Clearly, I haven't been paying close attention to DC's solicitations in Previews because I had no idea this issue would feature characters from one of Alan Moore's other America's Best titles, Tom Strong. It seemed to me that the more innocent tone of that book, which pays tribute to various adventure-oriented comic-bok genres, wouldn't fit with the more involved and mature tone of Promethea. And they don't, but that's the point. What's really fascinating about this script, though, is Moore's focus on real-world woes.
It's been three years since Sophie left New York City. Three years since Promethea graced the face of the Earth. And in those three years, federal agents have been pursuing her, suspecting that the so-called "science heroine" is actually a harbinger of Armageddon. The government has come to believed that Sophie Bangs is hiding out in Millennium City these days, so they turn to the city's resident hero -- Tom Strong -- for help. Meanwhile, supernatural forces attempt to direct Sophie's attention to signs that things are wrong with the world.
Williams and Gray do an amazing job of capturing Sprouse's clean style and approach for the Strong family of characters. They clearly don't fit in Sophie's dark corner of Millennium City. The Strong characters represent easy answers, black versus white, and their more iconic, less detailed appearance brings visual cues for those different tones. I also find it interesting that here, Millennium City, a fictional super-hero city, is depicted as a dirty, dangerous and hopeless place, while in previous issues, New York was shown to be a magical place. The creators have flipflopped the two settings' qualities. The monochromatic tones that Cox brings to the book also reinforce the more downtrodden, apathetic elements of the story.
Hooboy, diehard Republicans are going to hate this issue. Moore posits that George W. Bush's actions while in power are signs of an apocalypse, at least in Promethea's reality. As a world citizen who's worried about the moves Bush has made and could make next -- he's pointing his well-armed finger at Iran now, while the world wonders about the whereabouts of Saddam's weapons of mass destruction -- I can't help but nod my head in agreement as the writer makes his points in the periphery of Sophie's new life. What's truly disturbing is that Moore doesn't have to exaggerate real-world scenarios in order to establish his premise.
The point of Moore's story is clear. Sophie is hiding from her past, from herself and from Promethea and the knowledge she brings with her. Sophie is America. She's Britain. She's the Coalition of Willing. She's blind faith in politicians and a blind eye to injustices. And it's only by the forceful invasion of a higher standard -- represented by Tom Strong -- that her blindness, fear and lethargy will be lifted.
