Book of Death #2 Discussion

[Brapbrap]

Didn't like the fight in this issue, Unity basically jobbed to Gilad. How did he get a thing inside Gin-Gr? How did he know Ninjack's sword had anti-armor technology in it?

The rest of the issue was good though, especially interesting to see more of that big fight with the future Unity team in issue #1.

[Ibero]

I agree, the future story its interesting and the prospect of a fight between gilad/tama and darque its exiting.

But the whole fight with the unity team feels like a cheap way to show gilad´s coolness and experience. We know the team enough to see they would have talk about it and at least try to find out this corrupt geomancer. Which is what they appear to be going to do now.

[dornwolf]

See I'm a touch opposite. I'd hope that Gilad was able to beat everyone in a straight fight. He's been used as a big brick for so long that it's nice to see that yes he's ancient and can plan ahead. My only real problem is that if Aric wanted to truly stop Gilad why not just open up with both barrels using his beam weapons instead of a sword, aside from the honorable warrior stuff.

[jmatt]

Great issue, I loved the battle scene. Finally, we see Gilad as the master tactician.

Really cool to see Darque again, and David is apparently gonna be a Boss Villain in future issues. It seems that he can't track Tama if she's not holding the book.

[agent_graves]

I really enjoyed seeing Gilad, kick Unit-y's *SQUEE*...

Also, I like how Tama, be calling Gilad, on his BS...

The pages that show a glimpse of the future, were meh...

[BugsySig]

Enjoyed the fight scene. First time since Vdititi last wrote him in XO that he's been the proper Boss that he should be. Gives me hope for Wrath of the Eternal Warrior.

Is it holding the book, or reading from it that allows David to track her? I think it's the reading. May lead Gilad to some calculated risks having Tama read to find clues to the Dark Geomancer.

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and apparently killed, but she appears in the FoH preview as an old woman. Hard to tell how old she is in that battle and whether it takes place before or after FoH.

[Blood of Heroes]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and apparently killed, but she appears in the FoH preview as an old woman. Hard to tell how old she is in that battle and whether it takes place before or after FoH.

Bloodshot can be seen in the same panel as Faith. He looks pretty dead too, but the Fall of Bloodshot book shows him dying of old age.
I think it was Greg that suggested that the future scenes in Book of Death won't come to pass if Gilad is able to defeat the evil Geomancer sooner rather than later.

[BugsySig]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and apparently killed, but she appears in the FoH preview as an old woman. Hard to tell how old she is in that battle and whether it takes place before or after FoH.

Bloodshot can be seen in the same panel as Faith. He looks pretty dead too, but the Fall of Bloodshot book shows him dying of old age.
I think it was Greg that suggested that the future scenes in Book of Death won't come to pass if Gilad is able to defeat the evil Geomancer sooner rather than later.

True, but aren't the stories in the Fall books all supposed to come from the Book of the Geomancer?

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

[Blood of Heroes]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

[jmatt]

Is it holding the book, or reading from it that allows David to track her? I think it's the reading. May lead Gilad to some calculated risks having Tama read to find clues to the Dark Geomancer.

Yes, I think you're right. And I like that better. The answer to the danger brings the danger. Brilliant plot device.

[hunter_peterson]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

As for the fight with Unity, I loved it! Clearly Gilad has been anticipating a confrontation since he met them and has been laying seeds for it the whole time. If you think about it, his being a dumb brick in Unity could actually have been a tactic for when he has to confront his friends over something later. They know him as well as any modern humans and still underestimated him.

[Dallow Spicer1]

This was a decent read, and although opinion is split I like how Gliad was able to defeat the others. I also think that it's clever writing (very VDitti) that Ninjak has technology in his sword specifically aimed at defeating XO.

Each time XO is hurt I begin to wonder if this means the armour will take over another piece of his body?

I'm not particularly a fan of Gill's art. I think he draws kids well but the faces he draws on adults seem odd to me. He's not a good fit at drawing XO either, some scenes looked peculiar (ie his waist looks unusually big!). I think Braithwaite or Nord might have been better choices for the 'big summer event'. I do think Gill would suit a Harbinger book though ( I'm certainly not saying his art is bad, just not the best choice for BOD.

On a side note, is the Rivera cover the 1:60 or the 1:10? A lot of confusion on eBay around this, possibly some bargains to be had as some dealers selling it as 1:10!

3.5 / 5 (possibly a 4 with different art style)

[Blood of Heroes]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

Ivar first mentioned his nanite body after A&A freed him from imprisonment in the Faraway, right? Wasn't he confused about in what time period they were in? Didn't he ask Armstrong if he was in his nanite body? I don't think there would be any confusion about it unless his nanite body looked identical to his regular body.

Those are all questions because I don't have a copy of that book to reference.

You could be on to something though. We're going to have to wait and see.

[BugsySig]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

Ivar first mentioned his nanite body after A&A freed him from imprisonment in the Faraway, right? Wasn't he confused about in what time period they were in? Didn't he ask Armstrong if he was in his nanite body? I don't think there would be any confusion about it unless his nanite body looked identical to his regular body.

Those are all questions because I don't have a copy of that book to reference.

You could be on to something though. We're going to have to wait and see.

I believe all of that is correct.

[Blood of Heroes]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

Ivar first mentioned his nanite body after A&A freed him from imprisonment in the Faraway, right? Wasn't he confused about in what time period they were in? Didn't he ask Armstrong if he was in his nanite body? I don't think there would be any confusion about it unless his nanite body looked identical to his regular body.

Those are all questions because I don't have a copy of that book to reference.

You could be on to something though. We're going to have to wait and see.

I believe all of that is correct.

Oh good. It's been a while since I've read the Faraway arc.

Ivar could have been disoriented, not knowing up from down or his brother from a Bloodshot/Incredible Hulk mashup. If Hunter is right, a nanite infused immortal would certainly be a force to be reckoned with.

[agent_graves]

On a side note, is the Rivera cover the 1:60 or the 1:10? A lot of confusion on eBay around this, possibly some bargains to be had as some dealers selling it as 1:10!

According to online retailers, (Midtown, Mycomicshop) it's the 1:60, but my lcs had it for cover. That's two 1:60's in a row, that I got for cover.

[hunter_peterson]

Not much from the future scene this time, as it was more focused on Gilad himself. Hoping we get some insight in Fall of Harbinger as to Pete and Harada's whereabouts at that time. Faith was there and

Also, I'm not sure that was Bloodshot in that scene. It was A Bloodshot, but one that was noticeably "Hulked out"

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

Ivar first mentioned his nanite body after A&A freed him from imprisonment in the Faraway, right? Wasn't he confused about in what time period they were in? Didn't he ask Armstrong if he was in his nanite body? I don't think there would be any confusion about it unless his nanite body looked identical to his regular body.

Those are all questions because I don't have a copy of that book to reference.

You could be on to something though. We're going to have to wait and see.

I believe all of that is correct.

Oh good. It's been a while since I've read the Faraway arc.

Ivar could have been disoriented, not knowing up from down or his brother from a Bloodshot/Incredible Hulk mashup. If Hunter is right, a nanite infused immortal would certainly be a force to be reckoned with.

If I remember correctly Ivar was surprised that it looked the same as his normal one, which would indicate that in reality it won't look the same. It'll be a weird story arc when it happens, regardless.

[Blood of Heroes]

You could be right. It isn't a very good shot of him/it.

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

Ivar first mentioned his nanite body after A&A freed him from imprisonment in the Faraway, right? Wasn't he confused about in what time period they were in? Didn't he ask Armstrong if he was in his nanite body? I don't think there would be any confusion about it unless his nanite body looked identical to his regular body.

Those are all questions because I don't have a copy of that book to reference.

You could be on to something though. We're going to have to wait and see.

I believe all of that is correct.

Oh good. It's been a while since I've read the Faraway arc.

Ivar could have been disoriented, not knowing up from down or his brother from a Bloodshot/Incredible Hulk mashup. If Hunter is right, a nanite infused immortal would certainly be a force to be reckoned with.

If I remember correctly Ivar was surprised that it looked the same as his normal one, which would indicate that in reality it won't look the same. It'll be a weird story arc when it happens, regardless.

Now I really want to know! Anybody want to look it up and post exactly what it says? Should be A&A 12 or 13, I think.
I don't have a copy handy.

[BugsySig]

I think that's Armstrong in his nanite body, personally. It would fit pretty perfectly.

Ivar first mentioned his nanite body after A&A freed him from imprisonment in the Faraway, right? Wasn't he confused about in what time period they were in? Didn't he ask Armstrong if he was in his nanite body? I don't think there would be any confusion about it unless his nanite body looked identical to his regular body.

Those are all questions because I don't have a copy of that book to reference.

You could be on to something though. We're going to have to wait and see.

I believe all of that is correct.

Oh good. It's been a while since I've read the Faraway arc.

Ivar could have been disoriented, not knowing up from down or his brother from a Bloodshot/Incredible Hulk mashup. If Hunter is right, a nanite infused immortal would certainly be a force to be reckoned with.

If I remember correctly Ivar was surprised that it looked the same as his normal one, which would indicate that in reality it won't look the same. It'll be a weird story arc when it happens, regardless.

Now I really want to know! Anybody want to look it up and post exactly what it says? Should be A&A 12 or 13, I think.
I don't have a copy handy.

A&A #13
Ivar: "You look well, Brother. Your Nanite body is almost indistinguishable from the original!"
Aram: "The...Sorry? My what now?"
Ivar: "Oh..Uh..Never mind..."

[Blood of Heroes]

A&A #13
Ivar: "You look well, Brother. Your Nanite body is almost indistinguishable from the original!"
Aram: "The...Sorry? My what now?"
Ivar: "Oh..Uh..Never mind..."

Thanks, Bugsy!


But it really doesn't clear anything up. Kinda sounds like Ivar had only heard about the nanite body but hadn't actually seen it in person.
Balls!

[Dallow Spicer1]

On a side note, is the Rivera cover the 1:60 or the 1:10? A lot of confusion on eBay around this, possibly some bargains to be had as some dealers selling it as 1:10!

According to online retailers, (Midtown, Mycomicshop) it's the 1:60, but my lcs had it for cover. That's two 1:60's in a row, that I got for cover.

Yeah I got one for the price of a 1:10 (£3.99 ...$7 at a guess)...it just seems odd that so many retailers have the price wrong? Some have the actual 1:10 (Livewire/Rai homage) for sale as the 1:60 (£39). Imagine buying that only to realise it's the 1:10!!

The 1:60 for both BOD 1&2 seem fairly common though due to the huge print runs so I can't imagine them holding too much value down the line?

[agent_graves]

On a side note, is the Rivera cover the 1:60 or the 1:10? A lot of confusion on eBay around this, possibly some bargains to be had as some dealers selling it as 1:10!

According to online retailers, (Midtown, Mycomicshop) it's the 1:60, but my lcs had it for cover. That's two 1:60's in a row, that I got for cover.

Yeah I got one for the price of a 1:10 (£3.99 ...$7 at a guess)...it just seems odd that so many retailers have the price wrong? Some have the actual 1:10 (Livewire/Rai homage) for sale as the 1:60 (£39). Imagine buying that only to realise it's the 1:10!!

The 1:60 for both BOD 1&2 seem fairly common though due to the huge print runs so I can't imagine them holding too much value down the line?

Oh I agree, it just feels good, when I'm able to pick up a nice variant, at cover, instead of the normal premium. Same with BOD:LOTG #2, I paid $3.60 after my %10, seen it at another local shop for $20.

[kjjohanson]

I think the storyline that just wrapped up in Ivar Comma Timewalker may have addressed the whole nanite body comment.

As far as the fight scene, in that terrain there's no reason (other than honor, or unless Aric thinks Gilad will stand down) for Aric not to fly above and just paff Gilad from the sky.

[String]

Thank you V-Ditti, thank you for finally showcasing a competent, experienced Gilad.

[grendeljd]

I thought the fight between Gilad & Unity was the best element of this issue - and I love how it was portrayed, that all this time everyone has simply underestimated or not bothered to understand the depth of experience that Gilad truly has. It also was a great way to make him shine a bit, as he displayed just how much he observes about those around him. Lots of great dialogue that sets this tone through the battle scenes.

IMO, we don't need to see how Gilad knew that Ninjak made that anti-XO sword, it makes perfect sense to me that Colin would make something as a contingency against Aric after their initial conflict back in XO #5-8. It's an action that suits his character as portrayed to date.

I will say this though - that conflict felt mildly forced, in that the other members of Unity didn't seem to try too hard to give Gilad a chance to explain what he thought was going on. And even if you allow for the idea that maybe Gilad was being a little too stubborn about explaining it to them, thus escalating the moment, I feel like they could have talked it out a bit more.

But still, an enjoyable scene regardless of that element.