Heaven Sent: The
7 Blocks
Part
3 "That which is not yours"
Well,
back for part III. It was at this point I realized that there’s going to be a certain
sameness to the challenges, and thus we should cut to the chase.
(Front cover.
Samantha and Kyle are giving a few coins to a poor child. The child is dressed
in rags, and Kyle and Samantha look as they usually do.)
Child: Bless you.
Samantha: A bit late for that one.
Heroes are always considered more blessed than the rest of us.
However, they are not.
(Page 1, panel 1.
Kyle is returning home from school. He is holding a backpack in his hands as he
enters the briefing room of the Texas Patrol headquarters.)
Caption (N):
Why is
the Texas Patrol located in
Kyle: Well, I'm back here. I
wonder what Lotus wants me to do now?
(Panel 2. Lotus
enters.)
Lotus: First, do your homework.
Then I have an assignment for you that will begin your next temptation.
Kyle: Aw . . .
(Panel 3. Lotus
raises a finger at Kyle.)
Lotus: The greatest weapon a
warrior has is his or her mind. No warrior has won a battle without using it.
Feed your brain, then we'll talk about feeding your spirit.
Just
ask any soldier… Traditional heroes are always a little smarter than those
around them.
(Panel 4. Outside
the gates of hell, we see Shiva dragging George toward hell. George is
resisting her tooth and nail. The gates of hell have a sign over it that reads:
"Abandon hope ye who enter here.")
In HS
#7, these words are not visible. Why?
Caption (N):
Meanwhile, outside the gates of hell . . .
George: Who are you? Why are you
doing this to me?
Shiva: You will feed my master.
(Panel 5. George
manages to rake his hands over Shiva's eyes. She gets hurt by this.)
George: Never!
Shiva: GAH!
(Panel 6. George
manages to pull away from Shiva.)
George: I may not have been a saint, but I am
not a sinner either!
We all have the potential to be saints and sinners.
(Page 2, panel 1.
George runs away, with Shiva in pursuit.)
Shiva: Come back here you -!
George: Oh, right, like I
want to go to hell.
Anyone
who wants to spend eternity suffering is very sick indeed.
(Panel 2. Shiva
makes a diving tackle on George, sending him to the ground.)
Shiva: Got you!
SFX: POW!
(Panel 3. George
tries to get away from Shiva.)
George: God, help me!
God
will help you if every other avenue of assistance has been exhausted. You must
try everything else before a miracle can happen. George has done so.
(Panel 4. George
suddenly vanishes in a flash of light.)
Shiva: What? #$%&!!
(Panel 5. George
is now in a blank room standing opposite Master Death.)
Death: Welcome, George Zanberg.
This is your final judgment day.
George: What? I'm . . .
dead?
George
doesn’t realize that he’s needed as an angel yet.
(Panel 6. George
looks shocked and horrified as Death smiles.)
George: I'm too young to die! I
had a whole life ahead of me - I even had a girlfriend that I was going to
marry someday!
We’ll
never know what could have been between these two…
Death: Sometimes, fate has other plans. However, I will
say things are looking good for you right now.
(Page 2, panel 1.
They are standing next to a 6-foot tall set of Roman scales. The center pole
has seven lobes on it, and the image of a snake head between the third and
fourth lobes from the bottom.)
This is
an image from Egyptian Christian art. Joseph Campbell shows it off in the video
series The Power of Myth. The snake represents the base, animal nature
of man; its placement suggests that those who have transcended their animal
instincts will make it to heaven. In traditional Eastern thought, the 1st
through the 3rd chakras are the centers of animal nature in man. See
a pattern here?
Death: Time to weigh your heart
against a feather, and see if you are worthy of heaven.
George: My heart against a
feather? But the heart is much heavier than a feather!
In
normal Earth physics, yes, but in astral physics…
(Panel 2. Death
reaches into George.)
Death: This is the heart of the
spirit . . . it can weigh tons, or it can weigh nothing. Its weight is
determined by how well you have lived your life.
(Panel 3. Death
sets George's heart on the scales, and a feather is on the other side.)
George: Oh man . . . I am
screwed.
Death: Do not be so sure of
things, George.
(Panel 4. The
feather side sinks, and the heart side goes up. George is stunned by what he
sees.)
George: Huh? How is that
possible?
He
can’t believe what he sees. He feels – no, he knows a heart is heavier
than a feather. However, that is in the world of earth physics…
Death: You have proven yourself
worthy of heaven, George Zanberg . . . time to make you an angel.
(Panel 5. George
still cannot believe the feather was heavier than the heart.)
George: How? Me? An angel?
Death: Yes. Come, we've got your
halo and wings ready...
Part of
George’s worthiness of heaven is one of his final acts: warning Kyle against
Melissa.
(Panel 6. George
is now seen with a halo and wings.)
George: Wow . . . I can't
believe all this.
Death: Well, now is the time to return to earth. You are
needed to protect your friends.
Death was originally going to assign George to be Steve’s new
guardian angel. However, Shiva has already gotten to Steve first…
(Page 3, panel 1.
Later on, Kyle has finished his homework. He is with Samantha and standing
opposite Lotus.)
Lotus: I have a mission for you.
I want you to deliver a package for me to the homeless shelter on
Kyle: Deliver a package?
(Panel 2. Walking
Eagle enters, carrying a box the size of a PC tower. It has a picture of a
videogame console on it, with the words "Gamestation 3" on it.)
Kyle: A Gamestation 3? Man, and
everyone has been wanting one of those!
Lotus: You are to deliver it to
the homeless shelter on
Much
like the Playstation 2 when it came out, Gamestation 3s are very much in
demand… I remember reading a story about how in 2000 a guy sold a Playstation 2
in November on E-Bay for $49,000. Not bad for a $200 investment, but I’m sure
the taxes really killed him… Oddly enough, I was doing tech support for the
original Playstation the day the PS2 came out. They laid me off about a week
later. I was sent to another campaign at the company I worked at.
(Panel 3. Walking
Eagle gives the box to Kyle.)
Kyle: This must have set you
back a fortune!
Lotus: I reserved one far in
advance, and I paid retail for it. You should get going now.
I did
the same for my Playstation 2 in 2000. I was very tempted to put it on E-Bay
after reading that story, though…
(Panel 4. Kyle
merely stares at the box.)
Kyle: I never thought I'd see
one of these, let alone hold one. Can I play with it a bit before going?
Lotus: No. They are expecting
you now, so get going.
Lotus
knows that this is a big test: can he resist the temptation of keeping this
console for himself, or will he succumb to greed?
(Panel 5. Kyle
walks away with the box in hand, and Samantha follows.)
Walking
Eagle:
Do you think he will keep it?
Lotus: If he does, then
we've got some serious problems.
(Panel 6. Go back
to Kyle and Samantha. They are exiting the Texas Patrol headquarters, which is
a nondescript looking warehouse.)
Samantha: Well, you have been charged with this.
Let's see if you can deliver.
(Page 4, panel 1.
Kyle is staring at the videogame console with intense desire, using every ounce
of willpower not to open it up.)
Kyle: A Gamestation 3 . . .
Samantha: You want to keep it for
yourself, don't you?
(Panel 2. Kyle
hesitates for a bit.)
Kyle: ...
Samantha: Kyle? Did you hear me?
(Panel 3. Kyle
grimaces nervously.)
Kyle: How can I answer that
question?
Samantha: Honestly would be nice.
Kyle is
not sure if being honest is the best thing. He knows he must give it away, but
can he? One of the things I’ve hated about current comics is a lot of
pretentious angst. You won’t find that in any of my comics. My characters know
they are in charge of their lives and it’s up to them to fix all their
problems.
(Panel 4. Kyle
turns his head away from Samantha.)
Kyle: All right . . . yes, I
want to keep it for myself. I can't help it.
Samantha: So what does your heart
say?
It says
do both. That can get pretty confusing.
(Panel 5. Kyle
looks at Samantha. They are now at the intersection of two roads.)
Kyle: That's just it - I want
to keep it, but I have to give it away.
Samantha: Well, just remember that
20 years ago, the Atari 5200 was the hot videogaming system . . . is it still
hot now?
Material
objects come and go, but the spirit is forever. I never owned an Atari 5200. At
the time, I had a Mattel Intelevision, and I still have it somewhere…. Now I’m
really revealing my age here. L
(Panel 6. Kyle
smiles.)
Kyle: No . . . I guess you have
a point there.
Samantha: You can't spell misery without the
miser. When God created Adam and Eve for the garden of Eden, did he tell them
"Go out and hoard as much as you can?" No. He told them "Be
fruitful and multiply."
I think it was Dian Ritter who first said something similar to Samantha’s
first sentence here, but I’m not sure…
(Page 5, panel 1.
They cross the street at the intersection.)
Samantha: A videogame system will
bring you a sense of happiness for a short time, but after a while, it gets old
. . . true joy can only come from within.
“People
are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln.
Kyle: Yea, you're right about
that.
(Panel 2. They continue
to walk down the street.)
Samantha: Letting go of something
can be even more rewarding than keeping it. When you get into a mind set of
giving without expecting anything back, the more you will receive. That is
God's love, and God's wish. *
Caption (N): * A
brief summary of the book You'll See It When You Believe It by Dr. Wayne Dyer.
©1989 Avon Books.
Ah, Dr.
Dyer… a very powerful writer if there ever was one. I’ve read a number of his
books and listened to a bunch on tape. If you haven’t read any of his stuff, do
so! Although after reading about 8 of his books, you can kind of see he’s
saying mostly the same thing over and over again, but in different ways.
(Panel 3. They
walk down the street some more, and the homeless shelter is now in view.)
Kyle: You're right, Samantha.
I'm going to give it away.
Samantha: You have resisted the
temptation of greed. I am proud of you.
Robert
Fulgum’s book “Everything I Needed to Know I learned in Kindergarten” makes
this point: we are taught at a young age that “caring means sharing,” but
somewhere around the teenage years we’re taught the opposite. Why?
(Panel 4. Kyle
and Samantha enter the homeless shelter. In the front they see a middle-aged
woman in a simple dress there.)
Woman: May I help you?
Kyle: We were sent by Lotus.
She asked us to give you this.
(Panel 5. The
woman looks around the room. Kyle looks nervous.)
Woman: Us? I see only one person
here.
Kyle: Erm... she asked me to
give this to you.
The
woman can’t see Samantha.
(Panel 6. Kyle
hands the Gamestation 3 over to the woman.)
Woman: Whoa... a Gamestation 3?
I don't know if we can take this...
Kyle: Of course you can. If nothing else, you can sell
it on e-bay for a lot of money and get what you need.
$48,000 can feed a lot of people…
(Page 6, panel 1.
A little girl, about 6 enters. She spots the Gamestation 3.)
Girl: A Gamestation 3? I wanna
play!! Lemme play!
Bringing
joy to others is priceless.
Woman: Looks like I'm stuck with
it now.
However,
in 10 years, it won’t be as valuable as it is now…
(Panel 2. Kyle
waves a friendly goodbye as the little girl rushes up to the woman.)
Girl: Lemme play please!!!
Woman: All right, we've got to
get it set up first though...
Some
homeless shelters do have TVs in them. All of them have too many people inside,
though.
Kyle: Well, I'll see you
around, all right?
(Panel 3. Kyle
and Samantha exit.)
Girl: I get to play! Yea!!
Woman: I'm beginning to think
this is a curse and not a blessing.....
A
homeless girl doesn’t have a lot of what someone in a home would have.
Sometimes, it takes something simple to bring joy, sometimes, it takes a lot.
(Panel 4. Outside
the homeless shelter, Kyle and Samantha are walking back to the headquarters of
the Texas Patrol.)
Kyle: Well, I hope things work
out there.
Samantha: I'm sure they will.
Kyle
feels relieved that he was able to do this.
(Panel 5. Texas
Patrol headquarters. Lotus and Walking Eagle are sitting on a couch juxtaposed,
with an arm around each other. They are watching the TV news.)
TV: The blaze caused a
4-alarm fire, and departments as far away as
(Panel 6.
Samantha and Kyle enter.)
Kyle: I'm back.
Lotus: So what did they think of
the gift?
TV: In health news
today, scientists have recently conducted an experiment regarding random acts
of kindness. The study concluded that people who commit random acts of kindness
live longer, healthier lives, and report that they are happier. They study also
suggests that merely being in the presence of a random act of kindness has
similar benefits.*
Caption (N): *
True fact.
I read
it at Yahoo! News. Dr. Wayne Dyer also picked up on the story, and used it in
his last PBS special. Could this mean the universe really wants us to be in
harmony with each other? I think so.
(Panel 7. Kyle
smiles.)
Kyle: Well, the little girl
there sure seemed to like it.
Lotus: Great. Well, just have
dinner and then take the rest of the evening off.
(Panel 8. Kyle
exits.)
Kyle: Right.
TV: We'll be back with the weather after this.
(Page 7, Panel 1.
Shiva and Bane are in a bare room, talking.)
Caption (N): The
next day...
Shiva: Perhaps
we've been going about this the wrong way. I think what we need to do is get
inside Kyle's head and think like he does.
Bane: An
interesting idea... How do you propose we do that?
(Panel 2. Shiva
touches her chin in thought.)
Shiva: Well, we
have been trying to destroy him directly; perhaps some more subtle ways can
break him. We need to find out what he wants, and tempt him with it.
Bane: We know
what he wants; he wants to get his family out of hell!
Too bad
for these two that he’s already learned to overcome the temptation of greed,
hmm?
(Panel 3. Shiva
smiles sinisterly.)
Shiva: then that
is what we should tempt him with.
(Panel 4. Back
with Kyle Taylor, he is walking to school with Samantha.)
Samantha: Well, I
just sense That something will happen. I want to come along.
Kyle: All right.
Samantha
is not very good with schooling, just like every Jenny Limber. I’ve really
resisted calling Samantha a Jenny Limber, because she’s more of a Jenny
variant.
(Panel 5. The two
of them arrive at the school.)
Samantha: So
what's your first subject?
Kyle: English. I
have Mr. Ossman.
(Panel 6. English
class. Kyle is sitting in his seat, taking notes. Samantha sits next to him. Mr.
Ossman, a balding elderly man with a white beard and glasses, stands in front
of the class, teaching them.)
Caption(N): And
in class...
Ossman: Thus when
developing an argument, one should never fall into the following fallacies:
(Panel 7. Ossman
continues to talk as Samantha looks around the room.)
Samantha:
Something's going to happen... But what?
Ossman:
The first one is ad hominum, which means against the man (If it's a female
speaker, then it's Ad feminum.) This argument does not attack the argument
itself, but rather the speaker.
(Page 8, panel 1.
Ossman smiles slightly at Kyle.)
Ossman: Mr.
Taylor, could you give us an example of this?
Kyle: Uhm...
(Panel 2. Kyle
thinks.)
Kyle: Well...
That's like arguing that men shouldn't be gynecologists because they aren't
women.
Class:
>Giggle.<
I’ve
had times where things spew from my mouth and I end up saying “where the
$%&* did that come from?”
(Panel 3. Kyle
looks confused.)
Kyle: Where did
that come from?
Samantha: It was
all I could think of. I could sense you were going to blow it.
Ossman: Well,
that's an example... Not a good one, but it's an example.
A
variation from a line in MST3K episode short Junior Rodeo Daredevils. The
Narrator says “Now that’s an idea!” to which Tom Servo responds, “Not a good idea,
but it’s an idea.”
(Panel 4. Kyle
looks nervous.)
Kyle: I think I
would rather have slipped up.
Ossman: Kyle, to
whom are you talking?
(Panel 5. Kyle
looks nervous. Sweat drips from his forehead.)
Kyle: Erm...
Nobody, Mr. Ossman.
Mr.
Ossman can’t see Samantha either. Angels reveal themselves to those whom they
want.
Ossman: Well, the
second one is slippery slope.
This is
where the argument is made that doing something will lead to a second, less
desirable thing. A recent argument made was that legalizing gay marriage would
lead to the legalization of polygamy and especially polygyny. There was no
support for this argument, thus it is a slippery slope. A good friend of mine
and spiritualist, Dr. Bill Bauman,
once said to me “good literature entertains; great literature entertains,
educates, enlightens and inspires.” Thus I’ve included some educational
material here while trying to be entertaining.
(Panel 6. Kyle is
now walking down the crowded hallway between classes.
Samantha is by
his side.)
Caption (N):
Later on...
Samantha: I sense
evil nearby. Something is about to happen.
Kyle:
I am ready for it.
(Page 8 1/2,
panel 1. Kyle and Samantha meet up with George. Samantha looks angry.)
Yet
another Oops! Moment. L
George: Hey Kyle,
can I talk to you for a moment?
Kyle: Sure.
(Panel 2.
Samantha raises her sword at George. Kyle looks shocked.)
Kyle: What are
you doing!?
Samantha: Things
are not as they seem.
Samantha
knows Shiva by her aura. Enlightened people who have known each other for a
long time can tell the other’s coming by their auras.
(Panel 3. Shiva
stands where George was, and uses her sword to block Samantha's sword.)
Shiva: @&*$!!
SFX: Clang!
Samantha: My,
such language in front of children.
Not that
Kyle hasn’t heard that word already…
(Panel 4.
Samantha and Shiva continue to clash swords. Around them, kids walk by,
oblivious to the fight.)
Kyle: Hey, watch
out!!
Samantha: they
cannot see or feel us, Kyle.
(Panel 5.
Samantha's sword passes through a young woman that passes by her. Shiva dives
to avoid being hit.)
Samantha: Get to
class, Kyle! I'll hold her off!
Shiva: You can
never defeat me!
(Panel 6. Kyle
appears indecisive.)
Kyle: I can't
just leave you here!
Samantha:
Do it!
Kyle is starting to show he cares for Samantha now. Without a sword,
there’s not a whole lot he can do, so he thinks.
(Page 9, Panel 1.
The bell rings, and Kyle runs away.)
Kyle: All right,
but I will be back!
(Panel 2.
Samantha and Shiva clash swords again.)
Shiva: Sucker!
(Panel 3. Shiva
vanishes, teleporting out.)
Samantha: What
are you talking about?!
Shiva: You'll see
soon enough.
What is
Shiva talking about? She wanted to keep Samantha away from Kyle when he finds
out about George’s death.
(Panel 4.
Samantha looks frustrated as she walks to where Kyle went.)
Samantha: This
will not be the last time, Shiva...
(Panel 5. Kyle is
sitting in his second class, which is history. The teacher is a middle-aged
woman with light green hair and blue eyes.)
Caption (N): And
in class...
Teacher: Well,
the daily announcements should be coming up right now...
(Panel 6. The
principal comes in over the loudspeaker.)
Principal:
Attention students: this is the daily announcements for this day. If you have
not heard by now, a student in this school has dielast night. His body was
found outside his home, he had been stabbed to death. We will all mourn the
loss of George Zanberg. George's family has said they ask all donations to be
directed to their church, the St. Michael Methodist church.
In 6th
grade, I was attending Bowman middle school in
(Page 10, panel
1. Kyle looks surprised at this announcement.)
Kyle: George...
Dead?
Kyle is
beginning to suspect that George died because George warned him of Melissa.
Guilt is starting to creep in here.
(Panel 2.
Samantha enters.)
Principal: We
give George's family our deepest sympathies in this matter. In other news, the
football team will be playing at Northside's Farrington Field this Friday. Come
on out and support the team.
Kyle: I can't
believe he's gone... I knew him for such a short time...
Samantha: What
are you talking about?
(Panel 3. Kyle
looks at Samantha.)
Kyle: that guy
who warned me about Melissa... He's dead. I can't help but feel that I was
responsible.
Samantha: Don't
believe that for one moment. You did not kill him.
Shiva
killed him. George had no way of knowing that warning Kyle of Melissa would be
his undoing. Detachment from the actions of others is a very difficult thing to
do.
(Panel 4. Kyle
looks depressed.)
Kyle: Shiva
killed him because he warned me about Melissa.
Samantha: That's
what they want you to think, Kyle. You did not kill George. Do not feel guilty
about it.
(Panel 5. Kyle
looks hurt.)
Kyle: But if he
hadn't warned me about Melissa, he'd still be alive!
And
Kyle would be the one dead. Not a very productive thing.
Teacher: Mr.
Taylor, to whom are you speaking?
(Panel 6. Kyle
nervously turns toward the teacher.)
Kyle: Erm...
Nobody, ma'am.
Teacher:
Well, talking to yourself is socially unacceptable. Do pay attention, please.
And a sign of impending mental collapse.
(Page 11, panel
1. After school, Kyle and Samantha are walking home down an urban street.)
Kyle: I need to
tell Lotus about this. It may get too dangerous for everyone.
Samantha: Agreed.
This could be getting out of hand.
Collateral
damage (to use the nice DOD euphemism) is never a nice thing. Even worse is
coming up with polite terms to cover that up.
(Panel 2.
Suddenly three young men about Kyle's age step out of nowhere, following Kyle.)
Kyle: Too late..?
Randall: Are you
Kyle Taylor?
Kyle: Erm... What
would happen if I said yes?
(Panel 3. The
boys move in closer to Kyle.)
Randall: My name
is Randall... I was George's best friend...
(Panel 4. Randall
and the others surround Kyle.)
Yet
another Oops! Moment. I should have realized something was wrong when my beta
reader returned this to me so quickly. L
Randall: You know
something about his death that we don't know. What is it?
Kyle: Erm...
(Panel 5. The
boys continue to talk to Kyle.)
Randall: We saw
you talking to George the day of his death. What were you talking about?
Kyle: Well...
Kyle
doesn’t want to fight them, but isn’t sure how to tell them he knows who killed
Melissa, and how he knows.
(Panel 6. Kyle
tries to calm them down.)
Kyle: He was
warning me about Melissa.
Randall:
I knew it!
(Page 12, panel
1. The boys relax, as does Kyle.)
Randall: That
witch is always trying to use the new kid...
Steve: She
stepped over the line this time.
(Panel 2. Randall
thinks for a bit.)
Randall: Usually
she gives the kid some minor curse. Last kid this happened to, he ended up
failing all his finals. What's different this time?
Kyle:
Frustration?
Steve: There's
something else at work here. You know what it is.
Steve
senses something bigger here. Could he be another chosen one?
(Panel 3. The
three boys look shocked as Samantha reveals herself.)
Samantha: Perhaps
I should explain.
Steve: Whoa!
(Panel 4. The
boys back away, scared.)
Samantha: Do not
be afraid. I am Samantha. I am Kyle's guardian angel.
Steve: An angel?
(Panel 5. The
three boys stare at Samantha, wide-eyed.)
Steve: She's hot!
Randall: Steve!
Samantha: It's
all right.
A
pervert and a Chip Amiable? Could it work?
(Panel 6. The
boys relax.)
Samantha: There
are forces beyond your comprehension at work. This could get very messy for
everyone.
Randall:
We can't just walk away. George was our friend. He was like a brother to me.
(Page 13, panel
1. Samantha tries to reassure the others.)
Samantha: Well,
all I can say is be patient. George's killer will get what's coming to her.
Randall: We want
to help in any way we can.
(Panel 2.
Samantha thinks for a bit.)
Samantha: Well,
the best way to help is just to let us know if you spot something unusual.
Randall: All
right, but we'd like to do more if you need us.
(Panel 3.
Samantha smiles.)
Samantha: We'll
let you know.
(Panel 4. Kyle
and Samantha walk away in one direction, while the other guys walk away in the
other.)
Kyle: Whew! For a
minute there I thought They were going to beat me up.
Samantha: That was
their original intent. However, cooler heads prevailed.
It’s
rare to see people solving their problems by talking things out these days.
That’s really the way things should go, however.
(Panel 5. Kyle
smiles, relieved.)
Kyle: It's nice
to know that violence is not the only solution.
Sometimes
it seems society teaches us the exact opposite. Take the film A Clockwork
Orange, for example.
(Panel 6. Go back
to the three boys. They all look confused.)
Steve: Wait a
minute here... Weren't we supposed to beat him up? How did we end up on his
side?
Randall:
...
Divineness can make people do weird things, and they won’t realize
what’s going on until after the fact.
(Page 14, panel
1. Back with Kyle and Samantha, they are now back at the headquarters, in the
briefing room.)
Samantha: Ah,
home again.
Kyle: I wonder
what Lotus wants me to do now?
(Panel 2. Lotus
enters.)
Lotus: First, do
your homework. Then we'll talk.
So,
Lotus just happens to pop in here…. How convenient, right?
Kyle: All right.
(Panel 3. Kyle now
has a few books and papers spread on the table. He is reading one book.)
Caption (N):
Later on...
Kyle: Thus
because the old man wished that his wife be happy with what they have, they
lived happily ever after. So you can have less and still be happy?
Samantha: Abe
Lincoln once said that people are as happy as they make up their minds to be. I
could show you children in lower economic countries that are happy with less.
(Panel 4. Kyle
thinks for a bit.)
Kyle: So how can
they be happy without a lot of stuff?
Samantha: They
have not been indoctrinated that happiness comes from material possessions.
One of
the biggest lies our society tells us. Marilyn Vos Savant commented on other
two thus: Q: What are the two biggest lies we teach our children? A: A knowledge
of science is nice but not necessary, and a knowledge of sex is necessary but
not nice.
(Panel 5.
Samantha continues to talk.)
Samantha: Once
you learn that happiness comes from within, the happier you will be.
Kyle: Oh...
(Panel 6. Kyle
looks confused.)
Kyle: I see...
No, wait. I don't see.
Samantha: You are
not a human having a divine experience; you are a divine being having a human
experience.*
Caption
(N):* Dr. Wayne Dyer again.
Took me 35 years to learn this one as well…
(Page 15, panel
1. Kyle smiles.)
Kyle: Well, I'm
sure I'll get it someday.
Samantha: Oh, you
will, all right.
Even if
she has to beat it into him.
(Panel 2. Lotus
enters.)
Lotus: So, how
are things going?
Samantha: He's
getting much of it... But on other things, he's still lost.
(Panel 3. Lotus
nods.)
Lotus: That's a
Chip Amiable for you. Well, you've managed to overcome two of the 7 blocks in
your way. Tomorrow you will face two more.
Kyle: Really?
Which ones?
(Panel 4. Lotus
shakes her head.)
Lotus: That would
be telling. You must not know in advance what you're up against.
Samantha: I'm
curious myself... Let's get away from him and find out.
What
fun is it reading the metaphor and not getting it? As the Zen parable states,
it’s like someone else chewing your food before you swallow it.
(Panel 5. Lotus
smiles.)
Lotus: Well, Sara
and I are going shopping. Why don't you come along, Sam? Starsign will look
after Kyle.
Samantha: O.k.
I'm curious about why some women like to shop as well.
(Panel 6. A
shopping mall. In a woman's clothing store, Lotus and Starshot stand outside a
dressing room.)
Caption (N):
Later on...
Starshot:
We'll see if the lassie will like this.
(Page 16, panel
1. Samantha comes out of the dressing room, attired in a pair of tight, lowrise
blue jeans and a tight blouse.)
Samantha: I think
these pants are the wrong size.
Lotus: That's
just the fashion today, Samantha. You look great.
I for
one encourage women everywhere to be proud of what you have, even if you think
you’re ugly. To me, a woman’s beauty comes from the inside. When it comes to
love, I ask only one thing of a woman: she be willing to do what it takes to
make a relationship work. I’m beginning to think that’s too tall an order to
have.
(Panel 2.
Samantha looks at herself in a mirror.)
Samantha: Well...
This might be appropriate if I were trying to land me a guy, but I don't think
an angel should dress like this.
Lotus: Well,
there are a lot more things you can try.
(Panel 3.
Samantha is now wearing a loose, short skirt and a blouse. Lotus looks worried.)
Samantha: I think
I like this look better.
Lotus: Uh-oh.
(Panel 4. Lotus
tries to explain things to Samantha.)
Lotus: Don't you
know that when you wear a loose, short skirt in manga, there's a 90% chance the
audience will get a peek at your panties!?
Starshot: Aye...
The other 10% is Hentai where th' lassie won't be wearing any.
There’s
the breaking the 4th wall thing. Samantha doesn’t realize she’s a
character in a comic book; Lotus and Starshot do.
(Panel 5. Lotus
looks with anger at the caption above her.)
Caption (N): You
make that sound like it's a bad thing.
Lotus: Nobody
asked you, pal!
4th
wall breaking has never been popular in comic books for the most part, because
nobody really did it right. John Byrne got it right in the Sensational She-Hulk
series. It’s meant to add to the fun, not take away from it. The caption line
is one I stole from an old improv show. I can’t remember the title, though.
They were doing a two line vocabulary sketch, and one of the lines was “You
make that sound like it’s a bad thing.” The scene was they were rescuing a guy
trapped on a ledge next to a cliff. One classic line was this: “If we don’t
rescue him, he’ll die there!” one said “You make that sound like it’s a bad
thing.” One of them replied. “It is a bad thing!” The first one bellowed back.
(Panel 6.
Samantha looks confused.)
Samantha: Um...
Who are you talking to?
Lotus: Oh, nobody
important. Just get changed again, will you?
Writers
are often seen as the least important of the creative process. L Hence shoddiness in writing has taken over things. I can’t stand
90% of TV out there. Mostly because many of the characters are wallowing in
self-pity and don’t seem to realize that it’s their actions that can get them
what they want.
Caption
(N): A panty shot on an angel would be wrong. Funny, but wrong.
Yes, I did get some jeers for this. However, I ask you: would you
want to have your skirt lifted up (or your girlfriend’s skirt or daughter’s
skirt) in public? I didn’t think so.
(Page 16, panel
1. Later, Samantha, Lotus, and Starshot are walking out of the mall.)
Caption (N):
Later still...
Samantha: By the
way just what are Kyle's next temptations?
Lotus:
Selfishness and laziness. Kyle needs to see all the destructive behaviors
before going... But we may not have enough time.
Even
though I didn’t have a separate story for these temptations, they work their
way into the story eventually.
(Panel 2. Focus
on Samantha's concerned face.)
Samantha: What do
you mean?
(Panel 3. Shiva
is holding a large bag of items. She is entering the room. Master Bane is
sitting in his wheelchair.)
Shiva: Well,
Master Bane, we have all but one ingredient. How are we going to get the blood
of a chosen one?
Bane: Concern
yourself not with the details, Shiva. We have plans here...
(Panel 4. Focus
on Bane's evil smiling face.)
Bane: When he
least expects it... Kyle Taylor will shed his blood... And we will create hell
on Earth!
- To Be Continued
–
Is
there really hell on earth? Well, it’s hard to say, but anyone who’s worked at
a call center like I have might say yes…