Greetings comic lovers and welcome back to casually comics the channel where we chat
all things comics from reviews of comics new and old to history to anecdotes to really
wherever our whims take us ok I’ve held off long enough I have to tell you more about
Astro City.
So this series is one of my faves I told you to check it out did a whole vid on the first
ever issue with the samaritan and then had to chill out but I need to tell you more.
Yes about the samaritan ok real talk he’s not even one of the most frequently featured
heroes but he’s so compelling and I feel the need to highlight is cause so many people
say he’s boring to which i say how dare you.
I’m just kidding but seriously let me tell you more about him and hopefully get you interested
in the rich world of astro city.
I’m Sasha and I like to spread love of things even if you don’t end up liking them that’s
fine I just want people to know that comics well they’re a rich vibrant medium with
a lot to offer and I genuinely think something for everyone, if you’re here for that hit
that like button.
So Astro City is a series about the city and the people in it be they heroes,villains civilians
whoever it’s not told in any chronological order but as it goes on and you learn more
details you begin to piece together the cities history and get to know the people in it.
So we’re going to take a look at the Astro City Samaritan special that introduced the
world to the samartians’ arch nemesis and the interesting relationship they share, as
well as their horrifyingly interconectedd issue it was a toss up for me between this
issue and the one where the samaritan goes on a date cause the honor guard set him and
winged victory up cause they’re sick of them never thinking about themselves.
But then I was like no you need to know about the samaritan and his arch enemies standing
yearly dinner/lunch date.
But for all of that to make sense I need to tell you a little about the samaritans origin
so the samaritan is a superman reconstruction rather than a deconstruction so a deconstruction
takes a story or trope apart but a reconstruction builds it back up the strongest reconstructions
have obviously thought about how the character could be deconstructed as well and find ways
to work that in in a way that builds rather than disassembles.
So the Samaritan arrives abruptly in astro city ending their dark age he is their beacon
hero but where did he come from.
Well the future, the samaritan is from a dystopian future and he’s nobody just a person selected
for the mission of going back and saving the world.
In the process he ends up super charged with the energy powering his ship and it transforms
him which results in him having a much more spectacular and public mission than he meant
to becoming a beloved hero essentially by accident.
His mission however was a success something he knows for when he went to revisit his time
it was gone or rather remade no one he knew was there and he would never be so there was
nothing so he returned to astro city it’s premier defender.
Now let’s meet who hates him.
The cover already shows you that he’s awesome his beard is green you know we’re in for
a good time.
The tale opens with narration that sets the stage a myth that is set to reflect the relationship
seen within but its long so you’ll have to read it for yourself.
The Samaritan is flying to a gorgeous palace seemingly in another realm cause well it is.
And so we see the two enemies come face to face.
The Samaritan brought wine I brought some wine I hope it’s good I don’t know that
much about…
A chateau etrange 1971 A delightful little jest Asa I founded those vineyards in the
14th century but you knew that of course.
Actually I had no idea It just got a good write up so..
Well happy accident then come in come.
You would not think to observe us that we are bitter and implacable enemies But such
we are.
Yes this is a story from the villains point of view.
Also he knows who the Samaritan is can’t you feel it don’t you need to know well
I’m going to tell you.
So they’re here to have dinner it looks amazing.
Thank you I cannot keep from feeling pride at his reaction and I chide myself for it.
So who is this This Kiyu born centuries before Nubia which would become Kenya he was extremeley
intellient questioning everything to the point where he set off on quest for knowledge upon
arriving in zanzibar he fond himself traded by the locals as a slave but still he sought
knowledge he was sold to persia and found cruel masters there who tried to dissuade
his learning for questioning god and the status quo he was given the name infidel which he
would take as his super villain name.
Sold to an alchemist cause they feel pair “crazy” with “crazy” he discovers
an aptitude
And while still a young man I made my first great discovery/ I drew down the energy of
life from the cosmos itself and bathed in it made myself immortal this also turned his
hair green cause you know that green cosmic energy.
The inifidel would spend his time learning amassing wealth power and mastering his cosmic
energies.
Over time centuries he began making moves to become a master himself of all men.
Also he was experimenting on people I’m going to highlight that cause well he glosses
over it cause it’s from his perspective so he’s like meh but it’s evil and a big
deal so let’s give it its due.
Infidel unbeliever I embrace their ignorant insult and wear it as a badge of honour I
believe in nothing , but what I can see , I trust in nothing but what I can discover what
I can prove.
Eventually he learns how to contact the energy of the universe and uses it to travel in time
and finds a barren wasteland of a future which he uses to study and plan.
He goes through the disaster s of history collecting those on the brink of death life
in exchange for service, slaves.
Using them he creates a future of his own .
But then the Samaritan showed up sort of.
The timeline the Samaritan was fixing was tied to the one the infidel was inhabiting
so when the Samaritan saved his world he destroyed the infidels’
He had deliberately altered the natural path of events and the changes rippled through
time preventing the ignorance born catastrophes that had created the wasteland I found, the
wasteland I had turned into my paradise,.
So the infidel goes through time trying to influence events to recreate his wasteland
but in so doing ends up clashing with the Samaritan and he discovers something the Samaritan
is powered by the same energies as his and they are completely evenly matched as a result
even if he is smarter than the Samaritans' and the Samaritan is stronger physically than
him.
At dinner the samaritan is skeezed out by the topless serving girls and asks if the
infidel has been taking in slaves again but he says no he made them they’re homoculai.
I… don’t know if i’m comfortable with that . With all due respect asa you are a
guest in my home what furnishings I create to serve my needs and warm my nights are not
subject to your approval were they mere robots created by science you understand would you
have similar unease?
We learn that the two clashed all the time and that the infidel feels people can never
learn and must be herded like sheep for they never live long enough to see the consequences
of their actions long term.
That equality for all was a lie as was the concept of true freedom.
The infidel knows so much about the Samaritan he knows who he’s dating and is all so how’s
it going.
It is sad that you have so little time to enjoy one another you could have more if
If I ruled the world?
The chance to rest would be nice but not at that cost.
Dinner done the two move on to brandy and cigars cause they classy.
And so we learn how they came to this point they simply realized after years and years
and travelling through time so add extra years that they were well and truly at an impasse.
I really like the panel of Asa waking up ginger and just going ugh the infidel messed up reality...again!
So they reach this impasse after they destroyed the universe but together they rebuilt it
and the infidel built the palace they’re in outside of time and stayed there but he
still plots the Samaritan's demise just as Asa seeks to depower him.
They meet once a year to see if either is leaning more towards good or evil as a partnership
would be far more advantageous than another fight.
They rotate who hosts it each year which leads to one of my favourite panels ever.
The locations and cuisine he chooses can be unusual.
Cause the Samaritan has no time he’ll just show up with fast food look he has no time
to eat right he can barely sleep.
Well I’d better go
Very well then let me ask you.
Are you ready to shed your pointless and regressive ethical bounds and really use your power change
the world.
Thanks but no.
Are you ready to reform to use your great mind to serve humanity.
Not this year I think.
So they part with Infidel leaving to review the tape of the evening and he catches something
he thinks that when he asked him about remaking the world but not ruling it so just after
he started to say if only but stopped before and changed what he was going to say.
The infidel is thrilled he thinks he’s finally weakening.
As for the Samaritan
It went...well I think hard to tell with him.
I might have made progress and if I didn’t well there’s always next year right.
I love this story that doesn’t mean you have to at all but I do and I will tell you
why some people say it’s hard to talk about what they love I am not one of those people.
I love that its told from the perspective of the villain
like if we were to pull out and get a birds eye view Infidel is not exactly making the
world a better place he never was he was crafting his own paradise.
Also I love how he glosses over the atrocities he commits and the ones he does describe don’t
phase him at all he is unrepentant and locked in his world view hence a true enemy to the
samaritan they fundamentally disagree.
I love how much this story fleshes out the world while standing outside it these two
have destroyed reality more than once and a lot of people don’t even know but we do
cause we were special guests.
I love the boldness of acknowledging that the infidel’s ancient world view shapes
how he interacts with people as he has always been set apart first buy circumstance later
by choice.
Slavery was a huge part of the ancient world a fact often glossed over in favour of discussing
more modern iterations but humans as trade has a long history and it’s rare to see
it a depicted and b have it factor into a person’s character in such a fundamental
way but one that makes sense and doesn’t change them for good.
It’s not lazy is what I’m saying it’s actually a twist on some of the expected tropes
in a good way not in a changing things just to change them way The infidel’s life is
presented and he’s not sympathetic I mean not to me at least but you do you.
He’s really unique and so is his relationship with the Samaritan.
I read this comic probably once a year just long enough to let me forget some details
so it feels new again.
I
love this comic, tell me about a comic you love down below.
Thanks so much for watching casually comics I’m Sasha and please do all of the youtube
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