#metron if i fits i sits | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

wits-writing · 7 years

Text

Mister Miracle (2017) #2 comic review

A new war between New Genesis and Apokalips is well underway in the second issue of Tom King and Mitch Gerads’ Mister Miracle. The conditions of battle, orders from Orion, and an encounter with the vile Granny Goodness put more weight on Mister Miracle’s mind as his trauma is amplified through the life his duty demands he lead.

[Full review under the cut]

The structure of battlefield action in this issue takes advantage of the 9-panel grid format to give rhythm to Mister Miracle going from one front to another as the issue opens. Mitch Gerads’ art emphasizes motion and brutality in this opening sequence and the way it’s contained in the panel structure makes it feel senseless. We see Scott Free locked in a pattern; get a location, go there, kill all Parademons, repeat. He keeps going along with it only talking to confirm Orion’s orders and declare “For New Genesis!” In these moments, Scott is more like what Granny Goodness was trying to raise him to be than ever before. We see him use his aero-discs, one of the most fanciful elements of his design, to slit a Parademon’s throat. Him declaring the glory of New Genesis on the battlefield is no different than how the Parademons chant “Die for Darkseid!” when they dive into battle. It’s as if the death of Highfather and Orion taking up his throne has made the sharp good/evil divide between the two planets of the New Gods grayer than ever.

After the battles, we see Barda and Scott together in their chambers on New Genesis. The breaks in Scott’s perception versus what he’s told is happening are brought up again as he can’t figure out how to turn on the shower in their room, only for his Mother Box to tell him the shower’s been on the whole time. But Scott still sees the Parademon blood over his body and simply asks “Am I clean?” His discomfort with battle has put more cracks into his perception of reality. And in this scene, naked and vulnerable, Scott looks at his hand, the bandages covering the scars from his suicide attempt now covered in the green blood of his enemies. He’s an effective fighter but that’s wasn’t what used to define him and now he carries the horrors of war with him.

Orion’s new position as Highfather of New Genesis is something the New God of War may be as ill-fit for as Scott is on a battlefield. He’s always been a warrior on a planet that idealizes peace and fighting against his nature defines him as a character, but this is Scott’s story so we’re presented with how he’s acting as the new Highfather from a distant perspective. He feels slighted by Scott referring to him by name rather than title, demands customary acknowledgement of his position, and has Lightray speak declarations on his behalf before giving Scott and Barda their next mission, going to Granny Goodness’s base to assassinate her.

Goodness is the one who sought to mold Scott into perfect proof of the power of Apokalips to break anyone’s spirit, giving Scott Free his name as a cruel joke. She is Darkseid’s most trusted and sadistic general, raising her children in the harshest conditions under the notion that these are expressions of love. The trauma of Scott’s life before his escape all comes back to her. However, in his current condition he questions his own memories of her cruelty, recalling a time she tortured him for a slightly shorter amount of time than usual and held him afterwards. He asks Barda if she ever liked Granny, tells her that story, and Barda reassures him with a reply of “No Scott. I never liked her.” Goodness’s veneer of sweetness gets emphasized in this issue through pink speech bubbles with crooked outlines and smiling while she speaks with Scott and Barda under the guise of peace negotiations, even as she tortures a starving man sitting next to her by putting a serving of Jello just out of reach.

During the couple’s assassination attempt, Granny gives Scott a revelation in a sequence that includes the solitary “Darkseid is.” panel in the issue. Orion told her about the assassination and framed it as Scott and Barda’s own selfish vengeance, saying he would punish them for it if they followed through. She also talked to Highfather before his death about Darkseid obtaining the Anti-Life Equation, framing it as trying to save Scott. Before Barda finally beats her to death, she plants one final thing in Scott’s mind with a smirk on her face, the idea that the prophecy stating Darkseid will face his son in the final battle of his life may apply to Scott rather than Orion.

King and Gerads have already begun upping the ante for Mister Miracle between the first issue and this one. Story structure follows a rhythm that speaks to a creative team in perfect sync with each other. Echoes of last issue, such as the scenes of Scott seeking reassurance from Barda before going through a Boom Tube, gain more meaning through that repetition. Another thing that seems to be a motif for the series is the recontextualization of the opening and closing captions from the Jack Kirby’s original Mister Miracle series, in this case from the original Mister Miracle #2 which was Granny Goodness’s first appearance.

There’s more hints at something going on beyond what we’re seeing, more than just warnings from Granny about Orion, like a scene where Metron comes to warn Scott in the middle of the night that “You are not to know the face of God” with panic clear on his face. Mister Miracle’s reality is already in question, but are these new doubts being planted as serious as they seem or is Scott just paranoid. Whatever the next issue holds, I’m ready for it.

#Mister Miracle #Tom King #Mitch Gerads #Comic Book Review #Wit's Writing #DC Comics #Scott Free #Big Barda #Barda Free #Orion #Granny Goodness #New Gods #The Fourth World #comics #comic books

37 notes · View notes

omniversalobservations · 4 years

Video

youtube

All-Star Superman (2005)

Another invocation technique that the magician can employ is called the assumption of godforms—where with “concentrated imagination of oneself in the symbolic shape of any God, one should be able to identify oneself with the idea which [the god] represents.” Comics writer and practicing magician Grant Morrison describes the process in his essay Pop Magic. The Gods of myth are primal forms, expressions of big ideas that have been here long before us and will remain long after.Morrison writes that, for example:

“ANGER is one of those Big Ideas and LOVE is another one. Then there’s FEAR and GUILT “So…to summon a god, one has only to concentrate on that god to the exclusion of all other thought. Let’s just say you wish to summon the Big Idea COMMUNICATION in the form of the god Hermes, so that he will grant you a silver-tongue. Hermes is the Greek personification of quick wit, art, and spelling and the qualities he represents were embodied by Classical artists in the symbol of an eternally swift and naked youth, fledged with tiny wings and dressed only in streamers of air. Hermes is a condensation into pictorial form – a sigil, in fact – of an easily recognizable default state of human consciousness. When our words and minds are nimble,when we conjure laughter from others, when we make poetry, we are in the real presence of Hermes. We are, in fact, possessed by the god.”

Morrison is keen to point out that there need not be a ghostly or real reason for this. As Crowley wrote:

“In this book it is spoken of the Sephiroth and the Paths; of Spirits and Conjurations; of Gods, Spheres, Planes, and many other things which may or may not exist. It is immaterial whether these exist or not. By doing certain things certain results will follow; students are most earnestly warned against attributing objective reality or philosophic validity to any of them.”

Still, two questions arise. if these Gods are not ‘real’, why invoke them at all? Morrison answers that for us nicely:

“People tend to become possessed by gods arbitrarily because they do not recognize them as such; a man can be overwhelmed with anger (the Greek god Ares), we can all be “beside ourselves” with passion (Aphrodite) or grief (Hades). in life we encounter these Big Ideas everyday but we no longer use the word “god” to describe them. The magician consciously evokes these states and renames them gods in order to separate them from his or her Self, in order to study them and learn.”

So for example, “You may wish to connect with Hermes if you’re beginning a novel or giving a speech or simply want to entertain a new beau with your incredible repartee”. Practical magic then. Choose a god based on their qualities; what Platonic ideal or archetypal human experience they represent, and invoke them in order to know and learn from them

[...]

Morrison too advocates drawing upon fictional entities in magical practice:

“So once I got into the chaos magic thing, I started to think well if all I’m doing is triggering a state of mind can I do the same thing with something I know to be unreal? And I would start instead of summoning up Greek gods or Voodoo Loa, I would summon up Metron from the New Gods or HP Lovecraft monsters, or the Cenobites from Clive Barker and get the same thing. It was all about, okay, so even fictional things appear as long as they correspond to the specific feeling that you’re trying to create using this ritual method.”

Could Superman work this way? Certainly the religious and mythopoetic elements of the Superman story our often argued. Noting the Jewish heritage of Superman’s creators some commentators have read Superman as a Moses figure. Superman’s home of Krypton was about to be destroyed by events beyond his parents control. In Biblical Egypt the Israelites faced the mass murder of their male children. Both the infant Moses and the infant Superman were saved from death by their parents, one placed in a reed basket and sent down the Nile, the other in a rocket sent into space and bound for Earth. Both children grew up in foreign cultures, discovered and raised by adoptive parents who realise their true potential. Superman disguises his Kryptonian heritage with the human persona of Clark Kent, just as Moses was forced to keep his Jewish ancestry a secret.

Another variation says that Superman is a Christ figure. Like Jesus, Superman is sent by his father from the ‘heavens’ to save mankind (albeit one at a time). Both are raised by adoptive parents of humble means-Superman by farmers, Jesus by a carpenter. And both possess extraordinary powers that they use for the benefit of mankind. Furthermore, Superman’s real identity as Kal-El, son of Jor-El, has theological significance, “El” being a semitic word for ‘deity’ or god.

[...]

Perhaps then, like Jesus before him, Superman is the latest incarnation of dying and reborn god, or of the Solar deity variously known as Horus, Sol or Apollo. In his book Supergods Grant Morrison neatly summarises what archetypal function Superman, as the latest manifestation of a perennial form, then serves. superman, he writes, embodies our species ‘loftiest aspirations’. As such Superman “was brave. He was clever. he never gave up and he never let anyone down. He stood up for the weak and knew how to see off bullies of all kinds. he couldn’t be hurt of killed b the bad guys, hard as they might try. He didn’t get sick. he was fiercely loyal to his friends and to his adopted world. He was Apollo, the sun god, the unbeatable supreme self, the personal greatness of which we all know we’re capable.” (Supergods, p.15)

It seems obvious why one would want to invoke Superman and absorb those qualities. What’s peculiar to Superman however is his tendency to leave the pages of his dimensional universe and manifest himself in our 4-dimensional realm.

Take Alvin Schwartz’s story in An Unlikely Prophet for instance. Schwartz was a writer of both Batman and Superman for seventeen years in the forties and fifties. Later he was contacted by a Buddhist monk named Thogden. Thogden claimed to be a Tulpa, a ‘thought-form’, a being thought into existence by a Tibetan mystic. Thogden proceeds to take Schwartz on a spiritual journey that takes in many of the familiar stopping points on the twentieth century magical path-shamanism, quantum physics, and of course, superheroes. Schwartz’s journey apparently continues in A Gathering of Selves, which focuses on Batman (who as Morrison points out is the Lunar counterpart to the Solar Batman). As it happens, I haven’t yet read the second book so if anyone knows more about it I’d love to hear.

Most important right now though is Thogden’s claims that Superman, too, is a Tulpa. That Schwartz’s (or perhaps all the readers and creators) thought and focus on Superman have given him some kind of materiality; some ability to manifest in and interact in our world. Certainly, Schwartz has an experience that may or may not be evidence of Superman’s intervention. Grant Morrison has also had a magical contact with the Superman thought form. As he said in an interview with Newsarama:

“My specific take on Superman’s physicality was inspired by the ‘shamanic’ meeting my JLA editor Dan Raspler and I had in the wee hours of the morning outside the San Diego comic book convention in whenever it was, ‘98 or ‘99.

“I’ve told this story in more detail elsewhere but basically, we were trying to figure out how to ‘reboot’ Superman without splitting up his marriage to Lois, which seemed like a cop–out. It was the beginning of the conversations which ultimately led to Superman Now, with Dan and I restlessly pacing around trying to figure out a new way into the character of Superman and coming up short…

“Until we looked up to see a guy dressed as Superman crossing the train tracks. Not just any skinny convention guy in an ill–fitting suit, this guy actually looked like Superman. It was too good a moment to let pass, so I ran over to him, told him what we’d been trying to do and asked if he wouldn’t mind indulging us by answering some questions about Superman, which he did…in the persona and voice of Superman!

“We talked for an hour and a half and he walked off into the night with his friend (no, it wasn’t Jimmy Olsen, sadly). I sat up the rest of the night, scribbling page after page of Superman notes as the sun came up over the naval yards.

“My entire approach to Superman had come from the way that guy had been sitting; so easy, so confident, as if, invulnerable to all physical harm, he could relax completely and be spontaneous and warm. That pose, sitting hunched on the bollard, with one knee up, the cape just hanging there, talking to us seemed to me to be the opposite of the clenched, muscle-bound look the character sometimes sports and that was the key to Superman for me.

“I met the same Superman a couple of times afterwards but he wasn’t Superman, just a nice guy dressed as Superman.”

Source: Nth Mind

#comics #Superman #tulpas #fiction as reality

1 note · View note

upagainstthesunset · 5 months

Text

We're in the final week of New Gods November!

To go along with the "New Gods" prompt, I've made a uquiz. This is the first one I've ever done, so hopefully it's fun :3

[ID: New Gods comic logo linked to uquiz]

37 notes · View notes

upagainstthesunset · 25 days

Text

Today is really one of those desperately-wanting-to-talk-about-the-blorbo type of days. Everyone else on my dash posting about all these cool characters and awesome heroes and tons of panel screenshots, and im over here like ...have yall heard of Metron? There's next to nothing redeeming about him! He kind of sucks! Anyone want to talk about him with me? 😂

#metron if i fits i sits

8 notes · View notes

upagainstthesunset · 29 days

Text

I was going to draw just Metron, but then I couldn't help myself. Heartbeat's floating in space, will Metron be able to reach her and bring her back down?

[ID: Digital fanart of the character Metron and an original character, Heartbeat. Metron reaches up towards Heartbeat, and she reaches down towards him from where she is floating nearly upside down. There are pink and blue dots in the background. /END]

#metron #new gods #fourth world #ocheartbeat #metron if i fits i sits #otpsmartbeat #katedraws

10 notes · View notes

upagainstthesunset · 1 month

Text

But quick otp thought first. Exploring a bit of jealousy.

What if on one of their episodic adventures they encounter someone who immediately and overtly shows attraction to metron. Unthinkable. Nobody would see that coming. Maybe a woman who is all the things Heartbeat is not. Older and more mature, unafraid to express her attraction, knows exactly who she is and is comfortable and confident, and most of all is extremely intelligent. Perhaps that's why theyre interacting with her. Maybe Metron sought her out to help solve some problem.

Anyway, he cares so little about romance that all her flirting is lost on him, but that also means he doesn't shut her down or stop her come ons, much to Heartbeat's frustration. So she gets upset because she has to sit there and watch this happen. And of course this woman is clever. She clocks Heartbeat right away, and wedges herself between Metron and Heartbeat, even to the point of offering to travel with him permanently. So what's Heartbeat to do? Feeling inferior, watching this guy she doesn't even know why she likes get taken away by someone who is all that she lacks. Hard times. A real Jolene situation yknow?

But through the course of things, Heartbeat would end up being integral to solving the problem in some way this other woman could not. Something where Heartbeat's perspective and care ends up saving the day. And even with her own self doubts, shes the one Metron chooses in the end regardless. He respects Heartbeat for solving the thing that needed solving, but he would have never abandoned her for this other person either way. For Metron it was never any question, but does he say that before everything is already over and done? Of course not lol. So they go on their way just the two of them, and Heartbeat understands more about how Metron feels about her after this. And bc of that she gains some confidence in herself as she is.

And maybe Metron internally files all this away to ponder over later. Or perhaps he'll put Heartbeat on the spot and point blank ask her why she was jealous. Could go a number of ways. But yeah the whole thing helps Heartbeat realize her feelings for Metron better.

#otpsmartbeat #ocheartbeat #metron if i fits i sits #incoherent ramblings wow this was not well written or thought out but is this a thing? is this something?

8 notes · View notes

upagainstthesunset · 6 days

Note

So when you are reading comics, what do you imagine Metron's voice (or that of any character) to sound like?

Hey!! What an unexpected and very welcome ask :3

Actually I've tried to do voices for the Nèw Gods for summaries of the first three issues. I want to do more but kind of lost steam on it. My voice acting is abysmal ha ha, but i mention this because i actually have given conscious thought as to how these guys sound!

In my head Metron is kind of nasally but not with too high of a voice. I think Phil LaMarr did a superb job voicing him in Young Justice animated (dude his hella talented). To me, Metron's very similar to that but with a bit less reverb if that makes any sense. A little thinner and more curt.

Orion's voice is gruff and serious. Almost monotone. Unless he's yelling, in which case its full of passion and fury.

Lightray's voice is brighter and certainly higher than Orion's, and feels like a perfect sunny day. He sounds enthusiastic most often.

And i think Darkseid's tone is low and deliberately slow and drawn out. It has a weight to it. A depth.

#thank you so much for sending this!#i actually just had a very upsetting thing irl and seeing your ask made me feel so so much better #new gods #fourth world #metron if i fits i sits #kateanswers

6 notes · View notes

upagainstthesunset · 4 months

Text

Okay alright okay alright. SO.

Batman/Superman World's Finest #22

I haven't been reading this, so not going to comment on the story so far, but I MOST CERTAINLY am going to comment on the Metron parts of this particular issue. Putting it below a read more for spoilers. Anyway, view it if you want screenshots, lots of me yelling in caps, and uh my steaming hot takes. It might be a long one, guys.

[ID: Comic panel of Gog sitting on a large green throne in the air with David Sikela as Thunderman standing with him. /END]

OKAY so first fucking page and we're already getting into shenanigans.

I will admit I haven't read Kingdom Come and it would be valuable reference material at this point what with Gog and Boy Thunder Thunderman. I also am to understand that Bats and Supes are in a world that isn't yet aware of the multiverse so they're getting a lot of pushback, and that they come from like a while back relative to current canon. HOWEVER you can't just have Gog showing up in the goddamn MOBIUS CHAIR with the freaking WORLOGOG floating above it. (Worlo...gog..... Oh wait is that why he's called Gog?)

Anyway, how did he get it? Why doesn't Metron have it? What about the rest of the canon of the chair? Like, I know the history of the New Gods in general has gotten real screwy over the years, but I am so confused where this is meant to fit in. I think I'm going to have to read more to figure it out. They've got some explaining to do.

So there's more fighting and good guy Superman breaks magical chains (wut?) but the two let themselves get caught and thrown in the clinker anyway. Meanwhile, Supes is going on about the throne, the throne, it's so familiar.

[ID: Cropped panel of Earth 22's Batman escorting our Superman to jail. Superman says, "Looks like the heroes of this world have been working overtime to clear the board of opposition. Gog's throne... did it look familiar to you? I could swear I've seen it before." Batman says, "Stop talking". /End]

OH WHAT YOU THINK CLARK? YOU COULD'VE SWORN YOUVE SEEN IT BEFORE?

Alright. I'm calming down about this one. When I first read it I had tons of beef with this line, especially bc this isn't the first time one of the trinity is acting like they don't know Metron. HOWEVER given the timeline I think the only time this Superman would've met Metron would've been during Justice League of America #183-185 and they didn't necessarily interact. So okay. He remembers the chair but vaguely. Fair enough. But you're on watch, Superman.

So they get thrown in a cell and there's a feeble, weak man curled up in the corner surrounded by blood splatters. Who could it be?????

It's Metron!

but uhh... he don't look so good.

[ID: Two comic panels. In the first Batman leans in to view Metron, sitting on the dirty floor in the corner with his knees drawn up and cowering. Metron says, "Tell me... tell me anything. It's been... so long since I've heard... since I've learned... feed me. Please... feed me."

In the next panel, he continues, "I'm so... so very hungry..." To which Batman crouches down and responds, "I'm sorry. We have nothing to--" Superman cuts him off to explain. "He's not hungry for food, Bruce. He's starving for knowledge. It's his sustenance. I recognize this man." /END]

SAY WHAT? HE'S.. FUCKING STARVING... FOR

STARVING FOR KNOWLEDGE?

this is literally the first time I've ever heard this as a Thing about Metron. Mark Waid, you are making up some wacky as hell type of shit here and I can't tell if I hate it or love it.

On one hand, HE DOES NOT WORK LIKE THAT. But on the other hand, idk it's kind of interesting. Makes his desire for knowledge more of a true need than an obsession. But personally I like the obsession aspect because when there are consequences he can't just say "oh well it's just my nature lolz!"

But yeah, him asking to be fed is me every day that there is zero Metron fan content on this god forsaken website. FEED ME.

[ID: Close up on Metron, head cowered and face anguished. From off screen Superman says, "Gog's throne belongs to him. It's his Mobiue Chair. This is Metron of the New Gods." /END]

Yes, yes he is Metron. Of the New Gods. And I get it, Gog is one of the old gods. But like, the New Gods were meant to be better! Smarter! Kinder! Brighter! And I find it I N C R E D I B L Y hard to believe that even an old god would get the drop on Metron and steal his chair. BUT it wouldn't be an interesting story in that case, would it? And other stories have had his chair stolen away, so it's not unprecedented like how him being hungry for knowledge is a new concept.

One of the things that's funny about Metron is that often he is introduced like this because fucking no one knows who this asshat is. Like fans I mean. Some do, but many don't. Especially these days. So I can see why writers are always like "Introducing: Metron! A New God! He's smart! He has a chair!". Gotta let readers know who he is and what's his deal. It means that there are a lot of panels that feature him showing up, so that's fun. Maybe I'll put together a compilation of those some day.

Another thing that's funny about Metron is that he is 100% used as a plot device. You got Batman and Superman as characters because we know and love them. You've got Gog and I guess future Magog as antagonists because they're compelling and have desires that conflict with our heroes. But why Metron? Because he can make things happen and tie things together multiversally. BUT even more than that!! Because THE MOBIUS CHAIR can be taken from him and used by others to further the plot. I've said it before and I am now saying it again. The Mobius Chair might just go on to be a more important character in this story than Metron. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

But back to the story.

[ID: Metron still sits on the floor with Batman crouched to him and Superman standing nearby. Metron says, "Years... I have been held here... for years..." And Superman explains, "Metron is from a world called New Genesis. Sister world to Darkseid's Apokolips. Is Gog also from--?" Metron cuts him of saying, "No. And that, in a grave sense, is the peril before us." /END]

Alright so now they're going to exposition at us hard. And wouldn't you know, this is all leading to Darkseid (probably). Hey at least it's not another Amanda Waller plot amirite amirite?

So yeah I'm not going to screencap all of it bc it goes on for a while, but Metron explains that Gog is from Urgrund, the home of Then-Gods (well that term's news to me) of the Third World. You know, I always feel weird when writers try to canonize the term "fourth world" but whatever, it happens. And it looks like story time with Metron is explaining the origins of New Genesis and Apokolips. It's a far cry from the opening epilogue in New Gods #1 smh.

Wait hold on. Metron and Gog "became friends"? FRIENDS? Like buddies? Pals? Homies? Amigos? (pizza, nintendo woo woo woo lets go?) So our little Metron actually made a friend? Waid, you are going places I don't know if I can follow.

[ID: Two comic panels. The first is a close up of Metron in profile. He says, "He was genuinely a force for good. But then... but then--" His narration continues in the next panel, "One day, I shared with Gog the secret of the multiverse as well as those realms that lie beyond it-- among them, New Genesis and Apokolips." The panel shows the two looking at a map of the DC multiverse. Gog is many times larger than Metron. /END]

God, the fucking map.

And um so Gog is looking reeeaaaaal Thanos-y here. Which is hilarious in its own right since Thanos was mostly based on Metron, and also partially on Darkseid. Plus, you can't ignore that involving the old gods means the meta of relating to Jack Kirby's work on Thor. So idk those are interesting little tidbits.

[ID: Panel of Gog looking at the Mobius chair floating in front of him. Narration says, "Soon after the boy David arrived on this world, Gog implored me for a favor too dangerous to grant. He pleaded for the use of my cosmic vehicle, the Mobius Chair. I denied him." /END]

Alright so anyway, David shows up and Gog is like "Omigod David!!! Hi!!!!" and then he turns around and is like "Yo Metron, um, I have a new bestie now so like.. can I borrow the car?" To which Metron rightly says Fuck No.

LMFAO SO HE GETS PUNCHED OUT OF IT

[ID: Gog's giant fist surrounded by electricity having punched Metron, who falls away sideways with back to the viewer. There is blood exploding from the side of his head. Narration says, "He took it nonetheless." /END]

🤣

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!

Looks like I have to update my fucking Metron Gets Yeeted post. Hilarious. Are we supposed to feel sympathetic? I guess so? Fans who don't know Metron are going to go wow wtf they were friends he didn't deserve that. Meanwhile, fans who DO know Metron are going YES FINALLY.

I'm laughing though. It's like Metron and Gog used to hang out and watch prehistoric man and they were both so into. But then Gog changed fandoms and hates Metron now. 😂

Alright anyway, so next this Earth's Batman and Superman show up and have heard Metron's woeful tale of betrayal. They're ready to help. And Metron knows what Gog is planning.

[ID: Profile closeup of Metron still sitting with legs pulled to his chest. He says, "That much, I know. Gog plans to couple David's unique ability to traverse dimensions with the power of my Mobius Chair... allowing him not only to push through the cosmic wall surrounding the multiverse... but to lead an army behind him... beyond the Speed Force wall, beyond the Bleed..." /END]

Alright. Time to pause and address the elephant in the room. I held my tongue long enough, but I can no longer.

Dan Mora's art is fantastic, and he's a fan favorite for good reason. So to draw Metron LIKE THIS was 1000% intentional and I just.. WHY DOES HE LOOK LIKE THAT??? 😭 It is so god damn cursed. But to be fair, let's run through it, shall we?

Bad: No M-shaped cut out on the forehead. That's offense number one, and not one I take lightly. BUT after inspecting ALL APPEARANCES that Metron has had over several decades, I can confidently say it's not unheard of. And actually, you can see an example of how an M could have been reinterpreted as a boxy shape in my post about a Metron trading card.

Good: His ears are covered. Exposed ears through the cowl is a cardinal sin in my book.

Bad: Where are the lines on his head? Where is the orange dot/jewel thing?? Those are really integral to his design since his costume is otherwise kind of just a blue morph suit. Gog has a little jewel thing on HIS forehead, but what, is Metron not cool enough have one??! And btw I am DYING to see what his chest looks like. What kind of fuckery do you think they did with the design? Where do you think it'd land in this thing?

Good: His eyes are blue. Thank you. They're not glowing white and his irises are not fucking squares. I really hope we are DONE with that era.

Bad: wHY does he look like how people draw stereotypical witches? Can anyone explain this? Mr Mora, is Metron a HAG to you? Is that how you see him? Is he to live in a bog? (side note, I am not endorsing witch stereotypes)

Good: Is there anything good left? I guess that he's got some features I like. Deep set eyes, distinct/bony nose, thin lips. And he's older. That all rings true.

But most importantly. The biggest beef I have with this whole thing. The most flagrant disrespect... THE EYEBROWS WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING WHY ARE HIS EYEBROWS JUST -OUT- LIKE THAT? I HATE IT IM DYING IM DECAYING I WANT IT TO STOP BAD BAD BAD

Ahem.

And then we close on Metron dropping a bomb that Gog doesn't want anyone to survive war on Apokolips.

[ID: Close up of Metron looking stern, half his face in shadow. He says, "That's just it. Gog isn't planning on victory, he doesn't want to win. The Ascension is his name for a battle in which there will be no survivors." /END]

Okay, we're through it. We did it. I need to gather my thoughts somehow.

I'm interested to see where this goes, and it does make me want to go back and actually read Kingdom Come (I have been told to many times, but my reading is so slow I just haven't gotten to it). Or at least go back and read through this current title to catch up.

They dipped into New Gods lore in a few key ways, and yes they're on Earth 22 but all the Fourth World shit sits outside of the different Earths. So like, is Orion going to show up? Are you going to have the old gods, the origin of New Genesis and Apokolips, fucking Metron, and then NOT have Orion? That'd be a pretty weird move. But then again, his involvement might pull the story away from Batman and Superman too much.

Either way, I would expect we'd see Metron again at least once more. If I'm lucky, the Bats/Bats/Supes/Supes team will free Metron and take him with them since he's the Mobius Chair expert and all. And if I'm REALLY lucky, at some point he'll get his ugly af chair back and as soon as butt touches polymer he'll get all godly and badass or something. And he'll regain all his hubris and snark. And then maybe he'll get vengeance on Gog or something idk. He could really be a key player once he's back to his usual self and not in the fetal position on the floor. Look, I remember how maniacal with vengeance he was when Braniac got captured. He could 100% do the same here. I mean, Waid wouldn't end this whole thing without giving Metron his chair back ...right?

Um anyway, I think... I think I'm done. I might make a few shitposts about this in a minute here, but this is the end of my full blown rant. And this is ON TOP OF the 15 minute high speed lecture I already gave my partner about all of this. So anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

#metron #new gods #fourth world #batman superman worlds finest #metronmeta #metron if i fits i sits

12 notes · View notes

upagainstthesunset · 6 months

Text

Fourth World Character Foils: Metron & Himon

[Image ID: Comic panel from Mister Miracle depicting the arms of Himon and Metron and they greet each other in a handshake. Metron from above, and Himon from below. In the background there are yellow, black, red and white energy bursts. Metron says, "The wonders I build are born in your brain! The roads that I travel are opened by your massive perceptions!" To which Himon says, "Alas! The heart and brain of the visionary are eternally grounded here! I fostered Darkseid's power! I must be here - at its end!" /END ID]

We're smack dab in the middle of week 2 of New Gods November, so here's a bit of meta for the "character foils" prompt!

Wikipedia says a character foil is "a character who contrasts with another character". Pretty simple, eh? There are some obvious foils in the New Gods saga: Highfather and Darkseid, Scott and Orion, even New Genesis and Apokolips. With a story so heavily centered around the theme of good vs evil, it's fairly clear how many of the characters contrast with others. I probably could've written paragraphs upon paragraphs about any of them! But the thing that's interesting to me about character foils is how they are thematically or narratively inextricably linked to one another, especially when they aren't so black and white.

That's where Metron and Himon come in.

For those of you who aren't as familiar with these less well-known Fourth World characters, Metron (who I've posted about at length, see my #metronmeta tag) is a scientist and dimensional time traveler who is heavily invested in the universe's inner workings. Himon is a genius-level inventor who has made it his life's goal to thwart Darkseid's evil rule by leading a resistance against him. Sure they're both highly intelligent and have made some noteworthy inventions, but when you look at the details side-by-side it starts to paint a picture. So, let's do just that!

Appearance

Though both Metron and Himon are older, perhaps the same generation as Highfather, they have vastly different appearances, which lend directly to their characterizations.

Metron: Thin, with a wiry musculature. His clothing is tight fitting, even around his head. The pattern on his chest is meant to be computerized components. He rarely smiles.

Himon: Fuller bodied with a gently, approachable air. He wears loose fitting clothes that are warm in color. His hair is shaggy. He is often seen smiling.

Personality

This is the area where the two are clearly opposites. Though they're both clever and resourceful, that's where the similarities end. Perhaps the only other commonality here is that they have a mutual respect for each other.

Metron: Cold and analytical, yet spirited. He is independent and very self-focused, and his actions are almost always driven by his own personal desires rather than any consideration for those around him. He likes to stay seated on the Mobius chair, at times floating nearby watching, and at other times meddling.

Himon: Lively and active, and encouraging of others. He works to foster creativity and individuality of those he takes in, and teaches them to think for themselves rather than manipulating them. He values family and the beauty of life.

Inventions

As both are geniuses and inventors of technology that has forever changed the face of the universe, there are a lot of parallels in this area. However, what makes things interesting isn't necessarily what they created, but everything else surrounding said inventions.

Metron: A scientist who has notably created the Mobius chair that can travel time and space, as well as Boom Tubes, wormhole-like portals that allow anyone to travel directly to any location. When he created the forerunner to the Boom Tube, he gave Darkseid's army the unforseen ability to attack New Genesis. This had no moral impact on Metron since it meant he would be that much closer to unlocking the Source's mysteries for himself.

Himon: A visionary who discovered the X-element which Metron used in his inventions. Himon's most influential invention is the Mother Box, which are mechanisms that are connected to the Source and are considered living things. He respects the Source and channels it to do good, but never fixates on controlling it. Because Darkseid had made use of his theories and inventions, Himon vowed to do whatever he could to dismantle Darkseid's rule.

Location

By this time you can see a pattern emerging. Metron has a lot of negative traits, and Himon has a lot of positive ones. They are two very different sides of the same coin. So isn't it interesting where they reside? They are almost like the dots in the yin and yang symbolism, surrounded by contrasting environment.

Metron: Lives on New Genesis with the other New Gods. Is in easy enough contact with Highfather, and is introduced with the story's "good guys".

Himon: Lives on Apokolips in the slums where serves as a beacon of hope in the otherwise abysmal place.

Mentorship

Last is a pretty straightforward one. As intellectuals, it makes sense that these two have taken on mentees. But the relationships were not at all similar, except for the tragic ends that some of the younger characters met.

Metron: Took the child, Esak, along to study primitive creatures, showing him the universe outside of time and space. But later in the graphic novel's conclusion to the New Gods story, Metron has abandoned Esak, and Esak becomes bitter and ends up on Apokolips working for Darkseid. Separate from this, Metron does help Scott escape from Apokolips, but it's unclear if his motives were to help ensure destiny, or if it was done as a curiosity about what would happen. Perhaps a bit of both.

Himon: Mentored many on Apokolips, including the dregs of society and children suffering through life under Darkseid's rule, though some like Kreetin would sell him out in an instant. Himon truly cares for all he helps, and later he has a daughter who he loves. As for Scott's escape, he becomes a guiding force for free thinking, encouraging Scott to expand his mind.

There's so much more I could say about all of these themes. I feel like I barely scratched the surface, and certainly could have written this up more eloquently. Metron is not an evil character just because Himon is so good. As Metron says, he serves life in his own way. The technology he creates is powerful and it benefits everyone, and he has been shown to appreciate the Source and the universe's inhabitants. But there really is so much to think about when you contrast these two against each other. Even for characters who are only in a handful of pages. Just look at the panel at the top of this post! Metron, floating loftily in his grand Mobius chair that lets him travel anywhere and anywhen, reaching down to shake hands with Himon, who chooses to remain grounded and in hiding on a terrible planet amongst the lowlies. Metron without a care in the world except whatever suits him, and Himon who dedicates his life to standing against evil.

Okay, this is going to devolve into unedited rambling if I keep going, so I'll end it here. I hope that this look into these two characters sparked some interest in anyone who took the time to read, and I encourage you to check out both New Gods (1971) and Mister Miracle (1971) to see Metron and Himon in action!

#newgodsnovember #metron #himon #new gods #fourth world #jack kirby #metronmeta #metron if i fits i sits

12 notes · View notes