Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel #3
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The good
Gilad's actions during this time period including his personal life were entertaining.
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The bad
Falk and the prophecy seemed unnecessary even in terms of inspiring others.
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The ugly
- Total score
Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel #3 is the conclusion to the mini-series that has Gilad attempting to undo the choice he made years ago selecting the chosen child. It opens up with Gilad ready to kill Falk, the child he chose and who is now an adult. However, he stops when he sees the Geomancer fly above and takes that as a sign that he should have faith in the Geomancer and not the dream that he had urging him to rectify his choice. Falk couldn’t see the Geomancer and doesn’t know what’s going on or why Gilad was even attempting to kill him. Before Gilad can explain they’re attacked by Magyars, and Gilad looks at this as an opportunity to show Falk how to fight and kill soldiers. Despite Falk’s inability to grasp even the basic concepts of actual fighting, Gilad still teaches him the principles behind battles with the hope that he can truly become who Gilad believes he will be. And initially it all seems to stick, although some refer to Gilad as the chosen one since they remember seeing him fighting and killing Magyar soldiers throughout all these years. However, Gilad uses his influence to convince them that Falk is actually the chosen one and he’s the one they should follow. So they do so, and Gilad feels confident enough to leave them to their fate. He eventually tracks down Falk’s parents in order to find out what became of the other twin, and they inform him that he was killed as part of a rebel group. Knowing the prophecy, the mother wishes Gilad took him instead of Falk but is relieved to learn that Falk is still alive. But will Falk finally become this chosen one or is it too late at this point?
I was really feeling the start of this series with the way the premise was laid out, as well as Gilad’s portrayal. Compared to other series it felt like he was truly in his element, and I was thoroughly interested in his relationship with the Geomancer. Part of the interest was due to the Valiant miniseries and the return of the ancient enemy set on killing the latest incarnation of the Geomancer. So the overall mythos has been fascinating to me. And this series has done a good job in shedding more light on that. However, the series has suffered due to the actual selection of the twins and what could make one or the other the chosen one for their people. I felt the second issue squandered an opportunity to truly explore what that meant, and neither twin was treated as more than slightly exaggerated archetypes. And with Falk being the only twin remaining, this issue could focus solely on why he was the chosen one and so important for the Geomancer and Gilad to intervene in his life almost every step of the way. And ultimately I felt that this issue didn’t make a strong case for the need for the prophecy or Falk’s life being so impactful that this was the grand plan for Gilad. Now, if this was all just a matter of strengthening Gilad’s trust in the Geomancer then more of an emphasis could’ve been put on that in the end. However, what would happen in this issue is Falk would revert back to being a bard and create a song that would become influential, and it was pretty obvious in the second issue this is what would happen. And I don’t want to give away any spoilers but all the subsequent events would be connected to the prophecy laid out in the first issue. Yet, it just wasn’t compelling to me. Perhaps if it was connected to the lesson Gilad learned about life this issue then it would’ve been much better or at least what he inspired about the song. But emphasizing the connection back to Falk made it feel less impactful. And as a result, it has me wondering about the choice.
SUMMARY
Eternal Warrior: Days of Steel #3 had its entertaining moments but ultimately didn’t make me feel that Falk’s life was so impactful and unique that the Geomancer prophesized it, and Gilad dedicated decades to it. I understood the impact that Falk’s song had on the people but the exaggeration of what it could truly do or actually did fell somewhat flat. I did enjoy the aspects of this issue that focused on Gilad’s life during this time, and how he learned some things and had faith restored. I just wished more of this was connected back to Gilad instead of emphasizing Falk. However, I do have a better appreciation of Gilad, and I look forward to more entertaining stories.
Release Date: 1/7/14
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Cary Nord
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