Some spoilers. This is DC at its finest. DC has always dealt with pantheons. With gods and mortals. DC tends towards stories that follow in the classic traditions of ancient myths. This is one of the major differences between DC and Marvel.
Deadly Fable is an excellent example of this type of story. Writer Steve Orlando has cleverly inserted a hero (or villain) into the mythos they’ve created. A sub mythos, if you will, within the larger mythos that is the Justice League. Killer Frost, Caitlin Snow, terrified of what she might become, opens pandora’s book. Ok not quite that but she makes a deal with a devil…ok not that either. Pity though. It’d be several shades of awesome if John Constantine showed up and saved the entire JLA.
I digress. Caitlin Snow has been shown in a dream a horrible future. She’s also been shown, in a dream, that she’s the reincarnation of the sister of a dreadful queen who ruled long ago. There is quite a bit of ambiguity in the dichotomy set up in the original mythos. Tsaritsa is the cruel queen. Freya is her compassionate sister.
Cruelty is easy to write. Tsaritsa is believably cruel in just a few brief panels. Freya, however…is not believably compassionate. It is no intelligent thing to equate compassion with weakness or self-destruction. Yet that is where the writer seems to have gone. This could be very clever.
After all, Tsaritsa is reputed to love her sister. Freya is reputed to love her sister. If Tsaritsa loves her sister Freya, why does she continue to be cruel? Knowing that it grieves Freya. If Freya is truly compassionate why does she stand by while Tsaritsa torments mortals? Given the setting, given the context we can presume this is because they are not human. They represent primal forces.
And yet, Caitlin Snow, is human. This is where things could get clever. Because: Humans can learn. Gods are locked into their natures. They cannot be what they are not. Gods do not change. Humans can learn to be what they are not. Humans, mortals, can change. Indeed to be human is to change.
Deadly Fable may not deliver on its potential. It may not explore what imagination is. It may not explore what compassion really is. I have very high hopes that it will. Also I was never a huge Lobo fan but he’s doing pretty well in this run. I like the cast they’ve called for this. I don’t want to see Superman show up and pull their bacon out of the fire. That would be a cheat. And I don’t get the sense that will happen. This interplay of characters appears to be well thought out. I’m looking forward to the next issue.
Again: John Constantine saving the JLA would be several shades of awesome. Just sayin’.
