Or believes there is a real-enough Storm King along with a fake Heterodyne running around. If there are multiple candidates for both positions running around, how does one determine which is real, aka evil clone problem?
Printable View
Judging from the precedent of all the pretenderships and succession crises that have cropped up throughout history, the best way to get this sorted out is to have the armies of the two candidates fight to the bitter end. Since the ensuing destruction and horrific loss of life is obviously undesirable, I propose that Agatha and Zola duel each other for the title of Lady Heterodyne.
I was going to ask mud or jello, but didn't want to be that guy.
From a mundane point of view Tarvek was last known to the outside world to either be a prisoner in the hospital, which was destroyed, or to have escaped into the Castle, which is a known death-trap, depending on what messages Violetta was able to send before she broke Tarvek out and thats why he was told Tarvek was dead.
From a more sinister point of view its because someone did in fact deliberately infect Tarvek, has thus inadvertantly tipped his hand with his premature anouncement of Tarveks death, since nobody but the perpetrator could know that, and wont Tarvek be interested when he figures that out?
This would also help explain why the strip spent so much time on the curing arc- it wasnt just deus ex machina to insert a random sidetracking or a bit of romance development or as an excuse to get them within Lion range of the Castle; it was to set up and characterise a future major plot point, while also enabling lots of other stuff in the story.
Remind me, please - who is the Storm King and why does everyone think he's relevant? Unless I missed something, all we got was some sort of legend.
Im not certain but I think its basically like saying the old emperors of japan are returning, its a huge thing from a historical angle. A symbol of the old rulers who kept things under control or whatever. The Storm King would have a legitimate claim on some unspecified portion of europa, which would attract followers, which would make them a world power. Much like Agatha being THE heterodyne. Its a lot easier to build off of an established base than to start from scratch.
What Traab said. But there is a lot of support for a Storm King from the upper ranks of the nobility in the form of a group called the Knights of Jove. Not because the want a Stomr King to rule them, but so they can put a puppet Storm King on the throne and regain their lost power.
Storm King Opera: http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080204
So he could have brought peace to Europa, but ran off looking for some girl. :smallwink:
I think a better metaphor may be the Holy Roman Empire.
In the past, there was the Storm King, a mythic figure who united Europa battled the evil heterodynes, married a heterodyne princess, and ruled with justice and wisdom. In the process he employed Van Rinji, the greatest spark in history.
He has since passed into myth and legend. After his fall, you have the Long War, where a hundred noble families and a thousand spark princes struggled for dominance. This lasts until the Heterodyne Boys start wandering around europe, putting down the belligerents and solving problems. Then the Other shows up, both the Other and the Heterodynes vanish, and the whole thing starts up again.
Until Klaus gets back.
The current state of things is that everybody hates and fears Klaus. All movers and shakers in Europa want to replace Klaus.
This is where the Storm King legend comes in. Everybody grows up hearing stories about the Storm King, and everybody hates Klaus. So, if you show up claiming to be the heir of the Storm King, and re-enact the Opera (marrying the heterodyne princess) to boot, everybody is convinced that the Wulfenbach era is over, and you get every power-hungry noble, dissatisfied rebel, and idealistic peasant flocking to your banner.
I would agree with both the Japanese Emperor and Holy Roman Emperor (or would that be Caesar?) motifs, but I'd also put forward King Arthur. Reborn. With Agatha as the Sword in the Stone as proof of his identity.
Which is why everyone wants to get their hands on her... :smallbiggrin:
Ah, yes. That makes sense. The Storm King is really little more than a legend the nobles are using as a banner.
The problem with basing your plans on epic opera is that in the end, no one ever seems to win. Siegmund and Hundig both end up dead, and Sieglinde dies in childbirth. Then Hagen kills both Siedfried and Gunther, Brunnhilde climbs into a funeral pyre (bringing down Valhalla) and the Rhinemaidens drown Hagen.
Agatha's best bet id to be Gurtrune if she can get the rest of Gibichung vassals to follow her, but that's hardly a given, and neither she nor they are exactly the heroes of the piece. :smallfrown:
*Goes off singing "Kill da wabbit!*
You'd think that's the only opera there is. The hammerhead chorus I believe refers to the Anvil Chorus from Verdi's Il Trovatore which I'll grant you doesn't have a happy ending, but on the other hand the beautiful princess being shouted at by the evil sorcerer and the lover's duet that tests the performance range of any performer sound to me like a reference to the Mozart's Magic Flute (Queen of the Night aria), which does have a happy enough ending.
Grey Wolf
I'd assume that the original Storm King was still a real person though, even if a myth has grown up around his activities.
But I'm still a little sad there wasn't really a Martian clank dragon.
And the clockwork giraffe, can't forget the clockwork giraffe.
No no. There's also Faust the evil sorcerer wannabe, and Rigoletto, which don't end well but don't really have a triangle. Pagliacci does but also doesn't end well. On the other hand, there's the Barber of Seville which doesn't turn out too bad so meh. Not even going to get into Tristane and Isolde which is best appreciated in the original Klingon :P
Too many really to list. Generally though the classic rule of drama holds: if it ends well it's a comedy, if not it's a tragedy, and if there's more then obe suitor it tends to be the latter.
No no. There's also Faust the evil sorcerer wannabe, and Rigoletto, which don't end well but don't really have a triangle. Pagliacci does but also doesn't end well. On the other hand, there's the Barber of Seville which doesn't turn out too bad so meh. Not even going to get into Tristane and Isolde which is best appreciated in the original Klingon :P
Too many really to list. Generally though the classic rule of drama holds: if it ends well it's a comedy, if not it's a tragedy, and if there's more then one suitor it tends to be the latter.
Of course this is the Folio's and everything gets played for laughs, including the destruction of Europa so who knows?
Yeeah.... that...
To sort of really put this in full perspective, let's imagine that you could combine the awesome aspects of King Arthur and Charlemagne. Someone has already mentioned Arthurian legend, and someone else mentioned the Holy Roman Empire, but what we have here is really a mix of the best attributes of both.
A political and military genius (Charlemagne) surrounded by a powerful order of knights not much less awesome than he is (Knights of the Round Table), and flanked by a powerful mythical significance that serves as a unifying identity symbol for an entire people (both). Unlike Arthur, a unifier and strong leader figure that crushed all opposition and held the chaos at bay throughout his life. Unlike Charlemagne, beholden to no power greater than his own. And the return legend is a bit different from Arthur since no one's really saying that the old king himself will return -- but a reign of the heirs of the storm King is a good substitute, while like Charlemagne, most of the great nations of Europe harken their right to rule back to the lands created in the wake of his reign.
Traditionally this is determined for men through facial hair. Gotee? Cool-evil. Bald with fu-manchu? Diabolical evil. Clean-shaven with disarming smile and sweater-vest? Don't bother running, it's already too late.
For women, whichever one is the least dressed, or was most recently snogging the hero is the evil one ... (considers the comic) ... which helps us not at all. Especially since Agatha/Lucrecia IS her own evil-clone. In defense of the trope it is worth noting that at Lucrecia DID take her very first opportunity in Agathas body to strip off and wiggle at Tarvek. (bless her)
Moloch REALLY does not want to be a minion, but he continues to excel at it...
Yeah. Moloch is great.
His rare appearance always brightens the comic.
Its nice to have a down to earth guy kicking ass.
I just love the fact that everything he does further reinforces his position of being chief minion, without him even realizing. As far as he is concerned, he is herding cats so HE doesnt get killed in the invasion. He isnt really doing it because, "THE HETERODYNE COMMANDS YOU!" He just doesnt want to get killed by everything.
And the best way not getting killed is making sure the Heterodyne is not killed, which in this case means helping her. In other situations this may mean hitting her with the wrench, if she is about to get herself killed along with all minions/sidekicks/whatever. Though Agatha is smart enough not to do that most of the time.
It seems to be his life philosophy. :smallsmile: