Pricetag a.k.a. Mom a.k.a. Margaret (mprice) wrote in schlosseberbach, @ 2008-02-23 00:26:00 |
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Entry tags: | fan translations, humor, official translations, reviews |
Book Three - Story Six - In'shallah
MIRROR ENTRY – COMMENTS DISABLED
By: Margaret Price
Posted: February 23, 2008
Story Six
IN'SHALLAH
--> This one seems to have the biggest variation between the fan and CMX translation. I’m not sure why. This could be why this post is quite a bit longer than the first five stories.
--> The story starts out with Dorian and the Major rising at the same time, 6:30 am. Dorian is dragged out of bed by an over zealous James, while the Major out of bed practically before the alarm goes off. No fourth wall here, either, as he gives the readers a sideways glance before slamming the bathroom door and dressing. The only one still in bed, it seems, is the Chief.
--> Just an aside on the chronology of the opening. For the story telling, we see Dorian first, but in actuality, it would have been the Major, since Germany is an hour AHEAD of England. Okay, on with the…er, show!
--> Page 17 - James has ESP, too, apparently. He says “We're not a Discovery Channel crew.” In 1979, satellite broadcast cable channels were just a fledgling industry. (There were 3) The Discovery Channel first aired on June 17, 1985, six years AFTER this story was written. They should've stuck with the BBC. The fan translation has NHK, which it notes as being the Japanese equivalent of the BBC, except it doesn’t have Monty Python. ;-D
--> Page 20 – We are introduced to Agent Z for the first time. I swear he looks about sixteen. At least by the next story, he looks in his twenties. Must’ve been the hair cut.
--> Page 46 – In order to prove that the Major is Iron Klaus, Gedi gives him a .44 Magnum automatic to fire one-handed, which few are able to do, apparently. After a little research, I learned that what Gedi says is indeed true. This gun has such a severe recoil that it can maim or kill if handled incorrectly. Yeah. Iron Klaus is kick ass. No wonder everyone in the room is sweating bullets after he blows a hole in the roof.
--> Page 65 – Everyone likes to remark on the Major “not” staring at Dorian’s ass. But no one seems to remark on the fact that the Major would have to lay on the top of Dorian’s legs to hang on to him while he’s hanging off the ledge.
--> Page 66 – We see the case full of jewels, and the Major tells Dorian he can have what is left after he pulls out the wrong dagger. I’m not entirely sure how Dorian manages to take anything with him, considering the skin-tight outfit he ends up in. I guess there really is a hammerspace in comics.
-> Page 68 – The Major gets all bent out of shape because Dorian is looking at his ass, but he has no qualms about stripping in front of him to exchange disguises. A verification, in my opinion, that he is only homophobic when being openly pursued, which is not currently the case. Yet. “Perverts” are an annoyance to be tolerated—and put down at every opportunity.
--> Page 72 – Our first glimpse into Iron Klaus’s marksmanship. It’s one thing to fire a Magnum one-handed, and another to shoot a rifle out of someone’s hand using a handgun. No mean trick. How very fortunate for Dorian that the Major’s a dead shot.
--> Page 84 – Dorian’s farewell thoughts as he leaves Harlun behind are completely different the two translations. The CMX version has him worrying if the boy will forget him. While the fan version has Dorian basically dismissing the boy. A far more self-centered version.
CMX: “I wonder if Harlun will remember me in a few years’ time. If he doesn’t… well, I’ll worry about it then. Happenings today and tomorrow are dearer than happenings five to ten years down the road. Though he has given me a taste of Persian, Harlun is but a fleeting mirage. I suppose there is something romantic about letting a dream stay a dream. “In’shallah” whether the dream continues. It is by the will of Allah. Farewell, Harlun, farewell.”
FAN: “Will I remember Haalun five years from now? Even if I don’t, it won’t matter much. To me, today and the immediate tomorrow are more important than five or ten years in the future. Haalun is part of the landscape that gave me a little taste of Persia for a while. A little piece of reverie within a dream… To end a dream as a dream can be a very romantic thing. Even if there’s a following sequence in the drama, that’ll be In’shah Allah. Farewell, Haalun.”
--> Page 100 – The helicopter/Jeep chase in the desert. I would like to note that this is the first time that the Major has Dorian at the wrong end of a gun, not Rome. We have already learned he’s a dead shot with a handgun, so a scoped rifle is a gimme. Dorian appears in the sights, but we later see that he isn’t the target. The Major is practically begging him to hold still so he doesn’t accidentally shoot him. My personal feeling has always been that the Major may be a trained killer, but he’s not a murderer.