Annotated 37-11
If you’re creating comics, it’s nice when you can keep conversations from being pure talking heads. Sometimes talking heads are just what you need to do, but they get old in a hurry. This long soliloquy of Bandit’s, set against the entirety of Asallah En-Qu’Lara with her silhouette barely visible, is a cool visual, but we can only get away with it because of the rhythm of the conversation.
Seems like Bandit has mixed feelings about her early days with E-Merl, tied closely to her general self-esteem crisis. There’s a part of her that goes, “I’m no more’n a lousy rott’n thief, jus’ like ev’ryone’s alw’ys said. Th’ proof izzat I stole that ‘lead’r of th’ Peacemakers’ title, like I steal ev’rything else. I don’t d’serve your respect, E-Merl.” And then there’s a part that goes, “Bein’ a thief is not th’ worst thing. Sometimes it’s wrong that oth’r people have things they don’t deserve while you have nothing. You should be like me, E-Merl, and figger out how t’ take what y’ really need, ‘stead’a waitin’ for an unfair world t’ give it.”
E-Merl’s reaction shot here is also notable. Pretty sure that’s as angry as we’ve seen him get so far. Now, he was on that mission with Bandit and watched the fucking Cultists destroy a town, so he could certainly be mad just about that. But there’s another possible reason for his ire. The fucking Cultists, you may recall, are the ones who released the Corruptor Beast.
And the “incompetent” E-Merl makes the point that Bandit and Syr’Nj (as well as much of the comics fanbase) were too busy arguing with eachother to see. The bad guys of this conflict are the cultist, not any member of the Peacemakers.
I think here on this re-read E-Merl might be my favourite character. You and Flo did a great job with this compelling story of a great person held down by self-doubt. So much so that I kinda overlooked a lot of his qualities on my first read.