GFT Retrospective #87: The Dream Eater Saga #7 (Myths & Legends #7)
Retrospective Dreamer,
Myth, and Legend.
Well, at least it all balances out, and I'm still humble enough to ask that you please Become A Ticketholder if you haven't already, leave a comment at the bottom of this post, help out my ad revenue as you read so I don't get tortured by a witch, and follow me on BlueSky, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest Grimm news on my legendary content.
The Dream Eater Saga #7
Myths & Legends #7
Now that I'm done leaving how lucky I feel up to the whim of numerical superstitions and coin flips, it's time to pay The Piper, or rather, it's time for The Piper to pay.
This seventh issue of both The Dream Eater Saga and Myths & Legends features two covers by one of Zenescope's go-to artists, Eric "EBas" Basaldua: the common variant shown here with Cesar Rodriguez on colors, and a risqué swimsuit variant for San Diego Comic Con with colors by Ivan Nunes that's more in line with the style we've seen from EBas before and will see more of in the future. The issue itself has a visual consistency with Alfred Trujillo and Jason Embury (yes, that beast of a colorist again) returning from the previous crossover issue to do the art here, and their detail, shot composition, and depiction of energy attacks are as impressive as before.
The story itself picks up where that previous issue left off, with the Pied Piper at the mercy of Baba Yaga (with whom he has a history he'd rather not be reminded of) while Samantha Darren plays good cop (Good Witch?).
Amid this interrogation, we are treated to a flashback where the Piper accompanies Orcus and his army on a mission to find and capture "the seer" (Baba Yaga), after which she is taken to the Dark One to tell his future. Along with dialogue that suggests the writers are Road House fans,
Baba Yaga tells the Dark One of his pre-series banishment to the Nexus (or his failed invasion in Hard Choices?), his future death at the hands of a "forgotten enemy" (which is perhaps less of a premonition and more of a veiled threat of her own vengeance for the events of the Prelude/Prologue issue), Orcus' rise to power in Myst (as of Volume Nine), and the Piper's abandonment to face an inescapable death (meaning Baba Yaga and Samantha will probably sacrifice him to escape the Dream Eater sometime soon). Having earned her place at Malec's side, Baba Yaga begins her plot to socially dismantle the Dark Horde from within, ending the flashback.
In the present, the two witchy allies of convenience trick the Piper into revealing the location of the Serpent's Scepter, an artifact which, an Editor's Note tells us, he has been hanging onto since Hard Choices.
This event hasn't been very consistent with adhering to its lore, so I felt compelled to go back and search the referenced issue for said McGuffin. It isn't referred to by name until this issue, but it was a literal plot device in Hard Choices, which the Piper used to siphon energy from the Casket Of Provenance so the Dark One could retrieve his army from Myst, slay the Council members (with the exception of Thane - who would sacrifice himself to unleash the Dream Eater in "Once Upon A Time" - Blake - who is still alive - and Nyssa - who was killed by Sela to close the remaining portals between the Realms Of Power and Earth), and re-invade the Nexus,
Also, I was reminded that the Piper's name is Anslied, which is cool because the majority of Ains-alike names come from Old English and mean "solitary," "one's own," or "hermitage," and have some kind of nature connotation like a woodland, meadow, or clearing, and a lied is a type of romantic German song. Put that together, and it fits perfectly. Unfortunately, he'll probably be Dream Eater food within the next couple of issues.
Using the remaining Provenance energy in the Serpent's Scepter, the Piper opens a portal to escape his captors in the Inner Sanctum Of the Nexus, but it turns out that Baba Yaga and Samantha were playing him like a flute, and they use the open portal to travel back to Sinbad's time in search of a weapon to use against the Dream Eater, dragging Anslied along with them.
Great art this issue, and Samantha and Baba Yaga's dynamic is always a fun read, even with the stock interrogation narrative presented here. But the story wasn't as interesting for me as my investigative journey proved to be.
I am looking forward to revisiting what would ultimately be one of Sinbad's final chronological Zenescope appearances next week, so Stay Tuned and please Become A Ticketholder if you haven't already, leave a comment at the bottom of this post, help out my ad revenue as you read so I don't have to become a singing hermit, and follow me on BlueSky, Tumblr, Reddit, Facebook, and LinkedIn to like what you see and receive the latest Grimm news on my legendary content.
Retrospective Ticketmaster,
Rolling 7s Again.
Comments
Post a Comment