Review: Delegates #9
When the going gets tough, sometimes uneasy alliances are a way for us to move forward. We may find ourselves reaching for people we would not normally be aligned with. They also can be more manageable relationships, as you can be more objective than actual friendships. In my experience, the ones where everyone has their own agendas are usually the strongest.
Most uneasy alliances also can be tender as they may be hanging on a string. An episode of Mayans MC shows what happens when your connection is not easily aligned. One thing can offset what could be a fruitful partnership. In the ninth issue of Delegates, we find two characters with opposite agendas forging a coalition.
We catch up with our heroes shortly after the events of the last issue where they were attacked at their temporary refuge. They looked to rebuild by reaching out to the local warlord Tau. Aminah’s advisors plead for her to think of alternative means. They eventually hold court with Tau looking for safe passage. Aminah offers him a favor if they retake the capital. By the issue’s end, Amina and her associates fall into a trap.
Overall, an exhilarating chapter in this tense dogmatic thriller, that gets into the layers of negotiation leaders go through. The story by Bin Lee is intellectual and fast-paced. The art by the creative team is stunning. Altogether, a story that shows anything can tip the scales in a delicate sociopolitical climate.
Story: Bin Lee
Art: Kendal Gates, Rebecca Harris, Heather Breckel, and Taylor Esposito
Story: 10 Art: 9.6 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy
The shock and dismay that settled in shortly after Donald Trump was elected President cannot be understated. The world’s collective gasp left the future so much grimmer and darker. The initial hope of a sustainable change was quickly dashed a few weeks into his term. Americans everywhere who had morals quickly realized just how hopeless our future is.
When a story makes an unexpected turning point, the reader is often left flabbergasted. The initial shock comes because usually when the twist happens, it is right when the reader gets invested in the characters. It is especially interesting when the writer subverts the tropes that would be employed in the plot that occurs. This takes a lot of leaving “breadcrumbs” throughout the story, clueing the reader in as you get closer to where the story needs to go.
Before I joined the military, one of the many news stories that stuck in my head which revolved around military occupation was the massacre in Rwanda. That two tribes who had shared a national identity would, without apprehension, employ genocide to wipe out a people and a history. These, as an elderly woman once reminded me, “are how civilizations vanish.” The miracle of modern technology makes it that we don’t forget these horrible events and the victims who fell because of it.
As the world moves towards technology the question has always been, can technology completely replace us? The mere fact that we now have smartphones who can think much like we do, anticipate our every move, the question has become is this too much? How can humans be an active part of society, when increasingly, technology is already doing certain jobs such as manufacturing and humans must become more diverse in their skill sets. Jobs people study for or apprentice for are slowly but steadily going away.
There is something thought-provoking about people who lie on a consistent basis. It is certainly more than what is on the surface, as there usually layers beneath that. As most people with a moral compass tend to catch up with the dishonesty and not the reason behind the deceit. This is where most people usually falter, and hope change can be achieved.
The term “civil unrest” is oft used term these days, more as a reaction to morally bankrupt rulers than certain civil rights issues. The number of protests across America, has only sparked outrage across the world, as people all over the globe feel the same way. The most recent issue of gun violence, after years of incontinence by legislators has pushed a sea change in the people rising and saying enough is enough. Even Sir Pau McCartney showed up this past weekend at the protests, reminding everyone, that his best friend, John Lennon, died due to gun violence.