Themes of Conquest

So we'll see how this goes. It's been stewing in my mind for at least a couple of weeks, maybe longer, and I've held off, because I didn't quite know where I was going with it. I'm still not sure, but it'll sort itself out eventually, I imagine.

I noticed certain things in the Conquest mini-series so far that don't quite seem to match up. Rather than complain about a lack of continuity between them, I'm going to opt for the belief that these are deliberate differences, used to highlight different things, which would I think goes along with each mini having a somewhat different tone to it. So tonight I'm going to look at Wraith and Nova thus far, Quasar and Starlord tomorrow. I figure that might keep the post from getting too long, and it'll let me get something posted tonight. So let's begin.

Wraith: Wraith is going for a definite horror vibe, along the lines of that Invasion movie I keep seeing advertised (though that may be people being replaced, where this is them being controlled). Grillo-Marxuach gives us a protagonist that emerges abruptly from the depths of space, capable of striking fear into the things that have conquered the galaxy. Yet, the hero doesn't care. He doesn't care about the Phalanx, or the Kree attempts at resistance. The pain and suffering of others is largely irrelevant (with the exception of that woman he saved from a Kree attacker in the first issue). For Wraith, pain is a welcome thing, so it is understandable that he wouldn't be too bothered by seeing others in distress. It creates a world of hopelessness, where you get the distinct feeling nobody would care if you died.

This sense of despair deepens when we first meet some old friends. Ronan, who stood tall against the Annihilation Wave, even when he was considered an outcast by the empire he protected, is a pawn of the Phalanx. He can not raise his hand against these beings that have conquered his people. Super-Skrull has fought against most everyone, returned from the dead more than once, and though he isn't under Phalanx control, he's resigned to the fact he will be soon. These aren't ordinary folks; these are beings of power that Earth's best superheroes consider serious threats, and they've been crushed.

Kyle Hotz' art, and Gina Going-Raney's colors contribute to the feelings of darkness and despair. Everything is dark and murky; there are shadows everywhere. Light, where you see it, is muted. Backgrounds are often totally black, and light rarely signifies good things. The shackles have lights. The tools of assimilation have lights. The paralyzing gas is a noticeable red against that dark background. The electro-shock torture implement Ronan uses creates light. Light is bad. It causes pain and imprisonment.

The implements the Phalanx place within those they control are large, attached with large needles, and jutting out of the body in ways that suggest they must hurt quite a lot. Indeed, if Wraith's reaction at the end of #2 is correct, they do hurt quite a bit. For some reason, the Phalanx are keeping one of Super-Skrull's eyes open continuously. Is this necessary to bring him to heel? Maybe. Maybe the pain helps to break down resistance, coupled with the fact nobody much cares. Certainly, Wraith offers no condolences to Super-Skrull upon seeing his condition. Consider the spire Wraith is impaled on when Ronan goes berserk. What's its purpose? None that was readily apparent. Why would a group so intent on making things orderly, as the Phalanx are, make things with no purpose? Unless the purpose is to cause pain. Pain that nobody will care about.

It's a dark and ugly sort of place, and the person best suited to survive it is probably someone for whom pain is a gift.

Nova: By contrast, Nova is bright and energetic, and full of clever banter between Rich and the Worldmind. The Phalanx headquarters are well-lit, you can see things clearly. There aren't seemingly unnecessary spires sticking out of the floor. Unlike Wraith, Nova is determined to be involved in the current problem, even if it kills him. Even when he tries to withdraw, it's to find reinforcements, so he can return and crush the Phalanx.

The Phalanx are portrayed a little differently as well. They are apparently able to infect beings with little more than a touch, given their questioning of why Rich hadn't been converted yet. The conversion doesn't require large, painful looking technology. It can be done with something as simple as a kiss. Rather than order their "Select" to do things, the Phalanx actually let them take command. When Gamora tells them to stand aside and let her control the Kree Sentry robots fighting Nova, the Phalanx do so. They let her decide whether to capture or eliminate Nova when she finds him. Or we're given that impression. They may just be giving her the illusion of choice. All this works well with the suspenseful, high adventure feel of the book, a little Indiana Jones-ish, or maybe Die Hard. Rich needs to retreat and regroup, but there's nowhere to retreat to. He runs into a lady from his past, and it's the worst possible thing that could happen. The beings the Phalanx send after him may be forced to fight for them, but they retain all their skills and instincts. This isn't a case where the subdued have been reduced to glass-eyed automatons.

You've also got Rich contrasted with the newest Nova. Rich enjoys being Nova. If nothing else, being a Nova and protecting the universe is something that makes sense to him, which is probably very important to him after his recent trip back home, which he couldn't wait to get away from. Ko-Rel on the other hand, just wants to get home to her son. She's been dragged into this, but she doesn't have any real interest in it. Gamora and Richard are closer to kindred spirits, but Ko-Rel's the one who winds up trying to protect Rich from the much more experienced, deadlier lady. It reminds me a bit of the two women in Goldeneye: the quieter computer programmer that ends up working with Mr. Devil-May-Care Bond, and the crazy, killer lady, that's well, trying to kill him.

So conclusion (for tonight): Both books seem to showcase the relentlessness of the Phalanx. Nova demonstrates it by showing the Phalanx in constant pursuit. The scene in #4, when Rich is under attack, and no matter what direction he turns, Gamora has stationed Sentries to block that route off, is a pretty good example. The Phalanx just keep after you until you get tired, or make a mistake, and then they've got you. Wraith seems more about what it's like once they've got you. To put it simply, they make you not care. You give up hopes of resistance. At best you feel anger because you recognize you can't fight them once they've got you. And no one will care how much it scares you, or how much it hurts.

So tomorrow, Quasar and Starlord.