galathea | Origins Issue #5 and #6

I didn’t write up a separate review for Origins #5 and #6 yet, since I actually didn't have much to nitpick in these latest instalments in the series, well, at least not in terms of canon errors. The writers took a turn with the story that avoided any distinct referrals to events that were mentioned in the show so far, so at least there were no serious continuity errors this time around.

Notes on Issue 5:
When John and his mysterious mentor visit Fletch again, he pulls out an occult artefact, a map of cemeteries and graveyards that could be potential devil’s gates. That's interesting because it shows that there are more than the one devil’s gate that was opened in Wyoming during All Hell Breaks Loose II. It makes me wonder why Samuel Colt decided to protect that one gate in particular with his devil’s trap made out of railway lines and sealed the entry to the gate, even building a special key for it. If there are dozens of gates out there, why single out the one?

At first the search for the location of the cemetery at the intersection of the four states looked a lot like a wild goose chase to me, and I was quite irritated that John's mysterious companion followed all those random and seemingly coincidental clues, however, since the whole story was revealed as a ploy in Issue 6 anyway, it made a lot more sense with hindsight. I never quite figured out though, how the scene with the two drunken guys who were killed by the hellhound on the open road related to the overall story in the comic, it seemed rather redundant and random.

I rather enjoyed the nightmarish, trippy and nearly otherworldly travel towards the Fore Inn, it was quite spooky. Although when John and his companion finally arrive at the very cemetery they set out to find in the first place - apparently it seemed related to Mary’s death - they just pass it by like any of the other sections on the way to the Inn. Shouldn't they be looking for clues? I admit, the overall internal logic of the story wasn’t really all that clear to me. It seemed patchy and only designed to lead to the ‘big’ reveal at the end, rather than having a purpose of its own. *shrugs*

Notes on Issue 6:
So, in the latest issue the complete storyline of the Origins comic is revealed as one huge misleading scheme that was supposed to prepare John for being a hunter. A lesson that was supposed to teach him that he needs to question the way he perceives the world and allows him to get into the right mindset for a hunter, and I have to say that looks a lot like a retcon to me. Ever since the first issue came out, I complained about the fact that nothing in the show would support the hellhound, the hellhound teeth and the supposed leads on the thing that killed Mary as presented by the comic, and all of a sudden it is revealed that the whole story was never about finding the demon that killed Mary in the first place, but about assessing John’s dedication to the mission? To show him what’s out there and give him the opportunity to choose his path in life, with the new knowledge he has acquired? I’m sorry, but that feels a lot like a reset button and leaves me even more dissatisfied than before, story-telling wise. Well, I guess at least they eliminated some of the earlier canon inconsistencies by declaring them a red herring. We have to be thankful for small favors.

In the end John comes out of his experience purged and focused on the mission, and he finds his way back to his sons, literally as well as figuratively, intent on keeping them by his side. That's of course not without a certain irony, considering how much he will leave them alone in the years to come. John also reinforces Dean’s role as Sam’s caretaker and his own support unit, emphasising to his five year old son how much he and Sam depend on him. And there it is again, the reason why I can never make my peace with John as a father. It's simply irresponsible to put that kind of responsibility on the shoulders of a child so young.

As an additional note, I really have to mention here that the dialogue in both of the latest issues was rather flat and corny, which irritated me a bit, since I never perceived it as such before. There are a lot of platitudes: "The easy way rarely takes you straight to your destination", "To know is to become, to become is to know", "Even in the darkness I gotta find the light where I can". Stuff like that really makes me cringe.

It seems that in the end I still always end up bitching about the comic LOL. Sorry for that!