CWR WEEKEND BLOG EXTRA

Welcome to the third straight weekend with a new Blog Extra. I have to pat myself on the back for that, as well as say up front that there won’t be one next weekend, as I’ll be away and will return too late to post one. So I’ll just enjoy the heady rush of triumph now, thanks.

This week is request hour. My buddy Brandon Jerwa asked me if I hated the finale to his book since he hadn’t seen me write it up, and while it was tempting to fuck with him and tell him it blew goat, the truth was far less sinister- I was just running behind. So for my boy in the WA… here ya go. From the handsomely sexy folks at Dynamite Entertainment:

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: ZAREK #3-4 are written by my evil twin, Brandon Jerwa and drawn by Adriano Batista. When last we left GALACTICA’s best-known revolutionary, he had just blown up that government building that Ron Moore’s excellent sci-fi series told us about. Issues three and four take us inside his incarceration, and his rise to true power, even without his freedom. In an interesting bit of synchronicity with the show itself, it begins with Zarek writing a manifesto from his cell, much as Baltar would do in season three (which, considering that Zarek was Baltar’s vice president, gives you the echo of Baltar taking a page from his political mentor) and expanding his following. This allows him to grow in stature, even as he is given opportunities to exit the penal system. But his refusal to fall in line or give in to those he considers oppressors is what sands out about the character- he will leave and live his life only on his own terms, and when he sees that the time is correct for it. Prison is merely a minor obstacle to what he truly wants and sees as necessary for himself and those he represents.

The conclusion finds Zarek finally on the way to his parole hearing,
picked up by the Astral Queen and on his way to Caprica. But as we know from the show, a little distraction arose: the Cylons invaded, and the Astral Queen was right in the middle of it. It’s here, in the heart of a pitched battle, that we see the final evolution of the man we’ll meet in season one. He’s more than willing to pick up arms and work against the new threat, because he knows that humanity is now at a complete disadvantage, and his voice will ring loud… not only with the survivors, but especially with his captors, who now owe him their lives.

Taken as a whole and read directly before watching the character’s first appearance on the series, ZAREK really works well, fleshing him out in ways that licensed tie-ins rarely can. This really is Jerwa’s best work to date in comics, and the level of his commitment to producing the book is obvious. If you’re a fan of the modern show, this is more of a must-read than the regular ongoing series.

Back tomorrow for a site update.

/Mason