Traitors and Intrigue in Eternals #4

Could Druig be any more guilty even if he was actually guilty? We’re sure he’ll find a way in Eternals #4, written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Esad Ribić, colored by Matthew Wilson, and Clayton Cowles on letters and design.

Zoe Tunnell: This was a MEATY issue, dang. Eternals hasn’t exactly been a breezy series so far, and I love that about it, but #4 is just bursting with interpersonal drama, further insight into Eternals culture and a feat I thought impossible: it made me…like Druig.

Karen Charm: Ah, wow, that’s interesting! At this point, Eternals has firmly established itself as a Good Comic so of course I loved this issue, though maybe not as much as the last one with Thena. The bar has been set really high! Still, it was a very good showing for Druig, I agree. I can’t wait to hear more about your newfound appreciation. Shall we get into it?

“That’s how knowledge works.”

ZT: Sersi is kind of a jerk! I love it! This opening bit with her and Phastos was delightful to me for a few different reasons, but Sersi taking a less playfully curious stance towards humans than usual and veering more into outright patronizing of Tony Stark was just a blast. She’s still flirty, she’s still fun, but it’s nice to see her have a bit of a harder edge when it comes to Serious Stuff given everything that’s happened to the Eternals in the past couple decades. As for Phastos, well, dude’s got a real cool hammer.

KC: Bang bang, Phastos’ C’lestial Hammer! Or, rather, in this case, KNNNNKK! Those Celestials build some great tools, Apocalypse can tell you that. He’s busy trying to fix the Machine (aka the Planet Earth and our quirky narrator) with his Smart Hammer while measuredly taking Sersi’s sass. I really feel like his line “addicts do improve” is more pointed toward her than Tony Stark. Sersi may not have much respect for humans, but she still can’t seem to help herself from getting involved. She can only promise to try not to. Anyway, I totally agree with you, Zoe, this depiction suits Sersi.

While she goes off to tend to the Avenger, Thena and Kingo take the scenic route to Polaria to meet with the accused – Druig. Once again we’re treated to Matthew Wilson’s beautiful use of the color blue. Note the Eternals’ mention of avoiding the usually instantaneous Eternal transportation for security matters… Here is where Druig’s star turn begins, at what moment did he win you over?

ZT: I’m a sucker for a villain who knows exactly what they are and gleefully embraces it, so I realized Gillen was just wholly playing to my tastes as soon as Druig responded to Thena pointing out his lack of grief over his fellow Polarian Eternals being murdered with “Nothing I could say would make you not suspect me. Why should I lie and say I’m in mourning? You know I’m not.”

He sucks, he’s a villain, but dammit he’s not even trying to hide it and actively mocking people who try to pretend he’s anything other than the snake he is. The bastard has hit The Loki Zone.

KC: It’s true, Druig doesn’t much care to waste time, and puts up with being under suspicion as well as he takes anything (aside from being punched by Ikaris). Speaking of which, we get an informative data page here that explains a bit of the deal with Polaria – a competing capital city for Eternals in the Arctic North where Ikaris, Druig and their family hail from. Ikaris ends up spending so much of his time with the Olympian Eternals because of a cultural exchange to establish good faith between the two regions. Like all our narration, this text is provided by the Machine, which starts to show more of its rude side, calling us “putrid sacks of goo” (rude!), before reigning itself back in. This is an example of where Gillen’s particular humor shines the brightest, I feel.

But back to the action. I wasn’t as struck by their rhetorical and philosophical gymnastics as it sounds like you were, but I do enjoy these characters interacting. I did chuckle at Druig ordering his valet Akpaxa back and forth for drinks – he must be really thirsty – though I wish she got to say something. Also I just love these massive setpieces that Ribić graces the pages with. I always come back to a sense of scale in Eternals comics and so far this series is going above and beyond.

Thena is pretty steely throughout, looking great in her full armor, whereas Kingo strikes me as something of a weak link and Druig seems to be focusing on exploiting that.

ZT: Thank you for the perfect segway, writing partner o’ mine, as Kingo and Druig led my favorite part of the issue, the now requisite flashback sequence to ancient history.

A Knife in the Dark

ZT: This issue’s glimpse through the mists of time throws us into the 13th century Mongol invasion of Europe by the hordes of Ögedai Khan, led by their general Subutai. I know you love Ribić’s work making every Eternal city and base look like a sprawling technological wonderland, but his work on this sequence was just stunning to me. The constant haze from either the embers of conquest or the smoke of a campfire. The warm reds and oranges contrast with the bright cool blues that drench every scene in Polaria. Ribić is a man who knows how to make a fantasy/medieval setting look lush and lived in and that streak stays strong here.

The thing I loved most out of it, though, is that we actually got some genuine character work out of Kingo. The guy has been basically one, maybe two, character traits since he first showed up 50 years ago and now we finally get to see what makes him tick.

KC: I am growing quite fond of these Eternal fairy stories we get each issue. Couldn’t agree with you more, both on the stunning art and about Kingo. This parable is very interesting depending on how much you want to read into it. Essentially, what we’re seeing is a teachable moment for Kingo that the course of human events can change as easily as the wind. I just love their exchange here:

Kingo: “It is hard to believe. History changed path on a single heartbeat.”

Druig: “Oh, you really are naive, Kingo. That happens every day. Going along the same path is just a decision not to change paths.”

With all the talk about “never die, never win,” that bit of dialogue really seems to get at what Gillen is setting up for this series. Just A-class writing, too.

Kingo is there in the first place because what the Mongol Empire’s armies are doing is so beyond his frame of reference for what mankind is capable of (“not even the Deviants!”), that he’s convinced Druig is the true puppet master. It turns out Druig just makes friends with tyrants easily, and he’s just there to learn a few things about colonization and empire. Really makes you worry, and puts him in context for where we see him later in Gaiman’s run.

ZT: One of my favorite touches in the flashback is that based entirely on how the reader feels about The Mongol Hordes, Druig is either being genuine in his conversation with Kingo about simply observing humanity or, as you pointed out, he’s taking notes for future conquest. The Mongols killed thousands, but they also made strides like general religious freedom within their empire as long as you paid your taxes. They invaded sovereign lands and put innocents to the blade, but those countries were often doing the same thing to each other for little to no reason just a few years before. Am I about to rip off my shirt and reveal a MONGOLS 4 LYFE tattoo? Hell no, they killed thousands and had just as many societal problems as the white folks they butted heads with. But in the context of the story, it makes both Druig’s curiosity and Kingo’s hesitancy to assassinate Subutai and affect history far more interesting than something like, say, having Druig hang out with Hitler would have accomplished

KC: Hm, I am no historian but I would probably be pretty displeased to see Hitler in this comic-

ZT: BIG SAME!

KC: -and I don’t think I’d be alone. The key thing I was taking away from this is how above human affairs the Eternals are, and how open to interpretation their prime directives are. If they are constructed to “protect humans” as guardian angels, how far does that extend (it’s all there in the text of the comics, I don’t need to rehash that too much). It’s less about the morality of the Horde (which I feel somewhat safe in feeling is generally as immoral as any warring body) as about the morality inherent in Kingo, who struggles with this question of what to do, and the lack of morality in Druig, who probably respects humanity much less than he’s insisting.

Anyway! I’ll wrap this up by saying that, because this memory between Kingo and Druig is brought up for a specific reason on Druig’s part, I can’t help but feel wary of what further significance it may hold.

ZT: Oh I’m gonna call my shot now and guess he’s going to make Kingo hesitate at a key moment in the future and laugh like mad when it blows up in Kingo’s face. Probably something to do with the big beefy raisin who takes up the rest of the issue.

The Greatest Composer Who Has Ever Been

KC: That’s right, we may not get Hitler, but we do have a Thanos! While Druig’s trip down memory lane might have loosened up Kingo’s “bad cop” routine, nothing provides an alibi like Thanos just busting in and going for your prime suspect. I kind of love this dynamic where Thanos is this horrible final boss who can just randomly appear and suck your party into a battle that you have no way of being at all prepared to win. I’m glad this comic found a way to make him work. The narration makes a point of reminding us that the Machine’s transportation to Polaria was shut down to avoid just this sort of thing from happening – Thanos should not have been able to show up the way he did, and yet…

ZT: Thanos finds a way. Gillen’s Thanos continues to be the only one I’ve given a damn about since Hickman left the guy alone, and it’s moments like being insulted by being called a murderer that really seal it. Not because he didn’t kill anyone, of course, but because murderer is far too small of a word for Thanos. I love your definition of him as a final boss, because that really is the vibe he exudes every time he shows up in this book. He’s stronger than everyone. He’s scarier than everyone. You cannot stop him. You cannot be prepared for him. Screw Darkseid, Thanos is. (I’m sorry Darkseid, please don’t turn me to ash!!!) I think my favorite little touch is Kingo’s expression when Thanos ports in behind Druig. It’s not outright terror, an immortal swordsman would never, but you can see the worry behind his eyes. This Thanos is scary enough to make even the Earth’s guardian angels flinch.

KC: Kingo’s reaction is downright cinematic. Once again, Ribić and Wilson are bringing the heat with the fight scenes, they’re just so cataclysmic, you feel the weight of everything. Another piece that’s as cinematic as it is uniquely comics is how our attention is led away from the crashing fight to Druig, slumped on the ground. As the narration reminds us, he is a snake, and so of course he would be low to the ground and subtly deadly. He gets the drop on Thanos, clapping him into an astral holding cell intended to buy the others some time. Thanos, for his part, is a very confident person, you really have to give him credit for believing in himself. No matter how many Eternals are thrown at him, he’ll throttle them all. Still it doesn’t save him from getting run through by Thena’s blade.

It was at this point, when the wounding snaps them back to reality and Thanos manages to escape, that I thought to myself “wow, I’m surprised Druig didn’t try to make a deal with Thanos, suck up to him and be his lackey. Maybe I should give the guy more credit…”

ZT: You know how you asked what moment made me officially dig Druig earlier? I lied. It was this right here. Druig playing double snake and immediately trying to team up with Thanos as soon as the other Eternals clear out was just some mustache-twirling villainy I couldn’t help but love. Especially the final line.

“Now, I understand you have an ally among the Eternals who has been assisting you. I find this deeply insulting.

You needed a traitor and you didn’t come straight to me?”

Beautiful. Perfect. Chef Kisses all around for Mr. Gillen. Getting the drinks from Akpaxa’s corpse to hand one to Thanos is just the cherry on top of this villainous sundae and I loved every second of it.

KC: Chef kiss is exactly the word.

Thena and Kingo, by the way, have a new prime suspect now. Apparently all the current evidence points them to Gilgamesh and other Forgotten Ones. Now Gilgamesh, former Avenger, is not someone I would naturally jump to that conclusion about, but then again everything is weird for the Eternals right now. In fact, the worst thing I can remember reading Gilgamesh ever doing is when he was under the mental control of Druig and beating up Makkari back in the Knauf run. I went back and reread his first appearance and found that he’s technically the first Eternal to be Excluded, before we knew the term (that’s what the whole “Forgotton One” name is about). He gets brought back by Sprite to save the day when the other Eternals are in a Uni-mind. In any case, I’m looking forward to seeing him.

ZT: Hey, anything that gets us more New Eternals Lore and slick redesigns from Ribić sounds good to me. Bring on Gilgamesh!

KC: I’m really enjoying the kind of haphazard way the Eternals are going about this investigation. It’s a nice way to tour all the locales and reintroduce the characters, but it’s not a very effective strategy for actually finding what they’re looking for. Right now they’re just being led by the nose from one suspect to the next. On the plus side, the reader is just as in the dark as they are, so every issue is an exciting mystery.

Zoe, I am very sad that we won’t have a new issue until June, but please don’t Forget about me before then.

ZT: I never could, my friend.

Marvelous Musings

Sersi’s line about not telling “the mutants” really made my eyebrows go up…
How about playing “no cop” and “no cop,” huh guys?
In loving memory of Akpaxa.
RIP to a real one.
We didn’t really get into it, but the brief scene with “HOW DO YOU DO, FELLOW KIDS” Sprite was endearing as hell.
If Gaiman’s Sprite was mad about not hitting puberty, Gillen raises the stakes by positing: “what if Sprite was always going through puberty?”