#what kind of action we might have gotten in the VC books

[apoptoses]

it's day three of anne's eunuch book making me absolutely feral 🥺

[wr0ngalice]

9:21p 4.17.20

wow i just wrote the most elaborate and elegant and honest thing i think i have conveyed in well years, and it’s gone because tumblr’s interface is absolute crap. i only hope i can remember it all again. i can’t write anything other than in a fucking tumblr text sheet. i really can’t and i haven’t been able to in years and I CANNOT CONVEY HOW ANGRY I AM THAT THIS JUST HAPPENED. 

it’s 2020 and the world is on fire.

i don’t know where to begin, to pick up from sebastian, to talk about my still non-existent sex life, to talk about that it’s 2020, that there is a world wide pandemic and that i am unemployed and about to be homeless and i have no plan. 

as the rain began i stood listening to my neighbors babble. high as a kite i started to not be able to take full breathes having just ingested an entire takeout container of lasagna and mozzerella sticks feeling completely glutinous and disgusting. a panic rushed over me but so did the urge to write and be honest with myself through my weird relays of my stories. i put out my cigarette on the worn out gate and rushed into my house, i could feel the anxiety attack taking over and my breath getting shorter so i specified each step of my way in....grab key....wash hands.....pee.......put my bluetooth back on so i could start music....because this was the kind of high the kind of panic only soothed by masturbating. and so i did, and here i am.  

my name is deanna and i have boys on my brain (i’m laughing). i guess i should start off with the most honest sentiment i’ll ever conjure about my existence: my body image issues have held me back from every feeling like i am worth anything or worthy of anyone’s attention. i view my body as a currency, one that is cheap, of low quality and worthless to most. i have never been able to learn how to love my body or myself, i do not take care of it or feel capable of taking care of it. i spent some time feeling like it’s okay to feel like this and look like this and that someday someone will love it. but most of the time i feel worthless and like i am disgusting and that being fat is stopping me from ever truly feeling happy, being love, feeling accepted, or being truly who i feel like i am. it feels completely impossible and unachievable. and i’ve demonized anyone who ever made me feel like i’m supposed to care, or that i should feel bad for not caring enough what other people think of me. and then the cycle of shame starts, for looking this way shame for feeling this way, shame for feeling like fat people are worth less than anyone else, shame that i am one of them and stay this way. shame. 

i’m sad about a boy. i met him on discord playing a killer queen black. you ever know you are enamored by tone of someone’s voice when they hear yours? feeling a chemistry that awakens your smile too quickly to feel comfortable with. it was those simple things. a shitty emoji. sending me pictures of animals, bad memes and youtube videos. sending me drawings of pokemon, seemingly genuinely interest in every silly thing i send you back. listening to the songs i suggest and the playlists i send all the way through. asking me what i am doing. good morning texts at 1pm and sweet dreams every night. being excited i am in the vc and spitting quick call backs to only conversations we’d know while everyone is listening. being there all day and making me feel like you wanted me there too, like i wasn’t just someone else to talk to. staying up all night drinking wine and watching hunter x hunter to the sunrise or until one of our sedatives takes us out. i send you my real name, and my twitter, and built up the nerve to sent my instagram and thinking there’s no way he keeps talking to me if he doesn’t like what he sees so it is safe to send him the link to my live stream that contains my facebook with my complete honestly. and then for it all to get awkward. and so i know that he feels a different way not but he’s not saying it. because it feels different now, because he’s there still always answering or messaging first, but it’s shorter now and less personal. the call backs are less because the messages are less, and the offer to stay up with me is still there but feels less genuine and more like you kinda feel like you have to. maybe it’s all in my head. maybe it’s not because when something feels weird it usually is weird. so why keep up the half ass? today you didn’t really and i am so sad, but so grateful. get this over quick if it’s happening. cause i can’t deal with being that lone right now. i watched a video about the important of discerning chemistry from compatibility and at the start felt ready to write it off because yin and yang, opposites can complete each other. but by the end i realize that made our chemistry is so bright i am being blinded into thinking we can fill each other’s gaps in compatibility but how hard we make each other laugh. i can discern all the examples of what i call chemistry, but there’s all the actions the show the chemistry is not electric enough to fill the holes in our compatibility. i want every reason to believe this is wrong and i want you to give it to me. i want you to think i am beautiful because of the person you’ve gotten to know every night for months. 

i masturbated to the memories of my dream of kissing levy last night. i tasted his lips as if i had tasted his love before, the familiar warmth of his “hey yourself” feeling like enough of the familiarity and comfort i need to get myself off. the overwhelming loneliness prompting me to call him after all this time. i haven’t really thought about him in a longing way, just a passing thought on the bye, and i admire my ability to stop answering when i knew it was doing too much to me. i’m neither sad or surprised that he didn’t answer me. i think the real question is whether i will feel the need to know his love at the end of our next conversation. i guess it was probably the transition of moving to new york, and the way he seemed to be invested in me figuring out my shit sometimes. it feels so rare that people care about the person i am that when it happens i immediately only know how respond by sexualizing the love i want to give back. he seemed like he wanted to know me and understand why i do the things i did, he listened to the ways i believe the world work and he changed his opinions because of the way i expressed my thoughts. that felt so powerful to me. it felt like he wanted me there, and i liked that he liked the way i spoke about existing and he wanted to be a part of it. like he knew i was connecting my soul to his soul, and like he had been honest about really not being able to give that to another person, like he wanted me to be there but he knew he was hurting me by letting me stay because he wasn’t capable of giving himself away. it feels like this really sad thing that when typed out sounds so dramatic. and i want nothing in the world than for him to know that i think this way, and i want him to tell me that i am crazy and read so much into nothing, or to tell me that i am right, that i understand his soul and that we are connected the way that i felt we were. 

i need this. i cannot understand why writing in a tumblr textbox is the only way to talk about deanna. i spent so long writing to her here, and now that i am with her again, now that i really feel like i am her, i can say here now that it wasn’t about becoming her or working towards finding my way back to her, it was about accepting that i wasn’t all the things i thought i was and that i wasn’t going to be able to achieve all these things that would supposedly make me better. i am deanna all the time and “future deanna” is here with me today. i’m not working towards anything that i am not actively doing right now. 

i wanted to stop here, the rest of this might not be so in touch. maybe it will. i’ve been under quarantine in brooklyn since march 10, 2020. this reminds me i need to talk about killer queen eventually, huh? coronavirus is changing the entire globe. this is that shit that has a major red subtitle in the future history books. i can’t go to the grocery store without wearing a face mask. this isn’t some weird movie that i don’t like, this is real life. i lost my job. i have to move out of my apartment at the end of next month and i have no idea where i am going to go. people are dying at insane rates. nothing in the world feels certain. donald trump is killing people. he’s our fucking president and after all this time i still haven’t accepted that that really happened. the things that are important in my world are so much different now. and their competing forces are compounded by nihilism and salty existentialism. and this makes it hard for me to think about the future. 

i’m gonna figure out a way to keep writing. this feels important. 

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1156

Monday, March 20, 2017

 It's the first day of spring but you would still think it's the dead of winter here in Ottawa. I hear it snowed in Vancouver recently too. I don't consider spring starting until I can't see anymore snow on the ground around our neighbourhood. I figure that will be the middle of April this year. I've already seen a robin at our house though. We put up a bird feeder last fall and it attracts many birds. Mostly house sparrows but we see finches, juncos, nuthatches, chickadee-dee-dees and our favourites the cardinals and woodpeckers. The male cardinals are bright red-orange and the females are a mocha coffee colour. We have had downy, hairy and pileated woodpeckers come and feed. Watching the birds outside our window is like watching fish swim around an aquarium. Very calming. Until the undesirables show up. Starlings and squirrels snark up a lot of feed and scare away the little birdies. The squirrels have gotten so brazen now that I have to go outside to shoo them off the feeder. I used to be able to do that just by banging on the window. Stupid squirrels.

 We lost one of the greatest comic book artists on March 18 when Bernie Wrightson succumbed to cancer and passed away. I have always been a bigger fan of the art side of our hobby and Bernie's art gave me goosebumps. His pen and ink work was stunning. Rest in peace Mr. Wrightson.

 Punisher #10 - Becky Cloonan (writer) Matt Horak (art) Frank Martin with Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I'm disappointed in Matt. This whole issue takes place at a sea port in Newfoundland and he didn't put one Canadian flag in any of the panels. Even a little one would have been nice. It looks like another dire situation for Frank but the bad guys screwed themselves. You'll see the obvious giveaway, but maybe I'm wrong.

 Uncanny Avengers #21 - Gerry Duggan (writer) Kevin Libranda (art) Dono Sanchez Almara with Protobunker (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). If there's a fill-in artist who makes me just as happy to read this book as when regular artist Pepe Larraz draws it, then it's Kevin Libranda. I liked how Deadpool found a way to defeat the Red Skull's Professor X powers. I wonder if they're going to bring back old Charles.

 Batman #19 - Tom King (writer) David Finch (pencils) Danny Miki, Trevor Scott & Sandra Hope (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). The art in this issue is pretty awesome. Part 4 of "I Am Bane" has the big bad guy wading through Batman's rogues gallery one by one. Almost every Bat villain you can think of get's his licks in. odd that there are no women. I was also bothered by the fact that they're all loose inside Arkham asylum. How are they going to be get back in custody? The last page leads into the inevitable final battle between Bane and Batman and I want to see who wins. Like I couldn't guess.

 American Gods #1 - Neil Gaiman (writer) P. Craig Russell (script & layouts) Scott Hampton (art) Rick Parker (letters). I started a list of books I want to read after the Snail closed because I found myself with a lot of extra time. American Gods by Neil Gaiman is on that list. I've been told what the premise of the book is so I had a bit of background going into reading this first issue of the comic book adaptation. Reading the comic book is going to enhance my reading of the novel when I get around to it because I will visualize Scott's depictions of the characters in my head and they are very nice ones. The back-up story "Somewhere in America" by P. Craig Russell (script & art) and Lovern Kindzierski (colours) was a hot piece of erotica about unsafe sex. This gets added to my "must read" list.

 Totally Awesome Hulk #17 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) Cory Petit (letters). This hasn't been a solo book for the last few issues with Amadeus hanging out with his friends but I am still enjoying it. This issue is a good place to start as the team has to figure out a way to save themselves and some civilians from being eaten by aliens. You could call these guys the Asian Avengers because what happens in this issue gives them something to avenge. If you jump on here you won't want to jump off until you read the next issue.

 Batwoman #1 - Marguerite Bennett & James Tynion IV (writers) Steve Epting (art) Jeromy Cox (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). Kate chases after a mystery woman from her past after dealing with a terrorist in Istanbul. I like how she's teamed up with Julia Pennyworth.

 Kill or be Killed #7 - Ed Brubaker (writer) Sean Phillips (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours). This issue features Dylan's ex-girlfriend Kira, now with purple hair instead of red. I'm glad she's still hanging around because boy does she have problems. We start off during a session with her therapist and get a lot of background. I love this kind of stuff because it makes the characters more engaging. Kira might need an emergency session after she decides to do something stupid at Dylan's place.

 Monsters Unleashed #5 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Adam Kubert (art) David Curiel & Michael Garland (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). Okay, Kid Kaiju comes through to save the world from the Leviathon Mother, showing up all the Marvel super heroes. I guess that's why he's getting his own book. Look for it to hit the racks on April 19. Unless it's drawn by an artist that I really like I will take a pass. The Kid's creations are more suited to fans of action figures or Saturday morning cartoons than an old coot like me.

 Super Sons #2 - Peter J. Tomasi (writer) Jorge Jimenez (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). This is great. I don't know why but I love really well written comics about young super heroes like this and Champions. Maybe it's because I can't let go of being a kid. Damian and Jonathan have to deal with Super Lex in order to get a lead on Kid Amazo, the very bad boy they're after. Everything doesn't go smoothly and then, uh-oh, their dads find out about what they're doing. I can't wait to see what happens next.

 Wild Storm #2 - Warren Ellis (writer) John Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). This 24 issue series is very ambitious and there are a lot of players involved. If I was a new reader I would be wondering who are these people? Some people work for International Operations (IO) and some people work for Halo. The two organisations don't like each other and they're both after Angela Spica, the Engineer. I hope that helps with getting into this story. One of my favourite things from the old series was the Door which could transport people to different places. I think we're introduced to a new Door this issue and she's a lot better looking than Lockjaw.

 Ms. Marvel #16 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I like this story about a malevolent computer virus and it looks like Kamala can't defeat it. That is until she gets a clue from her old pal Bruno. I can't wait to find out how Doc.x gets deleted.

 Superman #19 - Peter J. Tomasi & Patrick Gleason (writers) Patrick Gleason (pencils) Mick Gray (inks) John Kalisz (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part 3 of "Superman Reborn" looks like it might resurrect the pre-New 52 Lois and Clark. I hope not. That would confuse me to no end and then I would get annoyed and stop reading these amazing Superman books. Patrick draws the creepiest Mr. Mxyzptlk ever. I wonder if they're going to do the saying the imp's name backwards thing?

 Guardians of the Galaxy #18 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Valerio Schiti (art) Richard Isanove (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love these issues featuring one team member. Angela's up this time around and it's a beautifully drawn fight scene between her and some alien bounty hunter. The issue ends with a major threat heading for Earth. It starts with Th and rhymes with anus.

 Spider-Man #14 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Sara Pichelli (art) Justin Ponsor (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Nothing serious between Miles and Gwen despite what the cover shows. This is one of those issues that annoy Bendis detractors because nothing really happens. The heroes hop from one dimension to another and each wind up in different ones by the end of this issue. I can easily forgive because of Sara's art.

 Mighty Thor #17 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). The gods of Asgard and the Imperial Guard of the Shi'Ar finally come to blows in part 3 of "The Asgard/Shi'Ar War". Meanwhile Thor can't seem to win much in the challenge of the gads against the Shi'Ar gods Sharra and K'ythri. Mjolnir is sure getting a workout though. This book is not only chock full of action but it's visually stunning as well.

 Amazing Spider-Man #25 - Dan Slott (writer) Stuart Immonen (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). I wish you didn't have to pay $9.99 US for this one issue starting off "The Osborn Identity" story. That's a bit much for one comic book don't you think? Sure you get a bunch of back-up stories but none of those really matter to the main story. You do get 40 pages of Stuart and Wade goodness though, so why couldn't they have printed just that and charged $4.99 US? As you can probably tell Norman Osborn is back so the Green Goblin can't be far behind. I did like the team-up with Mockingbird with a hint of Peter and Bobbi possibly becoming more than friends. Here are the other stories that pad this issue. A fight with Clash by Christos Gage (writer) Todd Nauck (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters) which has the old "it's not what you think" twist at the end. A silly Tsum-Tsum story for the younger readers by Jacob Chabot (writer) Ray-Anthony Height (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Jim Campbell (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Thank Thor that was a blessedly short 6 pages. A Parker Industries mishap at their Shanghai facility by James Asmus (writer) Tana Ford (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). A young Spider-Man story about a boy and his dog by Hannah Blumenreich (writer & pencils) Jordan Gibson (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Some Aunt May gags by Cale Atkinson which were even sillier than the Tsum-Tsum story. And finally to ease the pain of having to buy an overpriced comic book, the return of another Spider-Man nemesis. One thing that "The Clone Conspiracy" did was bring back Otto Octavius, Doc Ock. He now has a youthful body thanks to Miles Warren's cloning process. So meet The Superior Octopus by Dan Slott (writer) Giuseppe Camuncoli (pencils) Cam Smith (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). He's bad-ass now plus he's got Hydra backing. Here's a prediction: Somewhere in the future Peter and Norman have to team up to fight Otto and Hydra.

 Archie #18 - Mark Waid (writer) Pete Woods (art & colours) Jack Morelli (letters). This issue proves that love is blind. Archie and Veronica have nothing in common and should not be together. Betty and Dilton Doiley are more compatible. I wish I was Dilton Doiley.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1245

Monday, January 14, 2019

 Sorry this is going out later than usual. It's freezing outside this morning -18 degrees C (or 0 degrees F for all you non-metric folks). A good reason to stay under the flannel sheets and down comforter a couple of hours longer.

 We had a National Geographic moment here yesterday when a hawk managed to capture a male cardinal right at our bird feeders. They are both beautiful birds and the hawk was only doing what comes naturally but it's still traumatic to witness the circle of life being played out right outside your window. Penny saw the raptor fly off with its bright red meal clutched in its talons.

 X-23 #8 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Diego Olortegui (pencils) Walden Wong (inks) Chris O'Halloran (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). X-Assassin part 2. Laura and Gabby rescue their "sister" from the bad guys. Whether the X-Assassin appreciates it is still to be determined. I like this straight forward story where the girls are trying to do the right thing and the villain is clearly defined.

 Thor #9 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This lead up to "The War of the Realms" features Roz Solomon and it's great. Sometimes I'll read a comic book with a lot of writing and wonder partway through when is it going to finish? This time each word balloon and caption just carried me along as Roz fights a frost giant and gathers important intel as an Agent of Wakanda. I loved the little scene with ex-boyfriend Thor.

 Domino #10 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon, Michael Shelfer, Alberto Alburquerque & Anthony Piper (art) Victor Olazaba, Ed Tadeo & Michael Shelfer (inks) Carlos Lopez (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Soldier of Fortune conclusion. The team up with Longshot ends, tied up with a big fat bow. I found the pacing of this story to be too fast. The good guys go to the Mojoverse to see if they can heal Longshot, fight through an army of guards and get into the hospital where a doctor cures their friend. Then it's back to their own universe and a long nap. All in 20 pages. They glossed over the fact that both Domino and Longshot have a luck power, which was what made me want to keep reading this story. I would have liked more depth. I'm also not a fan of art by committee. I don't mind a couple of artists working on an issue but four different styles is too jarring visually for me.

 Young Justice #1 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Patrick Gleason (art) Alejandro Sanchez (colours) DC Lettering (letters). Yay Young Justice. When I saw the ads for the new Bendis books I was most excited to see this teen team. I loved the old series written by Peter David. I am so happy to see Impulse/Bart (RIP Mike Wieringo), Robin/Tim, Superboy/Conner, and Wonder Girl/Cassie back on the racks. It's going to be neat to see how Amethyst, Jenny Hex and Teen Lantern fit into the team. This intro is a pulse-pounding fight between the teen heroes and warriors from Gemworld. I probably would have read this no matter who drew it but Patrick Gleason makes this new book an automatic add to my "must read" list.

 Criminal #1 - Ed Brubaker (writer) Sean Phillips (art & letters) Jacob Phillips (colours). Meet lowlife Teeg Lawless fresh out of prison and already in the hole for 23 K. How's he going to pay that off? You'll find out if you stick with this story of a hardened criminal. I love how Ed Brubaker writes about these extraordinary ordinary people and Sean Phillips is perfect for this slice of noir life.

 Captain Marvel #1 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Carmen Carnero (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Yep, it's another number one for Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel and you can jump right in and follow her new adventures without missing a beat. You know there's a Captain Marvel movie starring Brie Larson hitting the big screens in March right? I've followed Captain Marvel ever since she was a he in 1967 wearing the green costume with the fin on his helmet. Carol is my favourite character to use the moniker. This first issue is a standard introduction with the requisite super hero fight where Carol saves the city from a giant monster with the help of another of my favourite super heroes, Spiderwoman. Nice to see Jessica back on the racks. The twist at the end will surprise fans expecting another boring super hero comic book as Captain Marvel finds herself leading a whole new crew of do gooders. I'm going to stay tuned.

 Batman #62 - Tom King (writer) Mitch Gerads (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 2. This is a very intense fight between Batman and the villain Pyg. The last two pages makes this issue more than what it seems.

 Die #2 - Kieron Gillen (writer) Stephanie Hans (art) Clayton Cowles (letters). Die is not just the singular for dice but it's also the name of the place that five former Dungeons and Dragons players find themselves trapped in. It's a very scary place and I think their quest to get home will ultimately fail. I'm sure some of them will die in Die. I wish I liked this more but none of the characters appeal to me and I find the story depressing. This fantasy with real life characters can go on without me.

 Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I was hooked on this new Spider-Man book as soon as I saw the names in the credits. Tom and Juann are in my top five list of writers and artists and they didn't disappoint me. Check out their X-23 story that just hit the racks as a trade paperback. Everything you need for a good comic book is here. You've got a little bit of super heroic action, mysterious bad guys, a damsel in distress and two little kids with glowing eyes on the last page to make you want to read the next issue right away. You have to wait until January 23 for that though. I know some Marvelites have complained that Marvel's new number ones are priced higher at $4.99 US but this one has a back-up story worth the extra buck. Peter Parker's Aunt May has been around since day one and has faced many threats. This latest one by Tom Taylor (writer) Marcelo Ferreira (pencils) Roberto Poggi (inks) Jim Campbell (colours) & VC's Travis Lanham (letters) might just break the two of them. If you've stopped reading Amazing, Friendly Neighborhood is a good replacement.

 Prodigy #2 - Mark Millar (writer) Rafael Albuquerque (art) Marcelo Maiolo (colours) Peter Doherty (letters). I love this kind of pure fantasy where the hero is a super intelligent guy with unlimited resources and the bad guys are pure evil. Showing the villains hunting children with rifles leaves no doubt. The threat is pure science fiction and the stakes are impossibly high. This is the kind of story that keeps me wanting to read every issue.

 Man Without Fear #2 - Jed MacKay (writer) Stefano Landini (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Oh, so that's what happened. Matt was hit by a truck while saving a kid. That's why he's lying in a hospital crippled to the point where he has decided to retire Daredevil. This issue's narrator was a surprise and made me wonder if they're going to resurrect this character again. Jed has done a good enough writing this weekly mini so that I want to keep reading to see how Matt recovers to don the devil costume again.

 Avengers #12 - Jason Aaron (writer) Ed McGuinness & Cory Smith (pencils) Mark Morales, Karl Kesel & Scott Hanna (inks) Erick Arciniega (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). S.H.I.E.L.D. is gone. Now we have the Agents of Wakanda. This issue introduces some of those agents. They're a mix of misfits and oddballs. I like the I.T. guy and the guy out in space. Ka-Zar is a surprise but I like him too because I hope to see Zabu soon. These Avengers are dealing with Namor and his Defenders of the Deep but also another threat coming out of Transylvania. I like who they recruit to deal with the vampires but I thought he was in prison. Nope, just checked. He got 3 years for tax evasion and was released in April 2013.

 Miles Morales: Spider-Man #2 - Saladin Ahmed (writer) Javier Garron (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I love the cover showing everything this young man has to juggle while living a dual life. Imagine trying to do it without a smart phone? I like that the Rhino doesn't have one just like me. So Miles and Rhino are trying to find some missing kids. The trail leads them to an old warehouse where they fight the bad guy but lose him. The good guy showing up on the last page will help them continue the search. Saladin must have gotten some writing tips from Brian Bendis to keep the audience panting for more.