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icon_uk (icon_uk) wrote in scans_daily,
@ 2009-06-09 13:01:00

Entry tags:

char: death of the endless, creator: colleen doran, creator: neil gaiman, publisher: vertigo comics, series: one perfect moment week, title: sandman

One Perfect Endless Moment - #2 Death
From Sandman #20, "Facade" from the Dream Country arc.

A little context - Urania "Rainie" Blackwell, was known as the Element Woman (a female Metamorpho from the 1960's with powers from the same source) but now, many years later, her life has not going as planned. She was an adventurer but she doesn't want to be a superhero, she hates being a freak and a hideous freak at that (in her opinion), she hates being non-human as she can never have a normal relationship. As a retired secret agent, she spends her long lonely days in her apartment, with only a telephone for company (alas she has no real friends) and can only go out if she can disguise herself a human with a lifelike mask, those these rarely last.

Essentially, she's a depressed mess, and though she would happily commit suicide, she has the problem that her powers make her functionally immortal, NOTHING can kill her that she can think of.

She's calling out for death to PLEASE come and take her, when who should show up but a sweet young Goth chick.

Rainie recognises her for who she REALLY is "Blessed, merciful Death, come for me at last"... The young lady has to set her straight..

I LOVE the Death Gaiman created. As I've said before, when my time comes, if Death doesn't look like her, or a Grim Reaper who SPEAKS LIKE THIS, I will be BLOODY annoyed!

It was so hard to pick a single moment, but this, for the last panel alone, remains my favourite.

(Post a new comment)

	ex_stig213 2009-06-09 08:55 am UTC (link)
	Terry Pratchett uses that last sentence in "Mort", as well. Given that the two authors are good friends, it's probably a nice reference - but I have no idea who thought of it first. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	icon_uk 2009-06-09 09:00 am UTC (link)
	"Mort" predates this Sandman issue by three years, so I'd say Pratchett, if asked to choose. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ex_stig213 2009-06-09 09:14 am UTC (link)
	My question is answered. THANK YOU, MAGIC HAND! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	icon_uk 2009-06-09 09:20 am UTC (link)
	Not the first time I've been called that, but probably the first time I've been called that for this reason. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ex_stig213 2009-06-09 09:26 am UTC (link)
	I just mention the phrase every so often because it's so great. It's out of that one Booster Gold story, remember? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	icon_uk 2009-06-09 01:22 pm UTC (link)
	Of COURSE it is... You just keep telling yourself that sweetie. ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	(Anonymous) 2009-06-09 08:57 am UTC (link)
	Maybe it's kinkier and sicker--but it makes me, personally, divinely happy to hope that Death, or at least Death's Angel, will look like this when I go: http://img123.imageshack.us/i/lucylawlessbikiniuhq01ydm3.jpg/ (Reply to this) (Thread)

	seawolf10 2009-06-09 02:22 pm UTC (link)
	Well, take up Norse religion, and you might get something close to that as Death's Angel. Albeit probably with blonde hair... (Reply to this) (Parent)

	hybrid2 2009-06-09 09:05 am UTC (link)
	Love this. what hapenned to Element Woman? (Reply to this) (Thread)

icon_uk
2009-06-09 09:13 am UTC (link)

It's rather heartbreakingly sweet.

Death explained that she didn't come for her, but even the Metamorphae (beings like Rainnie), do die eventually, usually after several millenia, but since the power was given to her by the Egypian god Ra, she could try asking Ra to take back.

So she asked the rising sun if he would, and to Urania's happy surprise he did, she turned into a (beamingly happy) statue as her spirit left her and her physical form shattered moments later.

She's never returned (luckily for her)

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ex_stig213 2009-06-09 09:28 am UTC (link)
	It's sort of one of those deaths that's so beautiful and well-written that no other writer would dare to bring her back for fear of detracting from it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	perletwo 2009-06-09 11:15 am UTC (link)
	DON'T. TEMPT. THEM. razzafrazzin'iconic-lovin'editorialgoofnabels (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	ex_stig213 2009-06-09 11:18 am UTC (link)
	Come to think of it, Gaiman might actually be writing the character in 'Wednesday Comics', so who knows...she might be brought back as a slightly more spiritual figure. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	kingrockwell 2009-06-09 08:42 pm UTC (link)
	Her face does pop up in the cast list on the preview strip that made the rounds a few months back! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	icon_uk 2009-06-09 11:19 am UTC (link)
	Geoff Johns is probably already writing Urania and Rex's first sex secene together Could be worse, could be Judd Winnick! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	hearthemvoices 2009-08-03 04:23 pm UTC (link)
	Quiet! :O Do you want THEM TO HEAR YOU? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	sistermagpie 2009-06-09 10:36 am UTC (link)
	I haven't thought of this story in so long--thanks for posting it and reminding me! (Reply to this)

	proteus_lives 2009-06-09 10:56 am UTC (link)
	Nice one. (Reply to this)

	merseybeatler 2009-06-09 11:38 am UTC (link)
	Death....only everyone and their uncle's favorite character. I will also be pissed if Death shows up and isn't this cool, I really will. But...where's her eye-swirly? I know it was added after her introduction, but it's a neat little eye-swirl. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	leikomgwtfbbq 2009-06-09 04:05 pm UTC (link)
	Perhaps it's under the other eye right now, the one that's obscured by her hair. If I got to choose which Death came to pick me up at the very end, I would have an extremely difficult time choosing between Death of the Endless and THE DEATH WHO TALKS LIKE THIS. I'd probably go with THE ONE WHO TALKS LIKE THIS, though, because I think he's just the bee's knees. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	merseybeatler 2009-06-09 08:07 pm UTC (link)
	I think in all the other books it's on her right eye. It is damn hard to do evenly, though, so I can see her just skipping it once and again. :P Well, is Pratchett's death cute? Didn't think so. >:D (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	xandertarbert 2009-06-09 11:52 pm UTC (link)
	http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/5893/deathofratswallpaper9qa.jpg SQUEAK? (Reply to this) (Parent)

	leikomgwtfbbq 2009-06-10 12:36 am UTC (link)
	Well, he's very cute behavior-wise. Definitely not looks-wise, but the way DEATH acts makes me want to leap through the page and give him a hug and a pat on the skull. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	joysweeper 2009-06-10 11:00 am UTC (link)
	Motto. ...Then I always feel a little guilty, but c'mon! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	aaron_bourque 2009-08-02 07:22 pm UTC (link)
	Well, is Pratchett's death cute? Didn't think so. What? He's always smiling . . . (Reply to this) (Parent)

	merseybeatler 2009-06-09 08:09 pm UTC (link)
	(Also, I just realized that I have read another Discworld book - back in elementary school I read "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents". Thanks, Wikipedia!) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	faile_neume 2009-06-10 12:53 am UTC (link)
	MOTTO. I would love Prachett's Death to come get me. I would just try to get out of dying for the fun of it. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	leikomgwtfbbq 2009-06-10 01:37 am UTC (link)
	I would be far too busy squeeing and fangirling (assuming, of course, that I knew for sure it was Pratchett!Death and not one of the Grimmer Reapers) to try for the last game. XD (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	faile_neume 2009-06-10 01:41 am UTC (link)
	Haha. I guess you could tell IF HE TALKED LIKE THIS and seemed really bored and grumpy. The rat!Death following him around might give it away too. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	volksjager 2009-06-09 02:00 pm UTC (link)
	God I used to draw that last panel face of Death in my notebooks ALL the time. :) (Reply to this)

	espanolbot 2009-06-09 04:23 pm UTC (link)
	I can't remember, was this written in response to some chump who was writing Captain Atom at the time contradicting Gaiman, and saying that Gaiman's version of Death was only the "peaceful, nonthreatening" version of death. With the New God's Black Racer being the threatening incarnation and the like. (Reply to this) (Thread)

cricharddavies
2009-06-09 05:58 pm UTC (link)

[i]was this written in response to some chump who was writing Captain Atom at the time contradicting Gaiman, and saying that Gaiman's version of Death was only the "peaceful, nonthreatening" version of death. With the New God's Black Racer being the threatening incarnation and the like.[/i]

I believe that that is the case; the timeline is right, at least -- this came out only a few months before that.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	meatwhichdreams 2009-06-09 11:38 pm UTC (link)
	One of the best Sandman moments by far and way up there on my best COMICS moments. This story has such a quiet power, and the respect Death gives the poor pathetic Rainie just knocked me over the first time I read it as a young one. (Reply to this)