Eternity Girl #3 – Magdalene Visaggio, Writer; Sonny Liew, Artist; Chris Chuckry, Colorist
Ratings:
Ray – 8/10
Corrina: Deep Dive Into the Meaning of Life
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
Ray: Magdalene Visaggio’s Young Animal title is best described as Kirby by way of dark character study, and that works a lot better than it sounds in Eternity Girl #3. The last issue saw Caroline/Chrysalis’ demons get out of control, as she turned on one of her former employers and fell in with her former villain (who may or may not really be there) and killed a massive cosmic being. That seems to have unbalanced the universe itself, which is currently rallying its guardians to protect the tower, the source of all life. However, the cosmic goings-on almost feel like background noise to Caroline’s personal struggle, as her mental instability worsens and endangers all life on Earth. As the government quickly covers up the extent of the previous night’s disaster, Caroline makes one last call to her friend to say goodbye and then proceeds with her plan to finally kill herself – even if it takes out the entire population of the universe in the process.
The constant presence of Caroline’s arch-nemesis, Madam Atom, is an interesting twist because it can be read two ways. On one hand, this might really be this twisted figure from Caroline’s past pushing her towards a self-destructive decision that serves both their interests. On the other hand, if Caroline’s mind was really snapping, and her subconscious was going to conjure up a specter to convince her to take that final step towards suicide and omnicide, it very much might be her garishly costumed nemesis. The fact that this comic is heavily told from Caroline’s perspective if part of what makes it so compelling, constantly introducing that doubt to our mind and letting us come to our own conclusions. However, what isn’t ambiguous at all is how close Caroline is to ending everything – literally – at the end of the issue. Given where this issue ends, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if future issues are far more meta and cosmic than even the unconventional first two.
Corrina: There’s definitely a Gaiman-esque vibe to this series, where it’s difficult to tell reality from unreality and the main character is an unreliable narrator who may or may not want to destroy the universe.
The main question Caroline (and the reader) are chewing on this issue is whether the cycle of life (birth, death, rebirth) is better than allowing it all to end. After all, if nothing matters, why not begin again?
Transposed on that is the discussion of Caroline’s mental state by those around her. Yes, it’s hard to put Caroline back to work if her reaction to rejection is to destroy a home. On the other hand, Caroline needs stability and work provided that. (We think. Maybe work destabilized her.)
But, given how Caroline seems to be able to reinvent reality, at least her own, one cannot take anything in this comic at face value.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
