So it’s this four-page sequence (dropped in at almost the last minute) that Phil and I argued over the most, and I’m still very much of two minds about it. The shift in perspective does help convey the scope of this battle, which is the sort of thing that can get lost if you concentrate too much on named-character plot beats (Hammerhead destroys door, Byron and Syr’Nj debate strategy, etc.). The Battle of Beacon’s Hill definitely needed some grunt-level action to season the splashy superhero fight at its center.

But in terms of sheer story efficiency, I was pretty nonplussed about panning around the battlefield for four pages before getting back to any of the dozen-odd protagonists whose fight with each other is supposed to be the main event. My impatience was sharpened by the break we’d had to take between chapters, but I don’t think I’m wrong to say Phil was using this sequence to procrastinate a bit. He didn’t want to pass the mic back to me, but he wasn’t quite ready to get into the grand battle between heroes he was planning. Frustrating!

Phil added Goblaurence’s monologue as a compromise, and that is a drastic improvement, especially as it foreshadows who will really decide the action of this chapter. Is it enough to make this sequence feel like the right call? Well, you can decide that one for yourself.

In Cockney English, “geezers” doesn’t necessarily mean old people, but I doubt it matters much.