FINALLY I'm up to Volume Seven of Errant Story. Sorry it took so long. And of course, I may have screwed up anyway.
The last scene of Volume Six I talked about? Yeah, it actually happened as part of the first chapter of Volume Seven. Since there aren't any more volume breaks, or obvious ones anyway, it's kind of hard to tell. I like my break better though, as it leads right into the real meat of Volume Seven, which is Meji finishes her school project.
Volume Seven also starts throwing random background information into the comic as side notes, and filler. A lot of the really bad stuff to happen to Poe happened during this period, so the universe building filler helped pad the comic. It's interesting, but not strictly necessary to the comic's story in the long run. It does make a point though that the comic's universe was constantly being rewritten as the story went on, changing and modifying as the story required rather than being completely wedded to it.
I covered the final parts of the volume pretty well in my Retrospective on the comic after it ended, but the build up to there is quite interesting too. The comic speeds along, most of the events taking place over the course of a few days at most. Most of the cast spend their time in jail cells (where Sara juggles) while Meji is in bed. Then a white room, where she encounters herself, from THE FUTURE! Apparently the alt-text (which shows up early in the comic then disappears then reappears in the late comic) says people didn't like the scene, not sure why. I guess I like it better because I've done scenes like that in my various stuff, so it didn't bother me. There is a reason for it, and I'll get to the white room thing next time.
The final fights in this volume are, well, brief. It's funny how little action there is in the comic, with most of the real heavy fighting off panel. But the results are obvious. The Elven city (whose name I can never bother to remember) is utterly destroyed, a disaster of epic proportions. It's almost unnerving how quiet it is throughout the first few pages. Then the explosions start.
Over on TVTropes there's a page dedicated to the headscratcher of the comic: Why are they saving the elves? They're complete jerks for the most part, awful across the board in fact. They are horrible and terrible people from the long view. Sarine gives her answer as to why in this Volume, because some of them ARE innocent, and if means saving the jerks to save them, then so be it. The truth though, is that the elves don't matter. This is all about Ian, and saving HIM is the point. He admits, while he's beating up the one person he cares about that's still alive, that what he's doing is evil, but it's all he can think to do with his great power. His naked form in the white room bitches about how he got the short end of the stick constantly, but really he didn't, he just didn't deal with the challenges in life in a meaningful way. He almost forgot completely about those that cared for him, and in his blindness would have killed them all.
That said, I do still stick with my contention that this was more Sarine's story than either Meji or Ian's. She really is the major mover of the plot from pretty much the get go, and she's the one who wraps up the whole thing at the end, finally healing, for the most part, a 1000 year old wound. She also gets the child she always wanted, from Jon, which by this point should be no surprise.
The comic ends with the note that the world didn't END with the story. Something a lot of people forget is that life goes on after the adventure, so Sarien and Jon's kid, Sara's wanderings and Meji's attempt to change the world aren't just an afterthought, but a full on story in and of themselves. At the same time, Errant Story, the comic, does draw to a satisfying ending, and one I wish I could have been more timely about.
Next time, I wrap up The Classic. Until then kiddies, and hope you had a happy Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate it anyway).
The last scene of Volume Six I talked about? Yeah, it actually happened as part of the first chapter of Volume Seven. Since there aren't any more volume breaks, or obvious ones anyway, it's kind of hard to tell. I like my break better though, as it leads right into the real meat of Volume Seven, which is Meji finishes her school project.
Volume Seven also starts throwing random background information into the comic as side notes, and filler. A lot of the really bad stuff to happen to Poe happened during this period, so the universe building filler helped pad the comic. It's interesting, but not strictly necessary to the comic's story in the long run. It does make a point though that the comic's universe was constantly being rewritten as the story went on, changing and modifying as the story required rather than being completely wedded to it.
I covered the final parts of the volume pretty well in my Retrospective on the comic after it ended, but the build up to there is quite interesting too. The comic speeds along, most of the events taking place over the course of a few days at most. Most of the cast spend their time in jail cells (where Sara juggles) while Meji is in bed. Then a white room, where she encounters herself, from THE FUTURE! Apparently the alt-text (which shows up early in the comic then disappears then reappears in the late comic) says people didn't like the scene, not sure why. I guess I like it better because I've done scenes like that in my various stuff, so it didn't bother me. There is a reason for it, and I'll get to the white room thing next time.
The final fights in this volume are, well, brief. It's funny how little action there is in the comic, with most of the real heavy fighting off panel. But the results are obvious. The Elven city (whose name I can never bother to remember) is utterly destroyed, a disaster of epic proportions. It's almost unnerving how quiet it is throughout the first few pages. Then the explosions start.
Over on TVTropes there's a page dedicated to the headscratcher of the comic: Why are they saving the elves? They're complete jerks for the most part, awful across the board in fact. They are horrible and terrible people from the long view. Sarine gives her answer as to why in this Volume, because some of them ARE innocent, and if means saving the jerks to save them, then so be it. The truth though, is that the elves don't matter. This is all about Ian, and saving HIM is the point. He admits, while he's beating up the one person he cares about that's still alive, that what he's doing is evil, but it's all he can think to do with his great power. His naked form in the white room bitches about how he got the short end of the stick constantly, but really he didn't, he just didn't deal with the challenges in life in a meaningful way. He almost forgot completely about those that cared for him, and in his blindness would have killed them all.
That said, I do still stick with my contention that this was more Sarine's story than either Meji or Ian's. She really is the major mover of the plot from pretty much the get go, and she's the one who wraps up the whole thing at the end, finally healing, for the most part, a 1000 year old wound. She also gets the child she always wanted, from Jon, which by this point should be no surprise.
The comic ends with the note that the world didn't END with the story. Something a lot of people forget is that life goes on after the adventure, so Sarien and Jon's kid, Sara's wanderings and Meji's attempt to change the world aren't just an afterthought, but a full on story in and of themselves. At the same time, Errant Story, the comic, does draw to a satisfying ending, and one I wish I could have been more timely about.
Next time, I wrap up The Classic. Until then kiddies, and hope you had a happy Thanksgiving (for those who celebrate it anyway).
