Last month we broke up with an invitation to discover together "Where the light dies". Today we are here with a good supply of torches, hopefully enough!
But first a small premise. About a year has passed since the beginning of the new Dragonero cycle and according to the words of Stefano Vietti (Thu), the forecast of the duration of the Rebellion, in April 2020, was "two more years ...". It therefore seems to me that the opportune moment has come to analyze this "first year" in depth, but I will do it at the bottom of the article.
For those interested in the past episodes: we have witnessed the rise of the Rebellion (Thu), we analyzed the inner struggles of some characters (Thu), up to Sera's emotional ordeal (Thu). Our gaze then rested on the Theocracy's attempts to subjugate the Erondár (Thu), and the counter-moves that the Rebellion has put in place to seek support (Thu), allies (Thu) and new ways of traveling (Thu). A mission was then particularly interesting, because it hit one of the nerve centers of the Empire (Thu). We then turned our spotlight on Ian. History (Thu) which sees him as the protagonist, we are sure, will certainly have interesting future implications. Then last month, after a long run, we stopped and looked back on the very first days of the Rebellion (Thu).
Go with the intro!
"...
Alone in the Dark, The Legacy, 1987, Testament
Alone in the dark, where the demons are torturing me
The dark passage of revenge is all that I see
..."
Where the light dies
For the Rebels of the Erondár it is of primary importance to be able to put a stop to the power of the Lady of Blood Tears and his fanatical followers. Two different but closely linked missions see Ian, Gmor, Aura and Alben looking for sources of magical power that they can use in the fight against the Imperial wizards.
Fragments of a Relic they are kept in a mysterious village inhabited by suspicious people and very unfriendly towards foreigners.
For Ian and his companions it will be a long and tiring search to make their way up to this village fraught with dangers, from which getting out will not be easy at all, as everything is enveloped in a ghostly darkness that hides who knows what threats.
Alben's mission, although less obscure, will certainly be no less difficult. Coming to Mimr and Yazir to ask Luresilca as support for the rebellious Luresindi, will reveal dark plots of betrayal among the ranks of the rebellion. But it is also an opportunity to find an old ally!
Episode analysis
"Where the light dies”Goes to define and deepen, like other episodes, the great tapestry that is the world of Dragonero. I have already stated, in a previous article, that the land of Dragonero is a world with such well-developed environmental and narrative engines that it practically lives its own life [semicit. from "Planetary”(1998) by Warren Ellis (texts) and John Cassady (drawings)] and this month's issue confirms it once again.
The vertical plots of Ian, Gmor, Aura and the other rebels employed in the search for the Relic and Alben, in the search for support of an old friend, intersect the great horizontal plot that Vietti and Enoch have been carrying out for a year.
The Rebels of the Erondár know that they are in the minority and weaker in comparison to the Theocracy, but they have not forgotten the importance of civil life. They have their own molar compass that guides them and they always follow it, whatever the cost. They have stood as a shield of those who have been left to themselves, and this will change them forever.
At the opening
In Chronicles of the Rebellion, the inevitable editorial by Luca Barbieri, the fourth volume of the saga of soulless, the adventures of the young mercenary Ian. We then discover that the mercenary theme will return in Dragonero Magazine 2020, due out in November. The last lines are for the issue of the month, with some news for those who have recently approached Black Dragon. Understanding the complexity and importance of Relics for the luresindi it is no small feat.
COLORING PAGES
It is said that one should never judge a book by its cover, in the case of "Where the light dies“, However, I would say yes! Gianluca Pagliarani (to the drawings) and Paolo Francescutto (colors) once again show themselves to be thoroughbred horses, managing to fully present the leitmotiv of the register. The design is able to evoke the dangers that weigh on our heroes, hidden in the dark, while the blacks (ebony, jet, dark, and who knows what other shades) are able to give full "substance" to the absence of light, especially thanks to the contrast of that last faint glow generated by Aura's staff that acts as a barrier to the impending darkness.
The drawings of the register alternate with Fabio Babich and Fabrizio Galliccia who manage to interpret, each with their own style, the tension that the characters feel, well aware of what lies beyond their perceptions. The most evocative point are the tables, characterized by an oppressive black “grid”, which portray Ian's descent where the light dies, where darkness is king.
Conclusions
A year has passed since the beginning of the Rebellion, here with us. In the Erondár… well that's another story.
In my opinion, we should always distinguish the different flow of time. A year has passed for us, and therefore twelve numbers of Dragonero, for Ian and the rest of the actors of this great story, it could have been more, or less.
Why do I make this premise? After the release of this month's book I happened to read several comments on some pages dedicated to Dragonero and, I must say, my arms fell, to say the least.
Controversy over how short / long / etc is. the new course, how useless several episodes are because fillers ("we want more action!","when are you going to make Ian really fight the Empire?"), The lack of" wickedness "of the enemies, of how the series is losing the" fantasy "side of the beginnings ["ah, the first hundred issues of Dylan Dog were better!“, Here we have burnt the times, with DD the (atici) fans have waited at least a decade].
In short, to quote Gaber:
"...
I don't feel Italian, I don't feel Italian, 2003
It will be that the Italians
for a long tradition
they are too passionate
of any discussion.
... "
Dragonero of the Sergio Bonelli Editore is currently the best fantasy work of the Italian comics scene. It is a series that, in its short editorial life, has been able to deal with historical, social and personal issues in an adult and effective way. We are facing a comic that has not stood still, on the contrary it has gone on evolving and renewing itself number after issue, and we owe this to Luca Enoch and Stefano Vietti.
The two authors were able to weave a complex plot of events and relationships between characters, some of whom we had even forgotten that they existed but which then proved to be important in the continuation of the story, worthy of the masters of the Bayeux tapestry. Under our eyes the adventures of our heroes flow and the seeds of the future of Erondár are there, we just have to wait for the veil to lift and enjoy the surprises that Enoch and Vietti have reserved for us.
Next November 10th we will meet "The daughters of Karnon” (“Dragonero, the Rebel"N ° 13), are you ready?
From the shadows we rise. In silence we strike.
The rebels of Erondár
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