 / 08.03.06

Given the connection to Shining Knight (who bears the sword of Aurakles) I'm not sure. I got the feeling he fled the fall of Camelot... Merlin, maybe?

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