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Tweak says, "beavers and ducks!"

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.

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	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)

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