This quick little book totals only 6 pages of story. I’m not sure where it’s from, but it’s a short, to the point story of how the special kids came to live at the Institute. The story is told by Slappy the Clown. He’s taking us on a tour of the facilities, and making sure we’re happy. The reader is in the interesting position of actually being the eyes of the kids throughout this tale. It’s a pretty funny little interlude. And the kids are ruthless. Very cool. Anyhow, at the end of the day this really isn’t anything special (no pun intended), and it’s not going to affect anything in the actually storyline, but it’s sweet and brings a smile to my face.
This issue tells a simple story of a boy, not a special but a normal boy named Edward Claiborne. Edward feels a lot like many young boy, an outsider, a freak. He is ostracized by his classmates, beaten up by school bullies, and ignored by his mother. He was born a year after the specials, but his desperate dream is to be one of them. Actually it’s not that he really wants to be a special, but that he doesn’t want to be what he is… and so Edward tells a lie. He tells his teachers that he can fly. He just wants people to pay attention to him; and for a moment or two they actually do. Edwards story is tragic, David Paulson flies in from Washington, and Dr Welles is brought in to test the boy, but of course they find out the truth fairly quickly. Edward returns to his classes even more alone than before. And then we come to the sad and shocking conclusion to the story. I won’t give it away but in the blink of an eye everything comes to a head.
It’s amazing to me that such a powerful story could be told in 13 pages, It’s beautiful and tragic. And just about everyone can relate to Edward’s tale. He just wanted to be someone, to be noticed; to stop being alone. This story stands alone too, apart from the rest of the Rising Stars saga; but it has a potency that resonates long afterwards. This is the kind of quality found throughout the Rising Stars book, and it is beautiful.
In this issue we meet Jerry, or Pyre as he is sometimes known. Jerry, has the power to burst into flame, and fly. He stops by Dr Welles’ house for a chat, and we get some really good insight into his history and motivation. Growing up Jerry was a freak among freaks, his powers were dangerous and scary. The specials stayed away from him for the most part. He was alone, misunderstood and to an extent ostracized. So When Jerry turned 18 he left the custody of the Institute forever to find himself on his own terms. But where can a man go to be someone when he has the same superpower as anyone with bic lighter? Vegas, of course. Jerry went to Vegas and began working as muscle for the casinos. But this lead to some disturbing consequences. His rivalry with another special Jason, came back to haunt him; or maybe I should say hunt him. It seems Jerry happened to push around the wrong man, and all of a sudden he found himself indicted in a DA investigation. The cops won't touch him, he’s too dangerous, so who do they send after him? Jason, his old rival. Jason, once a kid obsessed with comic books of costumed superheroes, has grown up to become one of the most powerful of the specials and a self styled hero himself. Taking the name Flagg, and a costume shamelessly stolen from Captain America and Mega Man; Jason spent the next few years tracking down and trying to kill ‘Pyre’. So Jerry ran, moved to a new town, changed his name but Jason never quit the fight. Perhaps the Flagg sponsors wanted a super villain for him. I mean what’s a hero without a nemesis? So Jerry’s life has been plagued by his brethren’s abuse. He’s still a freak; still ostracized…still alone.
There are also a few other tidbits of information revealed in this prelude issue. Seeing as this story is for the most part one of mystery, and the bulk of the storyline hasn't been revealed yet. But still some of the clues are hidden in this issue. If your interested in certain potential spoiler plot tidbits. Highlight the text below:
This issue was an excellent prelude. Perhaps it goes too far in thrusting us into the storyline, but Straczynski seems to have great faith in his readers. This is very refreshing. The writing is marvellous, rich and textured. We learn a lot about these players, and their histories. And although the writing is easily strong enough to stand on it’s own, we ar treated to some amazing visuals too. The colours are especially beautiful and nuanced. The only legitimate criticism that can be made of this issue, is that we are almost overloaded with information. This issue might be easier to understand if you’ve already read some of the proper series. Then again, although this issue takes place before the main body of the series, it actually was published at the same time as issue #2; so most people reading it would have probably read the beginning already. Anyhow, it is a very solid issue, and provides some truly interesting back story.
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