 |
|
Confronted by a group of St. Dumas' followers the newly reawakened Azrael makes short work of them. Lilhy feeds them disinformation about going to Italy. Azrael, Nomoz, Brian and Lilhy travel to the Ice Cathedral, but are confronted by an army of dwarflings with weapons.
Review :
This issue marks a major turning point for Azrael, the destruction of the Order of St. Dumas. Also we see a change in the psychological make up of Jean-Paul/Azrael. There is a less brutal Azrael in place but he has Jean-Paul's comaraderie and compassion and is very much a distinct personality, Azrael also seems to have full command of his abilities. Depth is added to the story in the details, such as the complete neglection of tasks that had fallen to Lilhy. In some cases the Ice Cathedral had fallen into neglect, this provides a strong link with the early issues so there is very strong continuity here.
Rant :
What will be the driving force behind Azrael now that this is hppening? Without the Order Azrael will have no goal. A hero is measured by his villains and Azrael has very few to speak of, Nug and Kluber were amusing but not worthy opponents, we need something horrific and long standing for Azrael if the Order is going to collapse. The trinity of powers that control the world, the Vatican, The Imortal (AKA The Demon, AKA Ra's al Ghul), and the Order would provide ample fodder for a skillful writer to show how small a single man is amongst these vast ancient powers. What if the power vacuum were filled by something else that was a mystery to all parties? what if The Ice Cathedral was but a small part of the Order? just because Rollo is dead it doesn't mean the Order is. Think about it, a two year arc called "History is a lie" think paranoia, intrigue, lies, Green Arrow type CIA stories, James Bond action. It would be something exciting and differant and hopefully dramatic while expanding on the original Azrael premise.