I am not somebody that hops onto the "comic discourse" a lot. I usually prefer to talk things through with my friends and share opinions in private.
But since Tangle more or less got ignored so far i take the chance and talk a bit about her appearance in 64
She jumps in as a supportive character towards Whisper and helps her to prevent another breakdown. While yes, there was a scene in Urban Warfare that did the exact same thing, i feel like with issue 64 we finally see how strong of an impact this support actually has on the page. (I talk a bit more about Urban Warfare further down this post.)
I don't even dare and call this bait because it simply isn't. Here is a character that cares for her partner and also is uncomfortable with the whole situation to begin with. She has to decide where her priorities lie. Her reaction is to be expected to be focused on a trembling Whisper and all i can say is i'm glad we finally have a good depiction of that.
Tangle has the right to approach Whisper in ways i think no other character is able to, she earned it and it pretty much shows on this page.
Softly taking down Whisper's mask and checking on her, the body language in these panels is chefs kiss.
She's truly a bouncy girl, but it's good to see her being serious every now and then, i feel like it's a side of her that people usually tend to ignore. (And i really don't know why that is.)
Evan Stanley does always an amazing job if it comes to showing Tangle in a different light or how she cares about her friends and loved ones.
In regards about the current arc and even the last one, i feel like this post is a good chance to add my personal take to it as well, since it's been on my mind for a good while now. I feel like 64 finally makes a step into the right direction again.
To elaborate a little on that, i wasn't really a big fan of Urban Warfare, simply for the fact that it's pacing is all over the place.
There were a lot of things that needed to be covered, to name a few:
- new team building
- Whisper's trauma
- Lanolin introduced as a new character
- a LOT of other teams jumping into the scene
- the city itself
all squeezed into a 5 book arc. One more book compared to a mini series that usually gives full focus to a set of chosen characters.
To make this clear, there are also good things in Urban Warfare as well but thanks to the fact how rushed the whole story felt in it's core it's a bit hard to enjoy the good bits as well...
Misadventures still deals with the same pacing problem and i believe that is where the real issue lies.
As a reader/collector of the books and longtime fan of them, all i can say is:
I wish the comics would get their old, well cared, time for details back.
Yes, a story like the Metal Virus was a long run but in the end it was a fantastic read. Mini arcs like Trial by Fire (Still one of my favorites), that focus on other things instead of the usual action, are also very important for character development and add a lot of depth to them. Endless Summer is a great example for such addition as well. These books provide insight into character interaction we usually don't see otherwise.
Of course i have no idea how much SEGA is involved into everything if it comes to general decisions like how long one arc is supposed to last and when the next one should start.
(The next part is based on my personal taste, this has nothing to do with the general narrative of the books. I just want to share my thoughts about this since i really don't write them down a lot.)
As a little side note, i feel like Lanolin is a great character so far. Her stubborn and rule book like demeanor as a leader is refreshing to say the least. She also seems to be really close to how her creator ABT imagines her to be and i really appreciate that.
But i can't help it and feel like her team dynamic with Tangle and Whisper comes of as rather… rocky ?
On a combat level of things it works really good but on a friendship level it's somehow lacking atm.
There is this boss and coworker relationship going on that feels more like real work.
Obviously though she's new and needs more time to get better established. I guess we will see how this plays out in the future. I'm all in for a good or funny team dynamic but i also can't help it and feel like she works better as an addition to Jewel, running the restoration, the navigator typ that sends intel via com instead of a field combatant. Even if she proved she's good at close combat as well during her encounter with Whisper in 64.
That being said, i am all open for surprises and more character development on her part. This is really just a "now" opinion and can easily change over time. I like the sheep, i really do.