Devi #6: In Which the Main Character Finally Shows Up!

Characters: Main Heroes: Devi/Tara Mehta, Rahul Singh

Ambiguous Others: The Durapasya, Cabinet of Shadows, Agantuk, Amara Gaelle
P'Shat

The followers of the Devi have failed to kill her new host Tara, and now the Devi spirit has for the first time entered a live host. Devi lies dormant, and Tara is in a coma, being protected by Rahul Singh. The Cabinet of Shadows is aware of what has transpired, but is primarily concerned with finding "The Source," an unexplained vessel containing "Millennia of human prayers" that is apparently very powerful. The evil god Bala has hired Amara Gaelle to find it, and it seems that one of Devi's tasks will be to find it and give it to the "good" gods. Amara Gaelle, however, is working as a double agent for the Cabinet of Shadows. She is attempting to throw Bala off the trail and deliver the Source of the Cabinet instead. The Cabinet of Shadows does not want to power of the Source given to any of the gods -- good or evil -- feeling that its power would oppress humanity no matter which deity obtained it.

Meanwhile, Tara has regained consciousness after a month unconscious in the morgue. As she and Rahul discuss her situation, they disappear, drawn to where she is prayed to by a mother whose children are being taken away by a gang. Disoriented at first, when the fighting starts the Devi asserts herself, using her powers to disperse the gang. When a gang member threatens to kill a child if she doesn't let him go, Devi risks the child's life to attack the gang member anyway, saying that "Individual mortal lives have always been acceptable sacrifices."

At the end, it is reported that Iyam -- boyfriend of Tara and follower of Bala -- has escaped.

Drash

After several issues of ambiguity, the facts are coming together, and what's interesting about the coalescing facts is that they make the morality of the actors all the more ambiguous.

Tara we know is "good", if innocent, and so is Rahul -- the hard drinking cop with a heart of gold that we know from our grizzled crime fiction. Beyond that, though, it gets murky. I had previously compared Devi to an Indian "Wonder Woman", but now that comparison is getting strained. The Cabinet makes a compelling case against submission to the gods -- any gods -- as humanity needs to be the master of its own destiny. Devi is a god-like agent of the "good gods", but appears to have a morality that permits the ends to justify the means. This lends credence to the Cabinet's warnings about the Source: "In [Bala's] hands, it could spell doom for us all. Even if the gods' hands, stregth of such magnitude would do more harm than good."

Is the Cabinet guilty of hubris -- placing themselves about the gods? If Devi a force for "good", fighting the evil "Bala", or is she just another example of absolute power corrupting? Definitely the first inklings of complex characterizations going on here. Too bad that it has taken 6 issues to get this far.

This issue gets an A+, bringing the entire series so far up to a B+.

The Virgin Line: Devi 1-4, Snakewoman 1-3, Sadhu 1-3

I have been really enjoying the Virgin Comics that have been published over the last few months, but:

P'Shat

Devi 1-4: Tara is an Indian commoner who is now relatively wealthy due to her rich boyfriend. She does not know that she is really the "Devi", and embodiment of the powers of all of the gods. Forces of evil are trying to destroy her before she discovers her true nature. Forces of good are trying to protect her until that time, and trying to show her her true nature.

Snakewoman 1-3: Jessica is an average American living in Los Angeles and waiting tables. She does not know that she is really the "Snake Woman", and embodiment of the powers of the reptile. Forces of evil are trying to destroy her before she discovers her true nature. Forces of good are trying to protect her until that time, and trying to show her her true nature.

Sadhu 1-3: James is a young working class Englishman who takes a job serving in the English army in India. He does not know that he is really the "Sadhu", an expert in eight mystic arts that control nature. The rest of the British army is trying to kill him before he discovers his true nature. Forces of good are trying to protect him until that time, and trying to show him his true nature.

Drash

Anyone noticing a pattern here?

There is value, of course, in variations on a theme, and at this early point one can assume that they will all eventually learn their true nature and go on to fight evil in their own ways. But, at this point, I'm kind of reading the same story three times.

But then, there is their methods of discovery:

Tara -- She seems to have been taking a nap for the pass two months, while the spirits of other incarnations of the Devi try to teach her the true path. Through four issues (although, to be fair, this incarnation doesn't appear in #1), she hasn't done anything more acting than nap. Lots of men are trying to save her for their own purposes. A man and Lord Bala are trying to kill her, and there are two "ambiguous" women, who are either trying to save or kill her.

Jessica -- Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry. Jessica doesn't have to "discover" her powers. They are right there on page 1 of issue 1. She doesn't know what they are, however, and through 3 issues hasn't made any real progess in controlling them. Men are trying to kill her, and one man, so far, has saved her.

James -- The British captain captures him, and kills his (pregnant) wife and child in front of his eyes. After being "Dibneyed", a friend helps James escape into the wild, where natives rescue him and tell him he is the "Sadhu". No, I'm not, James protests. Yeah, you are, the natives say. This goes back and forth for a while, and then James realizes, "Hey, yeah! I am the Sadhu!" and has immediate full control over his powers by the end of #3. What have been three issues of turmoil for the girls was condensed into about three pages for the guy.

Now, none of this would have been so obvious had the book not had the EXACT SAME PLOTS so far. I am going to continue to buy them (and Ramayan, which only has 1 issue out so far), because of the great art, the interesting stories (or, story) and the potential. It's an interesting case study, though, because of the similarities.