Don’t try to make sense out of the images from ‘Divinity III: Stalinverse issue 4 – just soak them in. Headless men are all over the world, putting themselves back together. Metaphors are abounding through the striking images of red, black with shades of grey, keeping in tune with the complex narrative of Matt Kindt. What has made Abram Adams dangerous throughout this miniseries is not solely his power, but his capacity for understanding his enemy. During the climax of this intriguing story, Adams has awakened to save the reality of the Valiant Universe. And in the midst of doing so has forced the audience to be more aware of them. Herein, Kindt, through his writing has revealed the importance of the reader. The text is nothing without the experience and background of a complicit participant. Through this he’s taught us that our capacity for empathy and the ways in which to be a better person are through books. People who love and care for you, hope you will grow to be compassionate and empathetic will give you the tools to become responsible adults.
Think back to that time when you were tricked into believing you could be better than you are. For a moment imagine that someone is deeply invested in your wellbeing enough to say that they’re sorry they held you back. There are no qualifiers, no sorry if I think I offended you. Instead, there is a deliberate apology coupled with an explanation. At this point, you’re going to be open to reason and become a better human being because for the first time someone has acknowledged they caused you hurt. Now add to that a childhood where books may have been your only comfort. What did those works teach you? Perhaps the ability to accept not only that apology but the possibilities it exposes. Kindt has given closure to issue four not by wrapping the events up in a neat bow. Rather, the loose shredded ends left dangling have made this comic book series infinitely more interesting. More importantly, he’s kept the myths alive by enfolding characters into continuity.
Baba Yaga (the boogey woman created by Rasputin), Pioneer Woman (the last of her kind) alongside the indescribable Immortal (the woman who goes from skeletal form to a fully fleshed woman every 28 days) and the others all have ambiguous destinies to explore. Thus expanding this comic universe. What’s more, Kindt has forced his audience to look at the idea that it’s better to make decisions for yourselves, no matter how painful they might be than to be like sheep following a limited-minded despot off a cliff. After all, when there’s nothing left to conquer despots tend to metastasize or worse cannibalize those around them.
No matter what the situation may be when making your own choices, whether you’re a great, powerful individual, or a cog in the ultimate machine, books and their ideas will help you navigate what could possibly be a minefield. If that’s the only thing you come away with after reading ‘’Divinity III: Stalinverse’ then you’re way ahead of the game.
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