Barbelith Underground > Comic Books

There seem to be two main concepts in the structure of Guardian. The relationship between Jake and Carla and the tabloid setup of Jake's adventures. The story comes from how these two feed into each other.

Jake's missions are weird and wonderful. A series of seemingly-disconnected, fantastical snapshots. But..... these stories, at the root, are all about the same thing. Jake and Carla. All of The Guardian's adventures to this point are metaphors for aspects of that relationship. It is the defining characteristic of this very human Soldier, and I don't think it'll be any different when he comes up against Sheeda.

When the first issue starts Jake is in a state of atrophy. He has no role, nothing to live up to and it's destroying his marriage because it's causing him to fight with Carla all the time. He has a lot of potential, but won't push himself because he is mired in that comfortable dark inaction of depression. It's only when he's thrown in out of his depth and forced to act that he displays what he is capable of. He adopts the mantle of The Guardian as an ideal of everything that he currently isn't and needs to become.

The second issue is how this perception relates to his relationship with Carla. Jake needs to be the strong protector in his relationship and Carla will have been supporting him during his depression. Being The Guardian lets him assume this role. It brings monetary security and the opportunity to actually become the Protecting Male archetype by literally rescuing the woman he loves from ruthless pirates.

The third issue is about breakdown of that idea where Jake realises that it's not The Guardian that will save his marriage, but himself. Without Carla, he withdraws and the world falls apart around his ears, once again illustrated in the mission he's on. Without Jake Jordan at the heart, The Guardian is just a one-dimensional hollow shell. And Jake Jordan is Carla Jordan.

I think the third issue, more than the first two, is about the individual concept of the book. It concerns a mission that's unrelated to the first two books in order give another angle on how the book will work post 7S. Reading a run of Guardian should be like skimming the headlines of the eponymous newspaper, jumping from one exciting and improbable situation to another. It keeps jumping headlong into new ever-more fantastical adventures, but the narrative of Jake and Carla places them all directly into context with the grander arc.

"We're telling stories about human dignity, Jake"

7 Soldiers: Guardian