I've still been reading through a few comics despite not posting about them as much lately. Mostly because my time has been spent running around outside and enjoying the little bit of spring that hit Tbilisi over the past week. The comic reading being something I've continued to do over the evenings once the tiredness hits but it's not quite time to sleep. I've read through quite a few different things that I've thoroughly enjoyed, somewhat getting ahead of myself and reading new stories while not finishing old ones. I read through the Doom 2024 one-shot in its entirety, and then finished Books of Doom, to then pick up Phoenix yet again where I left it off at the first volume. I then finished up with some new reading of the 80s with Battle Chasers. A whole library of comics to get writing about in the upcoming weeks, but Books of Doom was something I was already heavily invested in, something that really took me by surprise. I mentioned in previous reviews that the art style wasn't quite my thing, but this was the origin story of a supervillain, and I found that incredibly captivating. Rarely do we see the true backstory of a villain, one that brings us to sympathy over a character until they're reaching the point of no return. And that's what this story is. It's one that pulls us along for the ride and really creates a monster in the process.
Volume five really picks things up. It has finished with the previous establishing of the Doom character. He's no longer the child escaping the horrors of his town, no longer one being manipulated and chased down by government agencies and those of his former homeland. Doom has reached the point of total independence through his creations, and all that's left now is to return to his home and seek out revenge, all in the name of liberating his people. And that's where the volume really starts to feel a bit more serious, where previous volumes have had us feeling for Doom, watching him hide his face and hide away in small rooms in Eastern Europe. Never given a break or the idea of love that he originally wanted. Doom is no longer human at this point, he's just a maniac with two main focuses: save his mother from the torment of a demon. And kill the people responsible for all his family had suffered. And to kill them, that would mean a total regime shift now that his foes own the land. Doom arriving back to his homeland, fully aware that he could instantly fly over to the castle and kill his opponent within an instant. Fully aware of his power and the advantages he has over all modern armies, let alone the mere attempts at strength of villagers and gypsies. A more political approach is utilised here though: Doom wants to convince the public to be on his side, to have them cheer for his reign. Aware that immediate force could be a negative.
I really liked this side of Doom since it showed the measures he was willing to take at this point. He wanted to start a war. He wanted to have people die in the process. To create a conflict that has the people fighting against each other for some made up silliness. And it worked. It showed a more evil, more manipulative side of Doom that would take any direction it takes to get what he wanted, seeing people as expendable resources that could be farmed. He knew that everyone was beneath him, and this was told to the reader in previous comics as he looked down on those who were not at his level. That he had established a hatred for humanity. We see more of this in volume five with how Doom pulls together his most loyal friends from throughout the decades. How they were loyal to him but still saw through his madness, and when they questioned his actions, they were instantly given the hand of death. Doom no longer cared for those who said no to him, no longer cared for the people he was claiming to be liberating. If anyone questioned or stood in his way, they'd be killed off within an instant or used as a tool to set the pieces for his later moves. Even messengers were not to be cared for. The more this volume progressed, the more clear it became that the Doom we saw in previous volumes was totally different, we had witnessed the slow and gradual shift in his character; from a boy that wanted to marry the love of his life to seeking nothing but power.
This volume was still setting things up for that final conclusion in the sixth volume, but it was one that was riddled with tension. Where it was clear that the worst of Doom was still to come. He was building an army of gullible idiots. Selling them the idea of freedom under him, especially with how his land had in fact been enslaved by the current regime. Doom appearing like some saviour capable of liberating them and giving them true freedom, though not realising he was selling them the mere idea of freedom under his rule. I guess it has some reflection to reality in this sense, how people often rile themselves up into groups and rally at the idea of whatever agenda a government or politician claims they'll pursue. Only to have the result regardless be a negative one for the average person. Though in this case, Doom was not someone that you could say no to. He was far too powerful for armies, where bullets did nothing. With a mixture of technology and magic at his disposal, Doom had effectively reached the stance of a God.
For the past four volumes the story has been building up to this very point, and it didn't disappoint one bit. And it's still not even done yet. It's no longer the story of a normal gypsy child given a rough life, it's the actions of an evil man with a cold heart, and it shows.
