Shining Knight 3
From Barbelith
"The Perfect Knight Returns"
Barbelith thread: Why do they grunt like beasts and speak some mangled human tongue? (http://www.barbelith.com/topic/20484/from/105#post462196)
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Background and General Commentary
Synopsis:
Justin, having turned himself in to the LAPD, faces questioning by two experts flown in from out of town -- Helen Helligan, a psychiatrist specializing in meta-human incidents, and Gloria Friday, a rather menacing antiquarian with a bit too much knowledge of pre-Atlantean civilizations.
She is, of course, Gloriana Tenebrae, the evil queen of the Sheeda, in a temporary disguise. We learn that she is collecting the "Seven Treasures of Arthur" to cement her rulership over this realm. With the Cauldron taken from Vincenzo the Undying Don, and the Sword swiped from Justin in custody, that leaves five yet to be taken....
Themes:
Shining Knight and the Comics Industry:
The conversation between Helen Helligan and "Gloria Friday" feels like it gets to the heart of what Morrison has said is a major theme/purpose of Seven Soldiers: to mature or make sentient the DC Universe. The Sheeda come back to Earth to "harrow" or wipe clean the earth, preventing humanity from advancing beyond a certain point -- the "Arthurians", the Mayans, and now us in 2005. To me, this represents what has happened to comic books. If Nebula-Man is a universe grown old without superheroes, perhaps he represents the "adult" critics who put comics down as not "real" art. There is also evidence of this in Shining Knight, where Nebula says that while he once found Misty beautiful, he now sees only shame. He's "grown up" and is now too old for comics. It was congressional hearings that resulted in the self-imposed censorship that brought an end to the Golden Age of comics and set the entire medium back years, perhaps decades. Now, comics are on the verge of mainstream respect, and the Sheeda return to stop that from happening. So who does Morrison think is currently holding back comic books?
(This, however, conflicts with what Morrison himself has said in interviews, specifically that he could care less if comics gain respect as a legitimate art form.)
--Lee-Lon 15:38, 13 Sep 2005 (EDT)
- Here's another theory, from LDones (http://www.barbelith.com/topic/19871/from/385).
The idea, from Andy above, that the Sheeda are humanoids from the future who come to stripmine the past to sustain themselves, is interesting. And works along with the current 7S meta-commentary on superhero comics - brilliant, but never matured, just gotten old; far ahead of their time, but desperately stripmining their own history just to sustain themselves. Makes me think of George's takes on Lex Luthor and Dr. Doom, who could cure cancer and better mankind if they weren't so fixated on petty ideas.
Annotations
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Page 1
PANEL 2: "From lost Ysse, beneath the waves, came the last survivors of Arthur's table..."
Papers called me that, not I - The Knights return from the undersea Ysse - Ys, perhaps? Connecting them to the Zatanna series.
Page 2-3
PANEL 1: “They made preparations to split the building blocks of matter itself on their anvils… and thus was forged a weapon even unstoppable Mordredd might fear.”
This sounds like a description of the atomic bomb.
Note that the three knights who convince the dwarves to split the atom are the same three who tradition tells us succeed in finding the Holy Grail: Galahad, Bors and Peredur/Percival. The idea that the Grail has here been replaced by - or is equitable to - the atom bomb is, in some ways, far more disturbing than the unsettling imagery of Mordredd the undead king.
The 'Dwarrow Men' are analogous to archetypal fantasy fiction race, the Dwarves, with whom they share a talent for vulcanology.
Note also that a plant elemental, or Swamp Thing (http://www.answers.com/swamp%20thing), is present at this onerous event.
Page 8
Bianchi has used another Chinese (or Japanese kanji) character here on Helen Helligan's pendant.
The symbol is really close to the character tu (http://zhongwen.com/d/164/d103.gif), or "earth" (especially when it's used to modify other characters -- that's when the top line takes on a slight angle and the vertical stem is less prominent).
Maybe coincidence. Given that Strato in Shining Knight 2 is wearing "wood," maybe not.
Kirk Ultra -- It's Agent Helligan's confession about putting fish oil in her brother's milk shake that finally lets her pull the sword out. Once she confesses that one sin away her heart becomes pure enough for the sword to become groovy with her. It actually demonstrates very nicely how pure- hearted she is; that she's so "pure" that that little imperfection was enough to make her doubt her own purity.
Page 21
PANEL 2: “Spyder?”
Spyder is I, Spyder, who appeared in Seven Soldiers 0. He has been turned and corrupted like Galahad and Olwen before him to be a loyal slave to the Sheeda.
Seven Treasures of Arthur:
Mario - I haven't found any solid references to Seven Treasures. However, there IS a list of thirteen treasures associated with Arthur. Looking them over, and eliminating the ones that are duplicates of the Four, we have a few candidates: The Chariot of Morgan the Wealthy: transported its owner wherever he wished to go quickly. The Halter of Clyno Eiddyn which was attached to the owner's bedfoot by a staple: whatever horse one wished for would be found in the halter. (Such a dream-horse would be much desired by the horseloving Celts.) The Coat of Padarn Red-Coat: it would only fit a nobleman, not a churl. (This resembles the Mantle of Faithful Wives which will cover the nakedness of a faithful woman but not an adulteress, in Arthurian legend.) The Gwyddbwll Board of Gwenddolau: the pieces were of silver, the board of gold and they played by themselves when it was set up. (This Chessboard appears in PEREDUR where Peredur plays and, when his side loses, he casts the whole board into a lake). In that story it is termed 'the Chessboard of the Empress' where it clearly indicates the Land of Sovereignty. The Mantle of Arthur: whoever wore it was invisible. (This cloak is also that worn by Caswallawn when he enchants Britain; it is probably also that of Curoi mac Daire who is specifically termed 'the grey man in the mantle'.) All thirteen treasures reveal a preoccupation with worthiness of the person finding or using them: they will not work for the unworthy. This is a clear indication of their funtion in the king's relationship with Sovereignty: they cannot be found or wielded by any save the rightful king or champion of the king. - Merlin was supposed to have procured these from their owners and taken them to his abode of glass on Bardsey Island I'd guess we'll see a cloak, a chariot, and maybe a chessboard. Other possibilities include a throne, a crown, a sceptre, or a ship.
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