Klarion #3

The Deviant Ones

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Frazer Irving

Summary: Klarion joins a gang of children called the Deviants. Under the direction of Mister Melmoth, the Deviants steal a giant drill that burrows underground from a superhero museum and deliver the drill to him. Soon, Klarion realizes that Melmoth and his associates are trying to travel to Limbo Town. We also learn that at age 16, Melmoth sends his gang members to a “red place” to mine ore. At the end of the issue, Klarion decides to follow his cat Teekl and return to Limbo Town.

In Limbo Town, somewhere beneath the surface world, Puritan witches live. There, the dead awaken from their eternal slumber as Grundys to toil in the fields. Here, Klarion grows restless and defiant wanting to leave the mundane existence that Limbo Town enslaves him in to find splendor beneath the legendary "Blue Rafters."

Noteworthy Items:

The taxis in Guardian are called Pumpkin taxis and the one Klarion is in is called Pumpkins, which means the two titles are existing at the same time in the same city, Cinderella City(aka NYC).

Do the Deviant ones represent anything? A CBR poster had this to say about some of the characters: The Deviant Ones seem to channel a few different types of characters. Nob'dy seems to channel Jack Kirby with the King helmet, but also a Gail Simone character that she created in Agent X called Mary Zero. Mary Zero for those who don't know has very similar powers to Nob'dy, except that she is a girl and only Deadpool seems to know she exists, as with Nob'dy the Deviant children know he is with them. Murderella-rella channels Cinderella's name.

Billy Beezer seems to have a name similar to another Gail Simone Marvel creation in a character known as Gus Beezer. Gus was a kid who dreamed hanging out with superheroes while having to avoid his family. Unless there is some literary or TV character with the name Beezer, I doubt he could have gotten anywhere else.

I've also heard on a review site that Mouse resembles Diana Rigg as Emma Peel from her early episodes of the Avengers.

I think Boy Blue from Seven Soldiers #0 also fits the fairy tale theme.

I also was wondering though does anyone think its possible that Boy Blue might have been one of the Deviant Ones? There are no clues to support this, but the mention of the GoldenBoy, and Team Red felt there was some sort of connection as the original Boy Blue had a sidekick called Red Riding Hood.

Red place=Mars? Why not? They came through the Erdel gate and any self-respecting DC head knows Erdel is the last name of the good doctor who brought Martian Manhunter from Mars.

A warp in time-space leading to the Marvel Universe?

The following heroes' costumes appear in the museum the Deviants break into.

1. Stripesy
2. Star-Spangled Kid
3. The Crimson Avenger
4. Miss America

The link above is Marvel's version of Miss America, retconned as the Scarlet Witch's adoptive mother. The other 3 costumes belong to the original Seven Soldiers of Victory.