|
|
 |
 |
|
Thursday, January 27, 2005
WE3
Spoilers within, folks.
Yesterday marked the publication of the final issue of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s excellent mini-series WE3. It’s one of the best things Morrison has done and so far and the best book Frank Quietly has done (I praise his artwork here). I feel it’s certainly worth taking a look at.
WE3 touches on some of the same points Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, that tale of the Modern Prometheus. In Shelly’s book a lone scientist encroaches on Mother Nature’s sole ability to create life (and in human terms the female’s lone ability to give birth to other humans). Frankenstein’s hubris ended up bearing tragic conclusions for both his creation and himself. The cycle of nature that both creates and destroys (and then creates again and destroys again) all of us is an awesome display of Earth’s beauty. To co-opt it for far pettier concerns like scientific renown is a perversity of which no good can come out of it. In WE3 the Unites States Government decides to co-opt nature to create better and more efficient killing machines. Extrapolate this with our knowledge of the Unites States history (and present!) of warfare and we can see they are turning animals into tools for remaking the world in their image. In the process they have given three animals more power to follow the primal instincts they have always followed. The schism created between the purity of animals’ wanting to find comfort and the plans the U.S. has for them creates the drama for WE3.
The three’s quest for home is part of their nature but it is also something that Morrison questions in the series. The final page of the first issue has 2 stating “WE3 NO HOME NOW” and in the second says “2 SAY IS NO HOME.” The beginning and end of the final issue has the three (two by the end of the book) being taken care of by a homeless man. The final issue also has a sequence with the surviving two finding brief solace in a suburban house under construction. I feel that Morrison is saying that when an animal like 1 is desiring something like “home” it doesn’t mean a dwelling, although that can definitely be a part of it. What home could be is something that also comes up in WE3, a strong sense of comradery.
The three “weapons of mass destruction” of the book are not of the same species, although perhaps they are after the government has their way with them. Either way they have a bond between them that comes from their primal instincts. One of the most powerful moments of the series is 1’s reaction to 3’s slaughter by 4 (God bless Grant Morrison for making it able for me to write that sentence). 1 also displays tremendous compassion, especially considering the plans for him from his creators. He tries to save a life of a human in the second issue, but the person is already dead. In the third issue he spares a police offer from being 4’s next victim. A true testament to the government’s failure of their plans for these creatures is not in the instances of destruction but in the instances listed above. A defining moment for WE3 is when 2 finally does admit they are home. It is when she brings her friend 1 food, nourishment after stressful times. “Just love and attention” the homeless says in the book’s final scene.
This is just one interpretation into this book. There can be many and I look forward to reading all of them.
Permanent Link: 9:05 PM |
0 comments
Comments:
-- Home
|
|
