Dragonball Book 6: Bulma's Return

"That speed... That power... It's incredible" - Major Purple

This is my cut n'paste intro for my end of month indulgence (if I feel like it) as I make my way through all forty-two collected volumes of the enduringly popular and influential manga Dragonball. The series used to be split into the fantasy and whimsy filled Dragonball and the more serious, sci-fi orientated strip it became after sixteen volumes known as Dragonball Z, but now the series is being released under the one "Dragonball" title again; uncut and with a spiffy new translation.  The series first ran in the famous anthology magazine "Shonen Jump" from 1984 to 1995 and was written and drawn by Akira Toriyama (It has been translated here by Mari Morimoto and adapted into English by Gerard Jones, the western publisher is Viz Media) and pretty much set the standard for the similar shonen manga and anime that came after like Bleach and Naruto.  It follows the adventures of the kindly if somewhat sheltered and simple "Son Goku" as he trains, goes on adventures and enters competitions all with the aim of making himself a stronger and better fighter.  Along the way he accrues a colourful cast of friends and rivals in a world where humans live alongside anthropomorphised animals, dinosaurs never died out and tiny capsules can contain vehicles and houses to be easily carried around.

[Note:  This manga is "unflipped" so must be read from right to left]

Previously On Dragonball:  Goku made it to the final of the Strongest Under Heaven Tournament and after a long and valiant fight against his disguised master he was beaten.  Kamesen'in then told him that he had trained him as much as he could and now Goku must blaze his own trail.  Goku decides to search for one of the fabled Dragonballs, seven balls that when bought together, summon a dragon who can grant a wish.  The Four Star ball belonged to his deceased grandpa and because the balls fly off once the wish is granted he needs to hunt it down, his friend Bulma gives him the Dragon Radar that will help him locate the balls and he flies off on his cloud Kinto'un to start his search.  Unfortunately a nefarious organisation called "The Red Ribbon Army" is looking for them as well.  Their radar isn't as precise as Goku's though.  Goku first tangles with them when he finds the Seven Star ball, and his cloud is blown apart by a rocket launcher.  Using a plane he flies to the next location, a snowy village whose mayor has been kidnapped to force the townsfolk into looking for the balls.  Goku decides to ascend "Muscle Tower" which has a fight on each floor, to rescue the mayor. We left him in the middle of his battle against the idiotic ninja Sergeant Major Purple.  And now the continuation.

Facing off against each other, Goku armed with his Nyoi-Bo a stick that can telescope almost infinitely, Major Purple goes on the attack.  And Goku shoves the Nyoi-Bo right up his bum.  He yanks it back out and Major Purple rages that he'll pay for that humiliation.  But Goku then smashes Major Purple's legendary blade.   So Major Purple throws a boomerang shuriken at Goku which knocks him down as it returns.

Goku vs. Major Purple

But Goku isn't out and gets up angrily, chasing Major Purple into a hut.  After throwing tatami mats at Goku, Major Purple decides it's time to break out his ultimate attack.  And he splits himself into five versions of himself.  Four are an illusion so Goku has to guess which.   But as they press their attack Major Purple says the secret is "we are all real!!!"

But in a display of the kind of kung fu that saw him nearly beat his master Goku takes them all down bar one who makes his way to a creature in a cage who looks like Frankenstein's Monster.  He lets him out calling him "Mechanical Man No. 8".  He orders the Mechanical Man to attack Goku, but it says "it's bad to kill.  I don't like bad."  Major Purple yells at him that the Red Ribbon Army made him so he can't disobey.

Mechanical Man No.8

But Mechanical Man No. 8 stands firm, he will not fight.  So Major Purple pulls out a remote control saying he'll set off the bomb implanted inside him if he doesn't act.  Mechanical Man No. 8 responds, "if I have to be bad... I want to be blown up."  But Goku won't let that happen and manages to kick the remot out of Major Purple's hand and smashes it.  Then Goku delivers a hard punch to his face knocking him out.

Mechanical man No. 8 says he's happy and thanks Goku.  Goku says he should have defended himself, but Mechanical Man No.8 is resolute and admits, "I'm scared to fight".  He asks if Goku is here to save the village Mayor and Goku says yes, so he says he'll come with him.   Goku decides "Mechanical Man No.8" is too much of a mouthful so renames him "8-Man".

They climb the stairs, passing floor five which has no door to it, they reach floor six and enter the room.  It's the control room with General White and the hostage Mayor in it.  8-Man asks him to let the Mayor go.

General White: "So... the treacherous tinker-toy dares to speak does he...? I'll give you one last chance to cooperate!!!"

And he presses a button opening a trap door under them, dropping them into floor five.  Looking down General White demands the Dragonballs and the radar he has, but Goku says no.  So the wall opens and reveals a huge reptilian blob monster, called "The Jiggler".

Goku vs. The Jiggler.

Goku goes on the attack but just bounces off the Jiggler's body.   After a few tries, Goku realises his punches and kicks aren't working.  Then a huge tongue flops out of the Jiggler's mouth and wraps around him and then swallows him.  But Goku pries his mouth open from the inside and climbs out.  The Jiggler then fires electric bolts from it's antennae. Goku unleashes the energy attack, the Kamehame-ha.  But that bounces off the Jiggler as well.

However, Goku remembers how cold it was outside and decides this is the weapon he can use against the Jiggler.  He smashes a hole in the wall then jumps inside 8-Man's coat as a freezing wind blows in and ices the Jiggler up.   then Goku hits it hard and the Jiggler cracks into many pieces.  Then Goku jumps up and crashes through the floor where General White is.

Goku: "Now let that Mayor Guy go!!!  Or you're really gonna get it!!!"

Facing off, Goku starts beating General White up.  White ends up cowering behind a control panel thinking tha Goku is "some kind of monster."

Then he grabs his gun and holds it to the Mayor's head.  8-Man begs him to "stop doing bad things".    The Mayor yells that they can sacrifice him to save the village.  But when Goku takes him seriously he adds he'd prefer not to die if it's all the same.   So Goku is ordered to show his back to General White who shoots him with the "Hyper Gun".

Goku takes a bullet.

Goku topples forwards but when General White fires again, 8-Man takes the bullet.  And in a furious rage, punches General White hard in the face smashing him through the wall and out of the tower.  Goku isn't dead, he's just had the wind knocked out of him, and 8-Man carries him down into the village accompanied by the Mayor.

They all gather together for a hearty meal, Goku pigging out as usual.   Everyone is very grateful to him and 8-Man, and 8-Man reveals he had the Dragonball everyone was after all the time, he'd found it while out walking one day.  Sadly it's the two star ball not the four star, but everyone agrees keeping it in the village would be more trouble than it's worth so Goku keeps a hold of it.

The Mayor also invites 8-Man to come live with them, 8-Man says he's just an android but the Mayor tells him "you're a better man than most of the 'real' people I know".  8-Man is overcome with gratitude and he and Goku bed down for the nigt.  Goku checks the Dragon Radar ad discovers it got broken in one of the fights, so he's going to have to return to Bulma the teen genius who invented it to get it fixed.

He wonders how he'll get there now that Kinto'Un his flying cloud is gone.  But the villagers tell him you can't destroy a Kinto'un and so Goku calls it and it whooshed down to him much to his delight.   He bids everyone farewell and they all wave him off as he flies off to the city in the west where he'll find his friend.

Kinto'un's back!

Arriving in the city, Goku is immediately a bit overwhelmed. He starts asking random strangers where Bulma is, and of course he gets brushed off.  Realising he needs some money he comes across a martial artist challenging people to fight him, if they win they get 30,000 zeni.  So Goku challenges him and everyone is amused that a kid would try and fight.  But he dodges all the blows and punches at the fighter so hard he smashes a hole in the wall.  Fearful, the fighter submits and gives him the money.

Some robbers try and hold him up to take his money, but he beats them senseless. Finally someone advises him to ask a policeman and Goku does so.  The policeman searches for Bulma and finds her on his computer.  When he realises she's the daughter of the head of Capsule Corporation he is suspicious that Goku might be up to something so he takes Goku there on the back of his bike.

They arrive at Capsule Corp and the cop says she's probably at school, but then Bulma pulls up on her bike and has a happy reunion with Goku.  He tells her the radar is broken so she takes him inside to meet her parents.  Professor Briefs is her dad, and is a great character simply because he always has a small, wide-eyed black cat hanging onto his shoulder.  Inside the huge dome is a big garden for all his pet cats and dogs and dinosaurs.

Bulma, her dad and her dad's cute cat.

Bulma tells her dad to fix the policeman's bike while she and Goku go upstairs. He asks if they are going to make out much to her annoyance.  Actually she's going to fix the radar and when Goku asks her what "make out" means, she snaps that children don't need to know.

Elsewhere the Red Ribbon Army leader is checking his radar which only gives a rough idea where the Dragonballs are.   A photo of Goku is sent through to them, Commander Red tells his lackeys to have it faxed to all units, "kill him on sight!!! Got that?!"  He grumbles that Goku is having more success than they are finding the Dragonballs, and his right hand man says Goku must have a more sophisticated device for finding them.

Back with Goku and Bulma, she fixes up the radar, then she decides as it's the weekend tommorrow, she'll come with him. Goku says she'll just get in the way but she shows him a watch she's invented that shrinks her down to afew inches in height.   She demonstrates and gets trodden on by her mum.  She tells Goku that Bulma and Yamcha are are fighting right now because Bulma can't stand the fact he's popular with the girls. Bulma puts on her jacket and picks up a box of capsules and shrinks herself down so Goku can carry her on Kinto'un.  He calls it down and they speed off.  Unfortunately then Professor Briefs realises she picked up his capsules not hers.

While they travel to the ocean for the next ball, they are also going to bump into the sadistic General Blue who is also searching the area.  They land on the beach and Bulma gets out her capsules so she can pop out a boat.  Sadly it's only her dad's capsule and it's full of porn mags.  Goku looks with interest saying "how come they're naked if they're not having baths?"  A furious Bulma rips them all up.

Goku scouts the terrain out.

So Goku swims out to where the Dragonball is located, but it's down in a sea trench and he can't hold his breath long enough to get to it.   Meanwhile Bulma is attacked by some of General Blue's forces, they land their chopper and imply they are going to sexually assault her.  Leaning on the fourth wall Bulma says:

Bulma: "You mean those naughty things you aren't even allowed to describe in a comic book, don't you?"

Luckily Goku returns and smashes up their helicopters, saving Bulma.  She is somewhat impressed by what he did, even thinking maybe he went overboard a bit.

Goku then says they are not far from his master, Kamesen'nin, he'll probably have a boat they can use, so off they fly. Kame is pleased to see him and even more pleased to see Bulma when she returns to he normal height, him being such and old perve and all.  He says he'll loan then a boat but he wants to borrow the shrinking device in return.   Bulma says that's a relief, "I thought you were going to ask for something sleazy like you always do!"

Kame is happy to see Bulma as she grows to normal height

Cut to the Red Ribbon Army Commander.  They have tracked Goku to Kame's island, they figure he must have accomplices and that the island is their base of operations, so Commander Red orders General Blue to reconnoitre the area. Back at Kame's place, Bulma needs to use the toilet, so pervey McPerveson Kame shrinks himself and hides in behind the toilet so he can peek at her going.   But when she's done he slips off the cistern and into the bowl, she doesn't see him and flushes it.  He has to escape via the pipes to the outside.

Then a vehicle approaches, it's Kuririn and Lunch back from a shopping trip which ended in a shoot out when mild mannered Lunch sneezed and turned into her psycho alter-ego. They tell him why they are here and he says they might find pirate treasure down there.  Kuririn says it sounds like it'll be fun, so Kame grants his pupil leave to join them in their Dragonball hunt.

They fly off, and Goku realises he left the backpack with two Dragonballs in it back at Kame's place.   Kuririn says the invincible old master will protect them.  General Blue meanwhile is checking the island out, only Kame, Turtle and Lunch are on it. 

Goku and the other two land the hovervehicle onto the sea and then dive under. The radar shows the Dragonball is in a twisty passageway.  Goku, wearing scuba gear and with a communication radio swims outside the sub, helping to direct it to the cave entrance. Before returning inside

Meanwhile General Blue has also got in a sub and are following close behind, as Goku's sub reaches the cave, General Blue orders and attack and they fire missiles at them.  Goku grumbles that it's the Red Ribbon Army after him and both Bulma and Kuririn freak out at this news:

Kuririn: "Y-you've got to be kidding!!! You're being pesonally targeted by the world's most evil crime organisation!!!"
They manage to get into the cave before their sub is disabled, but the enemy sub is still on their tail. Fortunately the passageway narrows so the larger Red Ribbon Army sub can't get any further. Meanwhile  several Red Ribbon Army planes habe converged on Kame's island and they order him to surrender much to his bemusement.  And that brings this volume to a close.

A submarine race to the Dragonball.

I think it's safe to say this is my guilty pleasure.  Despite it's often juvenile humour their is a warmth to the story telling that renders it quite charming.  Goku's main superpower really is his kindness, his abilty to bring out the best in people and generally just get along with folk.  Although he's not at all worldly in any other way, when it comes to fighting he has few people who can keep up with him, even using cunning tactics like freezing the Jiggler when his fists and feet couldn't do the job.  He's no mindless brute, despite displaying fearsome strength in battle.  Akira Toriyama knows how to choreograph a fight scene properly, the fights are depicted in a thrilling and sometimes amusing way. Goku's true nature wont be revealed until many volumes down the line, but already his ability to shake off bullets without being wounded at all shows he is something more than human.  It's good to have Bulma and Kuririn back in the story, one thing I like is how Goku will drift in and out of their lives, but you always feel that they've been living and doing things when he's not there.  Every named character has a believable inner life to them and as Goku travels we get a sense that it's a strange world he lives in, very different from our own in many ways not just the animal people and dinosaurs.  So how will Kamesen'nin deal with the Red Ribbon Army?  Will Goku face down General Blue in battle and claim the next Dragonball for himself?  Find out sometime soon, at the end of the month, when I feel like it.

Jessica Jones: Alias Book 3 (#10, #16-21)

"They are killing that girl. I lost her" - Jessica Jones

Time to return to the ramshackle world of Jessica Jones.  She's a super-powered individual who after a brief career as a costumed hero has become a private detective instead.  However she still can't escape from the world of superheroes intruding on her life.  She has super strength and can just about fly and she is somewhat messed up with severe PTSD the reasons why will be explained in the fourth and final volume of this series.  Jessica Jones was created and here is written by Brian Michael Bendis, one of his earliest contributions to the Marvel Universe. The book is part of the Marvel MAX line which also played host to Garth Ennis's Punisher and Nick Fury tales, so there is sex and swearing aplenty.  The art is by Michael Gaydos, whose use of Warhol-like repeating panels fits brilliantly with Bendis's very conversational dialogue make the whole thing feel finely crafted.  In previous volumes she had a drunken fling with Luke "Power Man" Cage and went on a date with Scott "Ant Man" Lang and these strands continue through the storyline.  The first story I'll mostly skip as it isn't a traditional story it's a series of textual conversations over full page images. I imagine it was done to give Michael Gaydos a breather, all you really need to know is that Jessica Jones manages to piss off J. Jonah Jameson who promises he'll get all up in her grill if she ever screws up.  Which leads us neatly into the main story arc of the collection.

Jessica is in a shop reading a magazine and internally swearing at the contents which are all about how to be the perfect woman, "no wonder I feel like shit about myself all the time". Then a man with a gun holds the place up.  She panics wondering if she should be a hero for two seconds.

Jessica: "Fuck me... fuck! I promised myself I wouldn't do shit like this anymore".

She dives on the robber as he fires and disarms him holding him down.  She tells the shopkeeper to call the police but the man picks up te gun and angrily points it at the robber. She manages to talk him out of firing then asks if she can get some cigarettes, which the shopkeeper charges her eight dollars for.  Such gratitude.

She arrives back at her flat thinking maybe it's good things like that happens, reminding her not to be a hero again.  Suddenly she realises someone is in her bathroom and it turns out to be a young woman in a costume with a spider on the front and no mask on.  She asks if Jessica is Jessica then starts crying saying, "they lied to me! Those fuckers lied to me!"

Mattie Franklin in Jessica's flat.

Jessica demands to know what the hell is going on but the woman panics and jumps out through her window leaving a very confused Jessica in her wake.  She leaves her mask behind and Jessica sits a ponders it.  We jump forwards in time and Scott Lang has come over.  She tells him it was creepy, she was "like Spider-man with little tits".  Scott asks why she didn't call the police, she says they won't be able to do anything.

Jessica: "All that will happen is they will take my information and then tommorrow morning there will be blurb in page six about what a lunatic I am."

He asks what she wants to do and she apologises for calling him out in the middle of the night saying they've only been out a couple of times. He says he's actually thrilled she thought to call him, "I was incredibly cool to come over".

He asks if she'll feel safer if he stays over, she says not really so he invites her over to his place and she packs her laptop and goes with him. We then jump forward again, he's fast asleep and she is sitting up to table in just her underwear checking her computer, searching for "Spider-girl" but getting no results.

Investigating the mystery girl.

She then decides to call someone named "Agent Quatermain".   She finally gets through to someone called "Clay" who wants to know why she called at 0400.  She tells him about the girl in her flat and he says he'll call her back.  Her phone rings again and he tells her that her name is "Mattie Franklin".  She did a short run as Spider-woman, "the third one for those counting at home".

He tells her he's sent her his files on her which will only be in her e-mail inbox for forty minutes.  Then he queries her sleeping with Ant-man telling her he's been in prison.  Jessica says she knows that and thanks him for his help ending the call and swearing about S.H.I.E.L.D. to herself.

Then her phone goes again and we cut to J.Jonah Jameson. He's leaving the Daily Bugle offices and is in an underground carpark.  Jessica appears out of the shadows telling him tHe tries to blow her off, but when she says it's about Mattie he pauses then tells her to get in the car.

Then we're back with her and Scott in bed together having sex, she asks him to stop and he asks so asking what he was doing wrong.  She says it's not him it's her and lies back down facing away from him.  She says she shouldn't have come over, he says she 's just in a "shit mood".  He asks if she talked to "that J.Jonah Jameson dickface?"  She says she did.

We cut back to her in his limo, he says nothing which she thinks is the exact opposite of when she last met him "when he wouldn't shut his fucking mouth".  She think how she doesn't want to be sitting here with "this piece of garbage".

Jessica: "All I hear in my head is: this guy hates you. And this isn't like my usual self loathing paranoia. No. I have it on tape. On my answering machine.  Him wishing I would drop dead."

She thinks how he is everything wrong with journalism in America, using the Daily Bugle to push his agenda instead of reporting the facts.  But it's not about him, it's about the girl.  A girl he somehow took responsibility for and who is now in some sort of trouble.  So she sits in silence not knowing what to do...

A chilly meeting with J. Jonah Jameson.

So she "babbled like an idiot".  She tells him that Mattie broke into her flat strung out or something then ran away.  The whole thing has left her freaked out and despite the shit between them she thought he ought to know.  Finally Jameson speaks asking where is she now?  Jessica says she doesn't know, but he asks her the same question again.

Then he asks her what her angle is?  Money?  "Of course it is.  It always is!"  But Jessica says she doesn't think he's hearing her.  He accusing her of dangling Mattie over his head, "preying on people's fears and hopes. You piece of trash".  He says he'll find out what her scam is and burn her in hell for it.

Jessica says just listen to her, but he responds that if any harm comes to her she will be the one to answer for it.  He tells her she screwed around with the wrong person this time and orders her to get out of the car, as she leaves he says "I want her back unharmed now!  Or I will ruin you!"  Jessica walks away thinking that blew up in her face.

Back in bed with Scott she says she should have gone to the police, she says she never does because of a hangover from being a superhero, thinking she can handle anything herself.  Scott agrees she has problems with authority.  She denies this at first then agrees.  She also feels the cops will grill her.

She thinks with her and Jameson the one with shitloads of money will win "because, like, look at me and look at him".  Scott wonders why it would be her word against his.  She says the "guy's a loon."  He pretty much accused her of kidnapping Mattie.  She should have gone to the police.  Scott says told you so.  She asks him "are you done?"

Back in her office she decides to try and find the girl.  She checks over the slim file she has on her and notes down all she remembered Jameson saying.  He ranted about "Spider-man! Daredevil! Osborn! All of you!"

Jessica: "Well, Jameson always has a gay boner for Spider-man.  And I bet he mentioned Daredevil just because he's in the news.  But Osborn.  Norman Osborn?  Is he even alive?"

She mulls this over and finds the name Jessica Drew in the files, a former Spider-Woman, so she looks her up.  She also has a Private Investigation business.

She calls her office to find she's in Istanbul on assignment, this annoys Jessica who thinks she hasn't even been able to afford to go the movies since Ghostbusters 2.   She leaves a message on her mobile saying it's regarding Mattie Franklin.  Then wonders, "now what?"

Malcolm pops in.

Then Malcolm appears in the doorway, he's a young man who keeps trying to work for her. He asks her about Captain America and what she think of him revealing his secret identity, she hadn't seen that.  He thinks it's bullshit, that he's copying her who came out years ago.  Also Daredevil got outed by the tablouds but he's suing everyone "like a big fucking pussy".  He told his friends at school she did the coming out thing years ago before it was trendy.

She tries to get rid of him, but he says he can help, he has an "enncyclopedic knowledge of stupid shit".  So she asks him if he has heard of Spider-Woman.  He says there has been three, she wants to know about the young one.   He says he doesn't know anyone who knows her and what's wrong with her?  She says she thinks she was on drugs.  He asks if he finds her will she give him a job, she says if he finds anyone who knows anything about her she will give him a part-time job as long as her parents are OK with it.  Then she shoves him out, him leaving happily.

Later her phone rings and it's, Madame Web who is mentioned in Mattie's file.  She tells her she will come and meet her tonight at seven o'clock.  Because she can see the future Jessica asks if she will ever find true love.  Madame Web ignores this and gives her address which she asks her to write down as she foresees her getting lost in her building for nine minutes.  Then she ends the call.

At twelve minutes past seven, Jessica arrives and is shown into Madame Web's rooms by an assisstant.  She thanks Jessica for being late saying recently she hasn't been able to trust her abilities, "I was doubting myself, which is something I rarely do."  Jessica says she has no idea who she is or why she is here.

The mysterious Madame Web.

Madame Web says she is here because of Mattie Franklin, she is also trying to find her because she is in terrible trouble.  She was there at the ceremony when she received her powers and began her life as Spider-Woman.  Madame Web used her abilities to guide her, but recently she has lost contact with her.  She cannot see her on the astral plane nor her possible futures.  She fears her young body is having trouble with unnatural abilities.

Jessica queries the "possible futures" part of her statement.  Madame Web says every decisions made "creates a new set of tangents of time and space.  Every descision creates a myriad of possibilities for your future." She sees Mattie playing an important role in her future.  Jessica asks if she sees her now and Madame Web says she is in a place of strobing lights and dancing.  Jessica is angry with her and they fight, in one future she kills her, in another she is killed, "you look like you, but not you."

Jessica demands to know just what she does and Madame Web says these are only possible futures.  The she tells Jessica what she's been through in her past, "I wouldn't wish on anyone. I'm so sorry."  Jessica is shocked at having her mind read without permission.  Madame Web says she can't help it, "the images... so strong, so violent." Jessica screams "FUCK YOU!!!" at her and storms out.  We return to her in bed with Scott, he asks what she saw that upsets her, but Jessica falls silent and turns away from him.

He persists, asking what Madame Web said that so upset her, but she doesn't want to talk about it.   He asked if she was raped, and she sits up saying "no!! Why would you say that?"  He says he's just trying to figure her out. 

Jessica: "Such a guy thing to say!! A girl has a secret in her past... she must have been raped".

He doesn't understand why she's so upset as she gets out of bed and starts to get dressed. He says all he was trying to do was continue the conversation, but she reiterates she didn't want to talk about it and slams the door as she leaves.

Jessica and Scott fight.

With some trepidation she returns to her flat but no one is there. Carol Danvers calls her, but she doesn't pick up.  Carol leaves a message saying Scott contacted her and was "bummed out" so what did she do to him.  Jessica gives the ansaphone the finger.

Next day she is doing body guard duty for Matt Murdock, still under seige regarding his true identity as Daredevil. She notes to herself that while she and Luke Cage are meant to be there in case one of Daredevil's villains attacks him all they are really doing is pushing the media away.   She thinks that it's obvious he is Daredeil and she's just here for show.

He comes out to meet her while she smokes a fag. He asks where she's been the past couple of days and she says "living in a dream".  She fills him in on the situation with Mattie Franklin and J.Jonah Jameson.  He says he call Jameson and tell him to stop threatening her, he asks if she is still looking for the girl and she says yes, though she only has soft leads.

A new lead is discovered.

Later she returns to her office to find Malcolm and a friend skateboarding outside.  She's all what the hell, she told him he couldn't hang out there.  But he says he did what she asked and found someone who has seen the Spider-woman.  He introduces his friend, she called Laney.  She tells Jessica her brother is dating Mattie Franklin.

They go into her office to talk. Laney says her brother is a junkie and drug dealer.   His name is Denny Hayes and she thinks he's a "full blown scumbag.  Real piece of shit."  He's assaulted their mother, and dealt drugs since he was young, but recently he's shown up in a sports car and nice clothes.

He's come round saying he's found the "thing" that will put him on the map. She thinks he's in some large scale dealing now, maybe heroin.  She just knows he's "stupid as a wall and all of a sudden he has a brand new Porsche and shit." He knows he is hanging out with Mattie, maybe even fucking her.  She's met her in passing but she was well out of it, she imagines her brother is keeping her well medicated.

Apparently he'd been itching for his own super girlfriend, she asks if that has happened to Jessica, she says "sadly yeah..."  Now Denny has a fancy condo, dating a superhero and peddling whatever he's peddling.  She wants Jessica to rescue Mattie who's likely all strung out and being exploited.  She doesn't have her brother's address though, he won't let her over.  But he hangs out at a club called "616", him and his partner are aways there. Malcolm pipes up asking he if he gets the job, Jessica says she'll think about it.

Rocking the skank look.

That night she queues to get into the club wearing her usual clothes, but the bouncer won't let her in. So she  goes back home, gets tarted up, puts on a skimpy top and skirt and goes back.  She is let in this time.  As she watches the masses dancing and thinks "fuck me.  We are doomed as a society" she also thinks how she hates places like this.

She starts looking for Denny and Mattie, asking various patrons about where she can find him.   He lives in the backroom, the women she asks about him say she can go in but should take it slowly, "let him discover you.. you know". One of the women takes a liking to Jessica and says she'll introduce her to him.  They go into the backroom and Denny is sitting on a couch listening to a report from  lackey and lying with her head in his lap is Mattie in her Spider-woman outfit looking well out of it.

Jessica thinks to herself how shocking Mattie looks and how she is too young to be in a club.  She is looking right at Jessica who thinks the jig is up and she'll have to grab Mattie and run.  But then she thinks she might get her hurt, and these people might come round to Jameson's place to find her.  "I don't know what to do" she thinks and also notes she looks even worse than when she appeared in her flat, possibly strung out on heroin.

Jessica: "I want to cry just from looking at her.  She looks right at me, but... is she so out of it she doesn't recgonise me?"

But her outfit and "incredibly whorish makeup" she put on seems to confuse her.  She thinks that kids shouldn't be superheroes and even on her worst days she didn't look as bad as Mattie now.

She introduces herself to Denny as "Madeline" and he ask if they have met before. She says no.  All the while she is thinking what scum Denny is.  It's what "that psychic bitch Madame Web was babbling about".  she described this scene and "fuck! This is it! Fuck! Fuck!"  She said they'd fight and either one would die, which she really doesn't want to happen.

Jessica: "This isn't what I want.  Thi isn't what I want in my life.... what the fuck am I doing here?  I didn't have to do this! What the fuck am I thinking?"

She thinks after all the things she's done she be remembered for the murder of a sixteen year old girl, then she thinks she might be in love with Matt Murdock as her thoughts spin out of control. Then Denny breaks the spell saying he knows who she is and what she is doing is entrapment.

She says that she's a temp at an investment  firm not a cop, but she decides she wants to leave and regroup.  He asks her to stay.  She asks what the are into and Denny says it's time to get "real high".  She sits down and Denny gently speaks to Mattie telling her it's her birthday while she feebly agrees with him.  He cuts her letting it drain onto a spoon, while the woman who brought Jessica in hands out pills and Jessica takes one.

Jessica takes a pounding.

Thinks start getting all messed up distorted for her while Denny cooks the drug up.  Angrily Jessica punches him calling them "fucking animals".  But to her surprise his eyes light up green and he wallops her back with the same strength she used on him.  She lies down and slips out of consciousness.

She wakes up to find she is being dragged out of the premises and she is hurled into a pile of rubbish.  She lies there for a while then is approached by a man introducing himself as Ben Urich a reporter from The Daily Bugle.  He admits he's been following her as Jameson thinks she has Mattie.

She tells him she almost had her, that Mattie Franklin was here in the club.   She tells Ben the people who have her have powers, "I've never been punched that hard... and I've been punched." He tells Ben about how strung out Matty was.  He asks iff they have harmed her, and Jessica says yes. He asks if the men had protruding foreheads and she says yes again.

Ben realises they were taking MGH or "Mutant Growth Hormone".  For the length of the high it gives a normal person superpowers.  The foreheads are a giveaway as they are "fucking up their genetic make-up with that shit.  Their cell structure is damaged."  Jessica says they are killing Mattie and they have to rescue her.  Ben says he thought she wasn't a superhero anymore, is anyone paying her to find her?

She goes to an E.R. and asks to see someone privately she is assigned a doctor who tends to her headwound and says she's fine.  She's had a blood taken and already people are gossiping about her being a superhero.  Then two cops arrive and question her.  She tells them a "bullshit lie" about being mugged and returns home.

She takes of her shoes as she thinks that she hopes Ben will find Mattie and get Jameson off her back.  She just wants the girl home safe, "then I want to be left alone".  She thinks that her body can't take that sort of abuse, then she is cut off by someone in the flat who uses electricity to subdue her.  She collapses on the floor and the person is revealed to be Jessica Drew - Spider-woman ver.1 - and she wants to know "where the fuck is Mattie Franklin?"

Jessica Drew.

She zaps Jessica again, saying Jessica is the last person to see Mattie, "one more time before I turn into a real bitch, where is she?? What did you do with her??"  Jessica manages to tell her she's looking for her too and to check her answering machine.  Jessica does so and realises Jessica did call her and is telling the truth.  Then Jessica Jones punches Jessica Drew sending her tumbling over the table and knocking her out.

Then Ben Urich calls her saying Jameson wants to talk to her., so she Ben and Jessica Drew go to Jameson's house.   After an awkward silence Mrs. Jameson says that they had been warned taking in an orphan would be trouble.  Jessica Jones says she's an orphan.  Mrs. Jameson ignores this and confirms she was the last person to see her.

Jessica: "I was the one who originally approached your husband about Mattie's disappearence.  But because of some misunderstandings we've had in the past he mistook my words... as some sort of threat."

Jessica Drew introduces herself as Mattie's friend, then Mrs. Jameson asks if it is true what Ben Urich has told them about what's happening to Mattie and Jessica Jones says yes it's true.  She says they were too strong for her to get Mattie away from them. 

Mrs. Jameson then tells them a bit about her, how her father was J. Jonah Jameson's best friend before he died.  Jameson adored Mattie and loves her like a daughter.  She says because Jonah has unresolved issues with his son Mattie was his chance to prove he was a better father and a better man.  What's happening now is "killing him".

Jessica Jones ask if he knew she was a superhero and Mrs. Jameson says he did not although Mattie has confided in her.  She didn't tell him because of Jonah's issues with masked vigilantes.  Knowing she dresses as Spider-man especially is a "hard pill for Jonah to deal with".  She's been missing for a couple of weeks, they haven't dared call the police because Jonah's enemies will use it as an excuse to mock and ridicule him, using her to get at him.  If they can get her back discretely, she tails off...

Mrs Jameson makes a plea.

We cut to both Jessicas in Jessica Jone's P.I. office.   They compare approaches to private detectoring then Jessica Drew apologises for attacking her and asks if she was in the Avengers.  "Guilty only by association" responds Jessica Jones.  Jessica Drew says she'll try not to hold it against her, she doesn't much care for the Avengers.

She asks Jessica Jones where she got her powers from and Jessica blows her off saying it was chewing radioactive bubble gum.  She asks Jessica Drew if she still plays the superhero and Jessica Drew says sometimes but her powers are wonky so she saves it for "special occasions".  She doesn't have a costume as it makes her ass look fat.

Jessica finds Denny Haye's address doing a net database search and the two of them go to his home.  Jessica Drew zaps the lock so they can sneak into the building then they smash down the door to his flat.   They check around but no one is home.  Then Jessica Drew makes a call to a "Special Agent Hunt".

She asks him where the last place Denny Hayes used a credit card is.   It turns out its a hotel and she thanks him and hangs up.  Denny is at the "Matador" hotel.  They both go to the building and pretend to the concierge that they are a "surprise" for Denny.    He lets them up and they listen at his door hearing an argument going on  Jessica zaps the lock and they barge in to find Mattie passed out on the bed and another hero called "Speedball" in there who is losing control of his kinetic bubble making powers.

Speedball in action.

He pleads with them to get the drugs but Jessica Jones is knocked out by his power.  She slips into a dream where she is being attacked by the Avengers then wakes up again.  Speedball is trying to keep his powers together and gets control of his balls.  Denny, all fired up on MGH attacks Jessica Jones, but Jessica Drew shocks him and Jessica Jones punches him then smashes a TV over his head.

Finally all the bad guys are down and the Jessicas quiz an embarressed Speedball.  He was trying to bust them, Jessica Drew angrily asks him "what the fuck is up with your shit powers?"  And he stammers that he's going through a rough spot and can't always control it.  And he's here with the cops.

Jessica Jones picks up Mattie and when the cops burst in Jessica Drew zaps them and they make their getaway with her.  Jessica Jones flies her out the window and they land in an abandoned building.  Mattie blearily asks her what's going on. She jumps out of the window and call a taxi with her.

Mattie Franklin, clean and healthy.

We then cut to six weeks later and Mattie visits Jessica in her office, she is cleaned up now and in normal clothes.  She says it's important to her to meet Jessica as herself, and she wants to thanks Jessica for saving her life.  She says she doesn't know how things got so out of control.  She went out with a "cool older guy" once and he slipped her something because she didn't know where she was, "it wasn't me, it was a movie".

She says it's hard to explain but Jessica says she knows exactly what she means.  Mattie presents her with a framed article by J. Jonah Jameson which says "Superhero Team Up Trio Save Mystery Teen From Drug Dealing Parasites".  Jessica thanks her for it.   Jessica asks why she came to her house that night that kicked this all off, but Mattie can't remember why she was there. 

Later she meets up with Scott asking him where he's been the last six weeks.   He says he freaked out after he screamed at her and stormed out that night, "I said life's to short for crazy".  But she came into his life with her crazy and... she interrupts saying it's the worst apology ever and that she called him seven times and he never responded.   She tells him to shove it, but he admits he thinks he's in love with her.

He says he has very strong feelings for her and that she's a better person than she thinks she is, smarter than she thinks she is, prettier than she thinks she is.   She says she's mad at him and now he does this!  He then asks her out on a date. "A fancy date?" she asks and he says yes.  She says it better be damn fancy, "you got a lot riding on it." And that brings this arc and the volume to a close.

Scott 'fess his love.

So what's interesting about this storyline is that it actually becomes more insightful once you read Jessica's "Secret Origin" revealed in the fourth and final trade.  Jessica's desperation to help Mattie is because she found herself in a similar situation some time ago, dropped via small hints.  The mind read by Madame Web lets us infer that it was something pretty dreadful as well, Bendis is teasingly revealing things a bit at a time like her being an orphan so all will finally be revealed in the last arc of this series.  Jessica as usual remains a singularly likeable person despite all her flaws.  Her relationship with Scott Lang shows him up to be something of a dickhead though and she'll realise this finally in the next trade.  Despite getting beaten up, mind read and zapped she gets right back up and plows on with her mission never letting extraneous bullshit put her off.  The mystery is well laid out with one clue following another and another until Mattie is located.  The brief team up with Jessica Drew is pretty awesome, both look seriously badass and it's notable just how damn silly Speedball looks with his bright colours and spandex outfit when dropped into the "realism" of  Marvel MAX series.  The crossovers with Bendis's run on Daredevil are also fun, MGH was something that appeared in an early storyline of that series, which just reiterates that unlike Punisher MAX, Alias does take place in the main Marvel Universe. Michael Gaydos's art is superb as usual, repeating panels fitting the rhythm of Bendis's naturalistic dialogue.  Only one more volume to go, keep an eye out next month for it.

Mouse Guard: The Black Axe (#1-6)

"A lone mouse, even with the mythic Black Axe was poor odds against a single fox in its own lair" - Celanawe.

Time to return to artist and writer David Peterson's tale of the titular Guard, a fantasy story in which mice have formed a protective organisation made up of fierce little furry dudes who, armed with swords and suchlike protect the common mice from all the dangers life can throw at them. The first two tales were set in Autumn and Winter of 1152, and the correct guard were aided by a grizzled old veteran called Celanawe, who also was known as "The Black Axe" after the mythological weapon he wielded it.  He came out of retirement to help them and died after mentoring a replacement for him in the form of the "redfur" Lieam.  This story is a prequel to that already covered, set in 1115 it tells the story of how Celanawe came to discover The Black Axe and wrote his story into legend.  As well as the main miniseries, this collection includes the Free Comicbook Day prologue, epilogue and maps, guides and cutaways, all of which help with the world building of the series.  So without further ado, we shall begin.

It starts with said prologue set in Spring 1153.  The Matriarch of Lockhaven is writing her diary over images of the mice gathering food and so on.  She reflects on the fact that young Lieam has gone missing, he left armed with the Black Axe after Celanawe was killed in the Winter 1152 story.  She knows Kenzie and Saxon are worried about him but cannot spend the resources to look. Celanawe's death has shaken her, "I did not know the myth was truly protecting us, and when we found out that he was, we lost him forever".   She ruminates that she hopes one day soon the Guard and the common mice can soon once again "have a new hero in which to believe."

Celanawe.

We then join the young Celenawe in Spring 1115, we see him doing his chores, while ruminating "it was the day my life would change forever."  He tells us that he had lived alone for forty seasons, working as a Guard Mouse who trained new Guard Mice whose first lesson was locating him.  That day he was returning to Lockhaven, and a younger mouse was going to take over his post.

He readied himself for the three day journey when a female mouse arrived flying in on the back of a crow, while he watched her hidden in the long grass.  He did not fear her or the bird, but he detected larger beasts nearby and we see a pack of armed ferrets.  He calls her into the safety of the grass while she asks if he is indeed Celanawe.  She tells him they are kin, but he cuts her off saying they need to move "for we are hunted."

The crow starts cawing and the ferrets appear and attack, ripping it apart while the female mouse sheds a tear but it gets her to understand the danger they are in and they make their way deeper into the wood.  The ferrets have their scent and pursue them, but the two mice hide in a tree and the ferrets move on and catch and kill a squirrel, wanting to make use of the bones for "adornment".

However the ferrets are still a threat and Celanawe realises their only chance is escape via the water.   He starts to ready a boat when one of the weasels spots him.  But the female mouse makes a duck sound and brings a duck to then. Just in time they leap aboard it leaving the ferrets floundering in their wake.  Celanawe asks if she can take them to a settlement where he can alert the Guard.

She tells him her name is "Em" and she has a letter from the Guard's matriarch saying he must do whatever Em wants.

Letter from Bronwyn: "Celanawe. Em, has greater need of you than the Guard can offer. Treat her words like that of a Matriarch, her commands as mine.  With all my love, Bronwyn".

Celanawe agrees, she says they are related and both have a "bloodline oath to fulfill".  It's across the sea, the duck can't take them that far, so Celanawe says they will go to "Fort Sumac" which has ship builders.  He asks the quest and she says simply, "The Black Axe".

The only way to travel.

They steer the duck to the bustling port of Fort Sumac.  He and Em go looking for a ship and a boat mouse, "willing to sail of of the edge of any map."  Em keeps to herself what she knows about the Black Axe and how she got the Matriarch's blessing.  She tells Celanawe not to mention the axe when bartering.  He grumbles but she says she's sure he will manage.

They go to a seedy bar where everything has its price, although Celanawe has very little cash to work with.   A fight is on the verge of breaking out, and Celanawe is told the Guard has no rule there when he tries to intervene.  Celeanawe fixes on a grizzled old mouse called Roarke  he can play one mouse off against another - "To gain Conrad's service without payment, I needed to make Roarke believe my goals were in his best interest."

Celanawe tells Conrad he can take him and Em across the Northern Sea and if he does he will be braver than the deeds of any Captain's Captain.  Roarke laughs and says if Conrad makes it there and back with "things my eye has never seen, he won't just be on the Council of Captains.  I'll make him Captain of it". So Conrad agrees and he cuts his paw to form a blood agreement with Roarke.

Conrad seals the deal.

Celeanawe squashes the slight guilt he feels for manipulating Conrad knowing he'd be in no more danger than he himself will be facing.  Next morning he and Em board the ship, Em doesn't talk much just sits "silently scrawling in her book". Conrad tells Celanawe his father was Captain's Captain and he suspects Roarke murdered him while Conrad was drunk. 

Celanawe: "I questioned my own judgement that day.  I was blindly following Em off the edge of the world for a mythological axe that no mouse had seen in twenty seasons.  Was I no better than Conrad?  Manipulated into this quest?"

He makes sure a note is sent to Matriarch Bronwyn letting her know what's going on.  And then they set sail.   The first few days are uneventful, once they hit the North Sea he loses track of where they are, though Conrad says he has little time for maps.

They are hit by full on summer sun then at night it pours, on the sevententh day they lose sight of the birds. Celanawe tightens the rations and tries to pry more information out of Em but that proves fruitless.  Until the night of the thirty-second day while Conrad sleeps, Em recounts the history of The Black Axe.

An difficult journey.

There was a farrier who forged The Black Axe due to his sorrows.  He took it to Lockhaver so one mouse could avenge the death of the Farrier's family.  Em says it is no legend, it happened.   After he took vengeance he began a new family and his bloodline continued on in secret.  She and Celanawe are his last living descendents of his line.

According to her research the axe had been forged in 915. Then handed down over two-hundred years until 1086 when it went missing.   She used every tool at her disposal to look for it and her beasts revealed an older brother called Benn who was the last mouse to lay a paw on the weapon.   And he was last seen on the shore across "Storvind Sea".  Which is now known as the "North Sea". She believed he had perished, just leaving her and Celenawe.

Conrad then wakes up and slurs "what are you two whispering about over that book?"  Celanawe says he is just looking at her drawings of the constellations.  After that night, Conrad didn't get drunk and stayed awake most of the time, they have a few close calls with attacks by octopi and squid.  After fifty-six days their larder was empty, but they collect rainwater and catch fish to eat, even getting a free tow by a large one.

Celanawe is uncomfortable eating fish as he had never consume flesh before, "it would take near starvation before I would do it again".  Then they are caught in a dreadful storm and the boat is broken apart.  He scrambles to find some wood to hold onto but is sucked under and his vision goes black as he begins to choke on the salty water.

Celanawe washes up on shore.

He comes to on a beach and feels like he's broken some bones.  He calls for the others and finds Em lying unconcious and he brings her round.  She stills has her book which Celanawe notes is in "impossibly good shape."  It's made of waterproof birch.  They search for Conrad but can't find him and Celanawe silently mourns him.   Then in a stroke of luck they come across a skeleton, and Em recognises the clothes as belonging to Benn, she wove that tunic on her loom and gave it to him a long time ago.  She grieves for him and calls some crows down to them.

The crows tell her that twenty seasons ago a mouse came to the shores with an axe and "marched to the Hall on the Hill".  So Celanawe and Em trudge uphill to a large dwelling, made for something bigger than a mouse.  They push the door open together and inside they find a ferret sitting on a throne, wearing a crown.  He taunts them and asks if Celanawe is here to slay him?

Celanawe says he is just here to reclaim what is his.  The Ferret King says there are no more mice on the land and sneers that Em looks too old to repopulate the place. Celanawe tells him to watch his tongue, Em is kin to him.  The King says if he gives the word they'll be slain.  Celanawe retorts that he'll feel his blade if he does so.  The King says his name is "Luthebon" and he takes only what he needs and two mice are no sport to him.

Luthebon, Ferret King.

He gives them his word they'll be safe for now, as long as they don't give him cause attack them. Celanawe says that's fair, "I take you at your word."  Luthebon sits back and asks why they have come,  Em speaks up saying the crows told her a mouse came to the gates five years ago.   Luthebon remembers hearing about it, but they didn't find him until he came to the hall.

He wanted to murder them all but they laughed at him because he was only one mouse and no threat to them.   The king cleaved him in two and swallowed both parts whole.  Confused Em asks if the mouse had a title and Luthebon says he was called "Merek" and the weapon he raised against him was The Black Axe.

Celanawe politely asks for the return of the axe as it is mouse property.  Luthbon says no.  He has it hanging from his belt as a reminder to all of what will come to those who threaten him.   Celanawe offers his service in return, but Luthebon says there is nothing he can do for him his own kind cannot.

Then a wounded ferret is brought in, and lain at the King's feet.  He is Luthebon's son and he is dead and Luthebon mourns the loss.  He was killed by "the Red Beast".  Celanawe offers to kill the fox for them in return for the axe.  Luthebon tells him he "cannot wander into the lair of that wretch and just will him dead because you boast it."  

Luthebon cradles his dead son.

 As Luthebon's son is burned on a pyre, Luthebon finally agrees he has nothing to lose allowing Celanawe to take on the fox.  Em says he'll need The Black Axe to do it, and she agrees to stay as a hostage so Celanawe won't scarper with the axe.   She trusts Celanawe will defeat the beast in the briar, "your weapon will be that axe.  Mine will be faith".

Luthebon says it's a deal and hands over the axe.  But Celanawe has to do it in two sundowns, or Em will be a tasty morsel for him and they'll hunt Celanawe down as well. So he marches off into the dark, feeling the weight of the axe in his paws.  He walks into the briar patch with trepidation.

Celanawe: "After that storm I had thought I'd awoken on the shores of a glorious afterlife... and now I walked into the thorny bowels of the horror it must be like to die, only to find there is no afterlife at all."

He careful makes his way through thorns reflecting that his oath to the Guard's Matriarch leaves him no option but to slay the fox.  He's hungry, tired and finally lost.

He tries to put himself in the place of the hunter, not the hunted.  He remembers seeing a mink bury itself to snag a bird for its meal, so he digs a hole and waits.  Come the morning it's misty and his vision is almost zero.  He climbs a branch and suddenly the fox walks past him and he freezes. The fox slips away as fear grips Celanawe and he loses sight of it.

A misty reunion.

He returns to the ground and experiments with swinging the axe.  He feels a few well landed blows from it could take out the fox. He starts to follow the fox and bumps into Conrad who made it to shore alive.   Celanawe quickly fills him in on what he's doing.  Conrad recognises The Black Axe and Celanawe says he is now The Black Axe which grants him long life, and hasn't Conrad heard of his deeds which "extend beyond the natural life of any mouse?"
 
Conrad says teaming up with Celanawe and taking down the fox will surely make him the Captain's Captain.   Celanawe is encourage by his optimism.  Not long after, the fox finds them and battle commences.  The fox bites down at them and they dodge, Celanawe slices it's nose. Conrad leaps on it's face and digs his harpoon in its lips.  As Conrad hangs on Celanawe jumps down onto the fox's head, but it jerks back and he slashes Conrad instead taking off a foot.

They hide and Celanawe apologises profusely, putting a tourniquet onto the wound.  The angered fox comes gnashing down on them but in its rage it tangles itself up in the briars and Celanawe is able to climb onto it's head and bury the axe in it and thus it dies.  Celanawe collects evidence of its death, but then two fox cubs appear.  Conrad says they will be easier to bring down but Celanawe tells him, "I have no lust for their blood."  They won't pose a threat for many seasons yet.

The fox is dealt with.

He feels a little sad when he leaves them, "these kits had done nothing and hadn't asked to be born."  They were old enough to stay alive as long as Luthebon's people didn't hunt them.   He tells them to grow tall before you leave this place and they show they understood.  He and Conrad return to Luthebon.  He presents him with one of the fox's eyes as proof, Luthebon is subdued and it turns out Em had passed away that night causing the King's troubled look.

Celanawe is furious, but the King says he did not hurt her, "I did not kill her, brave mouse" he tells him. A subject of his, the healer, was greedy for a live mouse to study and picked her up accidentally mortally wounding her.  Luthebon killed him for it saying "my word and my honour are worth more to me than the life of one of my own".

He goes on to say they tried to save her but to no avail and she passed quickly.  Celanawe thinks how the Axe's history continued its tradition of being "steeped in the loss of loved ones as surely as it had with its forger".  They bury her at sea, Luthebon and several subjects attend the funeral scattering petals as she floats away and as Celanawe recites a eulogy.

Em's funeral.

Celanawe and Conrad camp out away from the ferrets for a few days as Celanawe reads Em's book on the Axe.  On the sixth day after her death his eyes alight on one passage, he should return to Shorestone and speak to the "Haven Guild, Keepers of the Ideal."  He tells Conrad that although Luthebon has said they can stay and make lives there they should return to mouse territories.

Conrad agrees, he wants to be Captain's Captain, and Celanawe is still a Guard with Bronwyn as his secret love. So with they help of the ferrets, they build a small sturdy boat. Luthebon gives them some sea and star charts and they set sail, following bird migrations to land on small islands to stock up on food.  He and Conrad bond over stories of their fathers.  Conrad's taught him all about the sea and sail. Celanawe says his father cared for him but his sister was his favourite.  When she died young his father never showed warmth again.

Conrad has taken the loss of his leg in his stride (sorry). He becomes obssessed with what will happen when he gets back to Fort Sumac.  Conrad also quizzes Celanawe about the Guard, its operations and symbolism.  He also asks about The Black Axe, Celanawe dodges the questions and peppers his responses with "answers that came from vague legend".  They make their way slowly via the islands and even craft songs about the trip.  Finally they make it back to the lands of mice.

The parting of the ways.

Celanawe gets out just east of Bawnrock while Conrad sails on to his native town. Celanawe wishes him a better life, and also asks him to keep The Black Axe a secret.  Conrad agrees, they shake hands and part ways.   Celanawe gets to Lockhave in two uneventful days.  He sneaks in via the tunnels, he only wants to see Bronwyn.  They kept their love a secret and he climbs the stairs up into her rooms.

He looks for her and to his horror finds a "Decree of Death", while he was away she had died two days before he reached land.  He searches his office to see all trace of him had been removed from the records.  He reads the letter she had Em give him again and realises she never thought he'd come back.

Celanawe: "Alone in that memorial of Matriarchs past, I clung to the axe.  It was all I had left.  Ny kin, my love even my status as a Guard were all the cost of the weapon.  I held it as I would have held Bronwyn, and I wept."

Three days later he arrives at the gates of Shorestone, a place known for its craftsmice, especially stonemasons. He asks where he can find the Haven Guild.  But no one seems to know what that is.  A craftmouse takes him to their archivist to see if he can help.  The archivist tells Celanawe he is speaking aloud of what they keep secret. He takes Celanawe into a secret room so they can speak more openly.

The Black Axe secret keepers.

He says Em must have found him and that he must have recovered The Black Axe.  Celanawe shows it to him, and informs him Em and Benn are both deceased.   The archivist declares him the "last living farrier."  He says the guild had dealings with his family when he was young.  His sister was next in line to wield the axe, but her death prevented that.

He asks if he has the next wielder chosen and Celanawe says it will be of his bloodline, "my burden".  The archivist says that bloodline isn't for the wielder but for the person they choose to wield it.  The axe is passed on to worthy mice by the Farrier's bloodline then returned to them on the death of the wielder to be passed on anew.  Benn passed it onto Merek and over the years eight mice have been granted use of the axe by Celanawe's bloodline.

Celanawe says he didn't know that, thinking for what it cost him he had no plan for the axe to leave his paw for anothers.  The archivist tells him that whoever takes on the axe must "shed their name, duties, life."  They become an immortal legend, leading a solitary life not placing the need of one mouse or town above any other.  Celanawe says it might take some time to find a worthy mouse.  The archivist says he should come and tell them when he decides they'll need to document them.

He departs Shorestone, he walks and thinks about who might be worthy amongst the mice he's trained. Then he thinks Conrad would be the ideal mouse, "he was brave, up to the challenge and his missing leg didn't even seem an impediment. A mouse in need of some subtle forging... I owed a visit to my friend in Port Sumac". 

He arrives there, stowing the axe so no one will know and returns to the shady bar where he finds Conrad drunk off his face.  Conrad moans that no one believes his story of what they did, even if Luthebon himself was there Roarke wouldn't honour his agreement.   Celanawe tells him he's better than this, that he should sober up and make something of his life.

Conrad yells at him saying he cost him his leg and his father's ship, "my life's worse for knowing you".  Even Em died because of the Axe.  He then attacks Celanawe tearfully, Celanawe backs away and hides under the cliff faking a fall off it, deciding he'll hang onto the Axe for now and that Conrad will think him dead.

Conrad attacks and Celanawe fakes a long fall.

We then jump forward in time to 1153, south of Lockhaven.  Lieam has been reading this story to Kenzie and Saxon.  He says he's been doing the job Celanawe entrusted to him and he hands over his Guard cloak to be returned to Gwendolyn the Matriarch.  They are to tell her that is all they found of him.  And the story wraps up with a quote from the last recorded words of The Black Axe: "Death is as powerful a weapon as it is an easy escape,  Heroes can pass into legend, legends fuel new myths, myths fuel new heroes."
There is a two page epilogue, which flashes back to Benn begging Merek not to confront the ferrets, but was then murdered by Merek who saw him as an obstacle for getting revenge for the death of his kin.   A crow is telling Lieam this now.

Crow: "The Axe of Black grants you the method to shape the world.  But not the knowledge or right to do so at your whim".

Lieam reflects that even if history is nothing more than a dream, "I do not believe its moral to be any less true."

Dream crow has all the answers.

And that brings this story to a close.  There are maps, guides and assorted extras bundled into this gorgeous hardback book which really help fill out the mouse society David Peterson has created.  It goes without saying this book looks gorgeous, a real visual feast.  The various animals drawn just the right side of cute that we can also note they are predators that like to feast on little mice.  I really liked the characterisation of ferret King Luthebon.  It would have been easy to make him a moustache twirling villain but he comes off as honourable and generous.  Especially when he helps mourn the loss of Em during her funeral and grants Conrad and Celanawe a safe place to live if they chose to stay.  Conrad is also a cool character and I liked how he and Celanawe became bros, which made it all the sadder when he ended up blaming Celanawe for his woes and tried to kill him.  Celanawe's backstory filled out here is very engaging.  He's brave and clever and it's pretty badass how he kills a fox armed with just the titular axe.  Its history was very interesting, felt properly mythological and the burden of carrying it heavy indeed.  Of course the truly sad thing is with Celanawe's death in Winter 1152 and no offspring mentioned it seems the guiding hand of the Farrier's bloodline is lost.  But Lieam is a fine choice to shoulder the responsibility of wielding it.  All in all this is great stuff.  The agonising wait for Spring 1153 goes on!