风中的森林气息文洁很熟悉，她认识这风，这风也认识她，这是大兴安岭的风。—
刘慈欣作者，“三体”
Wenjie was familiar with the smell of the forest in the wind. She knew this wind, and this wind also knew her. It was the wind from Daxing’anling.
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This week’s theme: Magnificent Lettering!
This panel’s penciling and inking are complimented fantastically by its lettering. Together they convey poor Cay Qel-Droma’s agony at his sudden, gruesome amputation. Though amputations happen with alarming frequency in the Star Wars franchise, Cay’s is the most personally devastating to me since he immediately calls out for his older brother. The scratchy letters and larger speech bubble even emphasize Ulic’s name. As an older sibling myself, this situation is like a nightmare I might have. (Ulic does rescue Cay in the next panels.)
Star Wars engages frequently with disability, often in insensitive ways. Though both heroes and villains are disabled, the severity of disabilities skews more toward the villains (compare Vader and Grievous to Luke and Cay). Characters like Anakin and Saw become more disabled as they descend to the dark side. Blind heroes Kanan Jarrus, Chirrut Îmwe, and Kreia all use the Force to maneuver, which allows writers and choreographers to conform them into a sighted world, rather than creatively expand the world to accommodate them (what’s the Star Wars version of a guide dog?). Kanan’s blindness is particularly upsetting, since he seems to regain his sight at the last second – an ableist trope. And much like how Star Wars appropriates Asian culture and history without, until recently, starring and centering Asian actors and creators, Star Wars also obsesses over fictional disability without hiring real disabled people to play these roles and tell these stories.
The most recent trilogy and current Star Wars projects mostly avoid the issue of disability (I’ll be paying attention to what they do with Echo), but I think it would be more responsible to confront this fraught issue with the nuance and respect it deserves. The “I, Droid” comic is a small but good recent example of this, in my opinion. As it is, we are left with many well-made moments of shock, from the “I am your father” scene to the panel pictured above, but fewer thoughtful reflections on the consequences of these moments.
“Tales of the Jedi, issue 2: Ulic Qel-Droma and the Beast Wars of Onderon, part 2.” Dark Horse. November 15, 1993. Writer: Tom Veitch. Penciller: Chris Gossett. Inker: Mike Barreiro. Letterer: Willie Schubert. Colorist: Pamela Rambo.
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This week’s theme: The Hero’s Journey, Step 1: The Call to Adventure!
Sometimes, the Call comes from a villain!
“Lost Stars,” Volume 1, Chapter 2. May 8, 2018. Original YA novel by Claudia Gray. Adaptation and Illustration by Yusaka Komiyama.
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submitted by anonymous: this one maam
MNMNNMMMMMMH!!!!!!!