The Perfect Knight Returns

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Simone Bianchi
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Rob Leigh

Featured Characters:

			Mordredd the Undead
	Bors		Helen Helligan
	Peredur		Gloriana Tenebrae
	Galahad		I, Spyder

This issue is reprinted in

Seven Soldiers Vol. 2

Noteworthy Items:

by DAVID BIRD

Here we get the first of something we’ll see in every series, the expository issue!

pp 01-04: In the last issue Guilt said, or at least strongly implied, that everyone Justin knew died in the fall of Camelot. Now we see another version. As this isn’t being narrated by a character, we (probably) can accept it as an unbiased and accurate telling of events. Its thirty years later and three knights are about to do something terrible. Bors, Peredur (Percival), and Galahad had been hidden by Mananann’s kingdom of Ysse. Ysse may well be the Ys mentioned in Zatanna #1. They have come to the City of the North Wind, which in Greek mythology is Hyperborea, brought into fantasy writing by Clark Ashton Smith's Hyperborean Cycle. Dwarrow, meaning dwarfs, is a word coined by Tolkein.

They come with “three imperishable treasures of the ancient world.” Which? Obviously Bors has the Hammer, the only weapon we see with Peredur is his sword and the only weapon we see on Galahad is a spear. The Sword of Aurakles and the Spear “whose name is both love and vengeance.” Galahad is famous as the perfect knight, and he is called that here; but haunted knight appears more accurate. These are the famous knights of the Grail quest, but now they are looking for something else entirely. Having lost Camelot to the enemy, they are seeking the Sheeda’s destruction. The consequences don’t matter anymore. A motley group gather around the anvil as they prepare to split the atom. Greg Burgas, at CBR, describes Galahad as refusing, at the last moment, to do it, but the three knights are actually standing to the left. Two giants – albeit, two not too tall giants – and a plant elemental are standing to the right and the dwarf king and smithy are standing over the anvil. The smithy is the one who backs out. Bors, who isn’t any taller than the dwarfs and has been carrying the hammer, steps up and, with a maniacal laugh, does it. “One by one the knights of Arthur succumbed to the evils of the dreadful new millennium,” using the bomb to ‘destroy’ an already dead kingdom. And so the Sheeda win, with the heroes giving in to rage and hate and pointless destruction.

pp 05-11: Justin surrenders to the police. Two experts are sent to see him, Helen Helligan, a metahuman specialist, and Gloria Friday, an antiquities expert. Helligan’s introduction makes it seem as though she knows Friday, but then she mentions that the antiquities expert was a last minute replacement. An ominous sign? It is when your replacement is the Sheeda Queen! Obviously. Helligan takes her directly to her goal, the Sword of Aurakles. Instead of taking it and leaving, she continues in her role of antiquities “expert.” From her perspective, I guess were all antiquities.

Seeing the sword she launches into a long exposition, giving readers some much needed background. She starts off, however, with some utter rubbish. She says that iron weaponry was developed during the Han dynasty and perfected by the Japanese. Iron weaponry did indeed enter China during the Han dynasty (roughly 200 BC to 200 AD), but China was a late comer. The Iron Age, including its use as weapons, dates back to Anatolia and Assyria over a thousand years prior to that. That’s Turkey and Iraq, for those using 21st century maps. Iron was also used in Western Africa at the same time (1200 BC).

She then goes on to explain a cyclical theory of history. While our history goes back six thousand years, she says, the world is six billion years old. (Actually, it’s less than five billion years old and has only has a biosphere for about three and a half billion years. Sorry.) During the cycles of history, there have been many civilizations that are now gone and forgotten. Helligan asks why civilizations don’t just continue to grow, and Friday suggests they rise, ripen, and decay. When they reach thier peak there is a “harrowing.” She doesn’t explain what a harrowing is, but she says it has “predictable and grim implications for your own civilization.” Yep, she says “your”, not “our.” But Helligan doesn’t catch it. She explains that Justin is a part of the Proto-Arthurian court; a myth that has been repeated again in again within various cycles. This means that our Justin is not a revamping of the Shining Knight who was a member of the original Seven Soldiers; rather, he is his inspiration, belonging to a Camelot of ten thousand years ago. She also shares that there were seven, not four, treasures, and that only the pure of heart can draw the sword. We’ve already heard of the four treasures. The idea that Helligan is pure of heart is interesting. Some think that her mentioning a childhood prank is tantamount to a confession that then makes her pure of heart. But that doesn’t add up. Confessing one’s sins is a step in repenting of them. It’s like an alcoholic saying ‘I have a drinking problem’; it’s an important step, but it’s only a step. The problem, or impurity, in this case, is still there. I think Helligan’s alleged impurity isn’t one at all. It’s just a child acting like a child. That she would bring it up as an example is a sign of her humility. She doesn’t seem like it, but her ability to draw the sword puts her on a level with Sir Galahad – before the fall of Camelot.

A few more points before moving on: Helligan says “My next question…” What was her first? Friday nicely skirts around the topic of the Sheeda, telling the fed that the seven timeless objects were given for “protection against… evil.” Helligan wonders why the sword is ringing (she later says “singing, ringing”). I wondered, as I read it, if this was a response to the Sheeda Queen’s presence. The only other Arthurian ties to a singing sword that I have found are disappointing. I feel there’s something more to it. Prince Valiant’s sword is called the Singing Sword, though it seems only to have sung in a cartoon adaptation, and the second novel in Jack Whyte’s Arthurian series is called The Singing Sword. I haven’t read it, and don’t know how it gets its name, but I know the series has no magical elements to it. Friday calls the sword Caliburn Ex Calibur. The name Excalibur is derived from Caliburn. Morrison has named it two forms of the same name. Caliburn is derived from Caledfwlch, which means “hard lightening” and is thought to have been derived from the name Caladbolg, a famous Irish sword – though not the sword of the four treasures. Last point, Friday is bang on in pointed out that Justin’s surrender was a sign of trust. He wants to work with them, not fight them. She is confident in her ruse, and in her power, otherwise she wouldn’t be pointing her enemies toward possible alliances.

pp 12-15: The two women move towards the interview room. Friday complains she is cold and Helligan points out how hot it is. Friday replies, “I am not as young as I was. I don’t like it.” She doesn’t like the cold or she doesn’t like aging? She is Snow White’s ever step-mother after all. Helligan explains what she wants from this interview: if Friday can confirm that he is from the past, and not an “unregistered metahuman”, then he isn’t her responsibility and she can make it her sister’s wedding on time. On their way down the hall they each make some interesting statements. Helligan describes his language as “unknown but somehow strangely familiar.” Welsh, but not quite Welsh? I tend to agree with the idea that he is speaking the pre-Babel tongue. Helligan also speaks of a lot of mythological things in a very matter of fact way; a realistic in a universe full of superheroes and gods. Friday continues to secretly gloat, telling Helligan that she’d “dreamed of interacting with living specimens from a dead world.” And Helligan brings up the possibility of Justin carrying ancient diseases, but I don’t believe she really fears that or she’d have him in some form of containment. Friday tells her that in his time even diseases were subservient to Camelot and did no harm.

Friday walks in using the Camelot tongue –she tells Helligan she only knows a little. Justin confirms that he is looking for champions against the coming evil. Throughout the interview Helligan just wants to get to her sister’s wedding. Friday seems to be giving her an accurate account of what Justin says, but Helligan’s scepticism won’t let her see it. It’s the end of the world. Again. She still isn’t sure how to categorize Justin. For his part, he can’t believe a knight of Camelot is being doubted, “Why do they grunt like beasts and speak some mangled human tongue?” Friday tells him the truth is no longer fixed, that words can’t be trusted, only deeds. Of course deeds are what Justin excels at (remember him overcoming guilt?). Finally Justin recognizes her. Interestingly, Helligan, who has been looking at her notes, picks this time to ask what a Sheeda queen is… It’s midnight and the Dark Queen reveals herself. As her disguise melts away, she taunts Justin with news of Galahad and a threat to break Justin as well.

pp 16-22: The attack begins. It’s furious and successful. Gloriana reveals herself and there are three responses. Helligan shouts, “Metahuman engagement. Backup!” All training. Kind of lame. A cop shouts, “They’re here! Warn the Don!” Much more interesting. It’s no surprise to learn a mafia don has police connections, but it is to learn that he knew the Sheeda were coming and has told the police what to look for. This ties into my understanding of Vincenzo’s line in the last issue, “That I lived to see the end of the world...” Justin’s shoute, “This world is under my protection! Camelot Lives!” A little earnest, but classic superhero stuff. He gets a shot at Gloriana, but it hasn’t any effect. One of the Sheeda grabs the sword – and loses its arm in the process, though how is not explained. He calls it the Sword of Aurakles. This is our first mention of Aurakles. They take the sword and Justin. Before leaving, Gloriana gives Helligan a “poison kiss.” Of course a perfect heart can only be corrupted from the inside, by allowing evil influences to… influence us. But Helligan looks bad. The Sheeda Queen won this round.

I, Spyder – last seen in Seven Soldiers #0 – arrives to fly Gloriana to a secret base. It’s not the Revolving Castle. It looks like a warehouse facility. In it the Sheeda are butchering cattle and filling a pit with blood. She says “Seven treasures. Seven soldiers. The cauldron next.” The first and last sentences make sense, but what does she mean by “seven soldiers”? What does she know, exactly? She says they’ll go for the cauldron that “when the full moon rises tonight”, implying the next night. So the attack on Vicenzo’s takes place over two nights. It was I, Spyder who shot Vicenzo through the neck with an arrow – and arrow laced with a biotacker. Once the Don goes into the cauldron – in order to save himself – they’ll know where it is. She has a butterfly with her, symbolic of the soul, rebirth, and change. While they wait for the cauldron’s location, they decide to have a little entertainment. To “set the corrupt against the virtuous.” She calls for “bonnie Galahad.” Bonnie? Morrison’s a Scot. In the pit we see him and two nude, gored, and dead women. Then the biotracker goes off.

It’s interesting that the issue’s title, “The Perfect Knight”, appears on the last page, as Galahad appears. He was the perfect knight. But if any one bears that title now, perhaps it should be Justin. As issues go, not a lot happens. Okay, the Sheeda attack a LAPD precinct building and capture Justin and the Sword of Aurakles. But that happens very quickly. Most of the issue is just talk. Exposition. We’ll find a lot of that in this series. An issue is given over entirely to explaining what’s happening to the reader. Traditionally, having to stop and explain things is considered bad form when it comes to telling a story. Explanations are supposed to be incorporated into the narrative flow. But these expository issues are some of the best in the series. In this issue we learn of the Harrowings and of the treasures and the story gains an historic sense.