Zero

[Trilipush]

Also, the last panel of Zero #14 was... wow. Just wow.

[Frogtown]

One of my favorite titles being released right now. Can't wait for The Surface.

[Geralt of Rivia]

Id like to share my thoughts/questions on the huge neon sign spelling WTF that was issue #15. And Id love it if anyone can come up with a better explanation.

spoilers:

Is the whole story of Edward Zero a meta fiction from a in-book writer "living" in Tangiers in the 1960s? Is the whole point of this book a swipe at Ian Fleming?

end of spoilers

[Trilipush]

Id like to share my thoughts/questions on the huge neon sign spelling WTF that was issue #15. And Id love it if anyone can come up with a better explanation.

spoilers:

Is the whole story of Edward Zero a meta fiction from a in-book writer "living" in Tangiers in the 1960s? Is the whole point of this book a swipe at Ian Fleming?

end of spoilers

I'm not sure I can explain it cohesively given the density of the issue but here's how I interpret it (had a discussion with a friend about this issue so he takes some of the credit for this):

spoilers:

The bare bones of the issue is that Ginsberg Nova is alive and has been absorbed by the multiverse (remember that time when he entered the portal using the particle accelerator from CERN? "Ginsberg Nova is walking into the light like an angel of spent ammunition.") and was able to come back via the spore outbreak that resulted from the agency's experiments. The boy on the cliff with a gun pointed at the older Edward Zero's head is revealed to be Edward's son and is in some form absorbed by the multiverse (or maybe that was Ginsberg Nova too?). It's possible that the scene at the cliff took place in another parallel universe. The idea that we can traverse multiple universes while in a dream or drugged state informs most of what happened in the entire issue. That traversing led to the interlinked narratives of Edward Zero, William Burroughs (and his wife Joan Vollmer), and Ales Kot himself. The issue (and the entire series for that matter) is a way for Ales Kot to explore the war meme and the inevitability of violence in our evolution, hence the issue mentioning the phrases "ugly spirit" and "the ugly black thing." I think that Edward Zero is a representation of that "ugly spirit" but who in the end is bound to overcome the programming and the spirit of violence ("then bang bang bang it starts rolling out of him a long black hairy tongue of parasite coughing it out on the pages so he plays with it calls it ZERO"). I'm not sure how Edward Zero will do it or if he will do it but we'll find out soon enough.

end of spoilers[/QUOTE]


This series is amazing.

[Geralt of Rivia]

I'm not sure I can explain it cohesively given the density of the issue but here's how I interpret it (had a discussion with a friend about this issue so he takes some of the credit for this):

spoilers:

The bare bones of the issue is that Ginsberg Nova is alive and has been absorbed by the multiverse (remember that time when he entered the portal using the particle accelerator from CERN? "Ginsberg Nova is walking into the light like an angel of spent ammunition.") and was able to come back via the spore outbreak that resulted from the agency's experiments. The boy on the cliff with a gun pointed at the older Edward Zero's head is revealed to be Edward's son and is in some form absorbed by the multiverse (or maybe that was Ginsberg Nova too?). It's possible that the scene at the cliff took place in another parallel universe. The idea that we can traverse multiple universes while in a dream or drugged state informs most of what happened in the entire issue. That traversing led to the interlinked narratives of Edward Zero, William Burroughs (and his wife Joan Vollmer), and Ales Kot himself. The issue (and the entire series for that matter) is a way for Ales Kot to explore the war meme and the inevitability of violence in our evolution, hence the issue mentioning the phrases "ugly spirit" and "the ugly black thing." I think that Edward Zero is a representation of that "ugly spirit" but who in the end is bound to overcome the programming and the spirit of violence ("then bang bang bang it starts rolling out of him a long black hairy tongue of parasite coughing it out on the pages so he plays with it calls it ZERO"). I'm not sure how Edward Zero will do it or if he will do it but we'll find out soon enough.

end of spoilers

This series is amazing.[/QUOTE]

Well damn, pretty much of that went completely over my head.

[HellsRider]

Wow I think that explanation just blew my mind. I hadn't even considered that he would still be in play. If that's case what about Mina? She went through the portal too, but only one of her arms was with Zero. I'm hoping she can still play a role if he still is.

[Geralt of Rivia]

Yeah after taking some time to mull it over I was wondering about Mina as well, it would be truly great if she were to get a similar return.

[Trilipush]

I wondered about that as well.

Check out this Tumblr page and play Explosions in the Sky's Your Hand in Mine while you're at it: http://reverenddust.tumblr.com/post/...ine-i-remember

[Trilipush]

This also explains a lot:

http://tinyletter.com/AlesKot/letters/housekeeping

[Sparko]

I was one of the guys who ended up dropping Zero after the second trade, selling my books on eBay, not really losing any money in the process. I really did like the first collection of issues, but the second lost me and I wanted to read and continue reading things that I didn't have to scratch my head too much for. Then comes eBay again. I just bought the three available trades for less than $4 each. Hell of a deal if you ask me, I'll reread, and maybe even pick up the 4th and last one before I decide to keep or sell again. I imagine I'll make a few bucks if I do sell.
Is the series now over? I do know the 4th trade is the last. How do you guys feel about where the story has gone?

[HellsRider]

Series is still going with 2 issues left.

The story has definitely taken a turn for the weird and out there in this last arc as evidenced by the discussion we had above on issue 15 which dropped a huge bomb on the series. I've been rereading the series as its coming close to an end and I can see particular elements, especially with issue 6, that sort of foreshadowed this turn. Still despite an increased complexity compared to the previous arc, I don't feel lost or find the series inaccessible compared to The Surface which really wasn't for me. I think rereading the series will definitely help taking in all the elements once its over to pick up on things.

[Sparko]

At times confusing, but by the end I found so much meaning, and this series really left me emotional on a spiritual vibe. Action, science fiction, philosophy, spirituality, all merged to form an unexpected magical experience. Initially, I bought the first and second books and sold them because I just didn't have the patience to see what the hell was going on. The story was seemingly going nowhere. All the horses disappear and god knows where the hell they went. I was happy to have sold them just to clear a little space in my shelf and in my bank account. After reading commentaries here, I regained interest again, even with others dropping the book for various reasons, including my own. I bought the first three trades on eBay dirt cheap, and after reading book four, just released, I was floored. This is a psychological thriller infused with universalist mentalities ready to reach inside you to find the previously mentioned horses. I can't recommend it enough, but with the caveat of "wait for it..."
I will be trying to read as much Ales Kot as I can get going forward. And I will be just a little more patient with the horses in the future.