Tortola's Blog

Upon first glance, Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur (1) does not have a lot going for it. The cartoon, created in 1914, is in black and white, has no vocal sound (you need to read title cards), and has inconsistent animation (the background shimmers from time to time). But despite these qualities, Gertie, even today, is still one of the most celebrated of early American animations. Gertie the Dinosaur possesses many enduring qualities that help it stand out to this day. Some of these qualities include Gertie’s design, personality, her environment, her relationship to McCay, and how they communicate to each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiL4qplyi7Y&feature=related

The first enduring quality about McCay’s animation is Gertie’s design and her similarities to other animals. Though she is a dinosaur, she is animated to move to qualities that are similar to animals we know of today. For example, McCay animated Gertie’s walk to be similar to those of an elephant and she chews up rocks, trees, and pumpkins like a cow. These familiar qualities are recognizable and make her more likeable rather than unusual.

The second quality Gertie possesses is her human-like personality. In many ways, Gertie likes to obey McCay’s commands and is happy to perform them. But she also likes to be stubborn and rebellious. One example is when McCay asks her to lift her left foot, but she snaps at him in rebellion. This is when we can also see that Gertie can also be sensitive. After she snaps, McCay scolds her and she cries. Gertie also has the ability to express fear when Jumbo the Mammoth walks pass her. Gertie’s personality makes her very memorable and an interesting critic on her environment.

The third enduring quality is the environment in which Gertie is placed. McCay’s use of perspective gives Gertie’s environment a three-dimensional look, a quality not too many early animations had. For example, when Gertie walks up to the viewer, she gets bigger, or when Gertie tosses Jumbo into the lake, he gets smaller with distance. The environment was also drawn with great detail and contained many creatures for Getie to interact (or get distracted) with, like the sea serpent, the four-winged lizard, and, of course, Jumbo the mammoth.

The forth quality that make Gertie so enduring is the relationship between McCay and Gertie. I find that McCay and Gertie have a trusting relationship. Although Gertie gets distracted by her environment, McCay knows that she has good behavior and will listen to him. Gertie knows that McCay trust her and knows that McCay will not stay mad at her when she makes a mistake. So, its not that the artist and his art have became friends, but two different personalities, characters, if you will, have formed a bond that will be known for years to come.

One more quality is how Gertie and McCay communicate and understand each other. Even though Gertie cannot speak, McCay is able to communicate to her through verbal commands and is always understood. Gertie communicates to McCay in a variety of ways.  For example, Gertie can communicate to him through many facial expressions. She can frown to show she is sad, smile when she is happy, and open her mouth wide to show she is in fear of something. Gertie also communicates to McCay through body language. She may wag the tip of tail to show that she is excited or when she sees something of interest, and she may nod her head to express “yes” or “no” to McCay’s questions. Gertie and McCay’s ability to understand each other through different, yet simple forms of communication shows their willing to understand each other and how strong their relationship is.

Gertie the Dinosaur achieved greatness with these qualities that many animations didn’t have at the time. Gertie inspired a generation of animators and cartoonist and still inspires today, with Gertie’s qualities influencing the many cartoons of yesterday and today.

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(1) Day50912A. Cartoon from early 1900′s – Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). Online video. 7 mins 37 secs. 17 Sept 2009.

(2) “Poster” A BRIEF HISTORY OF GERTIE THE DINOSAUR. 28 Dec 2010. JPEG.

When I think of films with toon characters interacting in the real world, I think of the film Who Framed Roger Rabbit (Touchstone, 1988). The film’s main star is not only brought to life with superb animation and great special effects, but with his interactions with humans and the real world environment. I find that the interactions between the character and the real world environment are what make these films very compelling and entertaining to watch. Roger Rabbit is not the first animation to have characters interact in the real world. This idea goes as far back as the early days of animation, with Winsor McCay’s The Centaurs and Walter Lantz’s Dinky Doodle series. But I find that Max Fleischer’s Out of the Inkwell series, featuring Fleischer and his toon character Koko the Clown, are the most compelling as they consider to what a toon can do in its interactions with people and the real world environment.

Koko is capable of performing many feats in the real world environment once he is out of the canvas. In find his interactions in the real world environment very compelling many respects, as the canvas acts as his home and the real world acts as his backyard. Koko is able to look around Fleischer’s studio to see what is going on and can jump or climb to get to where he needs to go. He also knows where many objects are placed in studio and has a sense of how to use them, even though it may not be for Fleischer’s benefit. In the episode Ouija Board (1920), for example, Koko is able to jump inside a hat and move it around floor, scaring Fleischer, his assistant, and the janitor. Another example is in the episode Modeling (1921), where Koko takes a piece of clay from a model head and moves around across the floor, scaring everyone in the studio.

The Out of the Inkwell series is also compelling by Koko’s interactions with the human cast, including Fleischer himself. Upon first glance, the relationship between Fleischer and Koko seems more antagonistic than friendly. It will seem that Koko’s sole purpose is to try to make Fleischer’s day difficult, as in the episodes Modeling and Ouija Board, where Koko hides under objects, making it difficult for Fleischer to catch him.   But there is also another side to this relationship where Koko tries to help Fleischer solve a predicament. For example, in the episode The Tantalizing Fly (1919), a fly is buzzing around the studio harassing Fleischer and Koko. Koko tries to help Fleischer by hitting the fly with an ink pen, even though he misses and ink is splattered on Fleischer’s face.

And so, the Out of the Inkwell series is more than just good animation and special effects. It’s Koko’s interactions in the real world, with his knowledge of the studio and his relationship to Fleischer, that make such films timeless and compelling to watch.

Our textbook, Of Mice and Magic, mentions that Walter Lantz was a survivor (1, 159).  Lantz was a survivor for many reasons, as he owned and operated his own cartoon studio for years, obtained the best talent when it was available, and when things went south, had the ability to take things into his own hands and move forward. Lantz’s famous character, Wood Woodpecker, is a survivor just like him. Woody Woodpecker is a character who has the ability to adapt to new environments and situations. Changes in his design, personality, and story structure helped him to be adaptable and enjoyable to this day.

When Woody debuted in the early 1940s, he was a character all his own. Though he looked like your typical “screwball” character, with a pronounced chin, big feet, and funny teeth, what set him apart was his crazy, but smart personality. He was an aggressive character who was not afraid to fight anyone. He also did a lot of crazy things to frustrate his opponents, in which they end up becoming crazy by the end of the episode, as in the episode Cracked Nut. Coupled with this, Woody was very smart and was always able to outwit his opponents. So from the start, Woody’s fearlessness, crazy antics, and smarts make him adaptable to new situations as the appeal of cartoons change over time.

In the mid-1940s, he not only had a design change, but gained a less aggressive personality. He remained a very smart, only doing crazy acts if it was necessary to get want he wants. He worked in stories with certain themes like Woody Dines Out and Banquet Busters, which deal with food. I found these themes very important as it gives him a purpose in each story and the ability to form the story from his own actions. Because the story is formed by his actions, Woody becomes a character who is able to give and take the consequences of those actions. A good example is in The Barber of Seville. In this episode, his objective is to get a haircut but his actions form a story with him playing as a barber and fixing the hair of dissatisfied customers. He then pays the price of his actions at the end of the episode.

Throughout the late 1950s to the early 1970s, Woody was adapted changes as he shifted from the theatrical screen to the television screen. He had a more simplified, square design, adapting to the tastes of the audience and competing with similarly designed cartoons of the time.  What also changed were some aspects to his personality and story structure due to TV censorship.  I found that Woody lost the crazier side of his personality, though he remains smart to outwit his adversaries. Keeping this trait has made him adaptable as a character where the story itself sets Woody up for his actions rather than Woody creating the story through his actions. An example of this is the episode Termites from Mars, where Woody is placed in a situation where he has to solve a predicament, rather than create a predicament as he has done in the past.

When Woody returned to TV in the late 1990s, he was reverted back to his late 1940s design, but with bigger eyes and a shorter beak.  He returned in a new era of cartoons, but I found that there were some similarities to the 50s-70s story structure. In the 90s series, I found that the story, in many respects, was more important than the character itself. Woody, as a character, was very dependent on the story and other characters to carry out his personality. And in some ways, he acted out of his usual character to cater to the story’s needs. Brother Cockroach and Silent Treatment are episodes that show Woody in a different light for the sake of the story. Though his personality has changed a bit for the stories in this series, it should be noted that his personality is not restrictive, making him adaptable in this era of cartoons.

With word out that a movie is in the works for Woody, I find that his ability to adapt to new audiences and tastes throughout the years is remarkable, proving that he will continue to be a survivor for years to come.

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(1) Matlin, Leonard. Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons. New York:Plume Books, 1987.

(2) John K. Stuff. 4 July 2007. Accessed 23 Feb 2012. http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/07/when-woody-was-cool.html

(3) Merchan, George. Guess who?! Woody Woodpecker being turned into a feature film. 17 Nov 2011. Accessed 23 Feb 2012. http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/guess-who-woody-woodpecker-is-being-turned-into-a-feature-film

(4) Fictional Characters Wiki. Accessed 23 Feb 2012. http://characters.wikia.com/wiki/Woody_Woodpecker

(5) Fanpop. Accessed 23 Feb 2012. http://www.fanpop.com/spots/woody-woodpecker/images/19040622/title/woody-woodpecker-photo

Upon first glance, Winsor McCay’s Gertie the Dinosaur (1) does not have a lot going for it. The cartoon, created in 1914, is in black and white, has no vocal sound (you need to read title cards), and has inconsistent animation (the background shimmers from time to time). But despite these qualities, Gertie, even today, is still one of the most celebrated of early American animations. Gertie the Dinosaur possesses many enduring qualities that help it stand out to this day. Some of these qualities include Gertie’s design, personality, her environment, and her relationship to McCay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiL4qplyi7Y&feature=related

The first enduring quality about McCay’s animation is Gertie’s design and her similarities to other animals. Though she is a dinosaur, she is animated to move to qualities that are similar to animals we know of today. For example, McCay animated Gertie’s walk to be similar to those of an elephant and she chews up rocks, trees, and pumpkins like a cow. These familiar qualities are recognizable and make her more likeable rather than unusual.

The second quality Gertie possesses is her human-like personality. In many ways, Gertie likes to obey McCay’s commands and is happy to perform them. She also likes to be stubborn and rebellious. One example is when McCay asks her to lift her left foot, but she snaps at him in rebellion. This is when we see that Gertie can also be sensitive. After she snaps, McCay scolds her, and she cries. Gertie also has the ability to express fear when Jumbo the Mammoth walks pass her. Gertie’s personality makes her very memorable and an interesting critic on her environment.

The third enduring quality is the environment in which Gertie is placed. McCay’s use of perspective gives Gertie’s environment a three-dimensional look, a quality not too many early animations had. For example, when Gertie walks up to the viewer, she gets bigger, or when Gertie tosses Jumbo into the lake, he gets smaller with distance. The environment was also drawn with great detail and contained many creatures for Getie to interact (or get distracted) with, like the sea serpent, the four-winged lizard, and, of course, Jumbo the mammoth.

The forth quality that make Gertie so enduring is the relationship between McCay and Gertie. I find that McCay and Gertie have a trusting relationship. Although Gertie gets distracted by her environment, McCay knows that she has good behavior and will listen to him. Gertie knows that McCay trust her and knows that McCay will not stay mad at her when she makes a mistake. So, its not that the artist and his art have became friends, but two different personalities, characters, if you will, have formed a bond that will be known from years to come.

Gertie the Dinosaur achieved greatness with these qualities that many animations didn’t have at the time. Gertie inspired a generation of animators and cartoonist and still inspires today, with Gertie’s qualities influencing the many cartoons we know today.

—————-

(1) Day50912A. Cartoon from early 1900’s – Gertie the Dinosaur (1914). Online video. 7 mins 37 secs. 17 Sept 2009.

The first films created by the Lumière brothers were made to study what could be captured on film. The subjects of their films were the citizens of France and what they did in their day-to-day lives. The Lumière brothers filmed the people of the working class, the elites, family life, and modes of transportation (boats and trains). Their films not only became a medium to study French culture and life, but would soon become a medium for entertainment. Their study of French life through film made way for filmed entertainment, as in comedy movies and , later on,  animated cartoons.

I have found two films created by the Lumière brothers that reflect slap-stick comedy. The first film is called “La Voltige”(1) (The Aerobatic) (2) created in 1895(3):

It can be seen in the film that the man in white is encouraged by the man in the dark uniform to try to get on the horse. The film becomes entertaining when the man in white tries not to get on the horse and jumps over it, getting the man in the dark uniform upset. The man in the dark uniform eventually gets frustrated to the point that he shows some gestures of anger.

Also created in 1895 is the second film is called “ Le Saut á la Couverture” (4) (The Jump in the Blanket)(5):

Here, the same man in white is now encouraged to jump in a blanket by the man in the dark uniform, but fails to do so a couple of times. The film becomes entertaining when the man in white falls off the blanket in a comical matter, but this only gets the man in the dark uniform angry again. He hits the man in white in the back of head and gives him a  kick at some point.

These early slap-stick comedy films would soon be noticed and usher in a new form of entertainment that would be appreciated by all. Slap-stick films, like those of Charlie Chaplin, will become a mainstay in theaters and inspire future comedy movies and actors. Early animated cartoons were also inspired from these films, creating memorable characters, funny jokes and gags, and wild stories. We would not see the comedy film and cartoons we see today if not for the Lumière brothers and their study of what could be captured on film.

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(1) Wanolan. Lumières, Le Voltige. Online video. 47 secs. 30 Apr 2008.

(2),(5) Google Translate

(3) EarlyCinema.com

(4) HistoireTube. Le saut à la couverture (1895) – frères Lumière. Online video. 42 secs. 23 Feb 2011.

The world has been conveying motion in art for hundreds of years in a variety of ways. Though early works were unable to create the illusion of movement before the late 19^th – 20^th centuries, they were still able to show motion through important actions and movements. Here, I have a Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) painting made in Imperial China. This painting is a good example of an early attempt to convey motion. The painting is able to convey motion through the many actions of its subjects, their direction of movement, and how they connect to tell a story.

The actions of the painting’s subjects are one way the painting conveys motion. For example, at the top of the painting is the Yellow River, which had history of changing its course and creating floods. It can be seen that the river is moving fast and thrashing about, causing great waves. Next, there are people on the land performing many tasks. There are people digging holes and hammering down post to make a wall. There are also people tying up and carrying stalks of grain or giving directions.

Motion is also conveyed as the subjects are moving in particular directions. The subjects’ direction of movement may give the painting a sense of disorder, but it also gives a sense of realism. Each individual subject is moving in a different direction and in a different way according to their actions. For example, the Yellow River is not flowing in one direction, but is clashing into itself, displaying its instability. As for the people on the land, they are not only moving in different directions, but at different speeds as well. It can be seen that the people carrying the stalks of grain may move slower than those carrying hammers, shovels, and grain baskets.

The individual actions and the different directions of movement all connect to a story. The painting’s subjects each play a particular role in this story and perform their actions for a reason. For example, the painting telling is story of how that the Yellow River was moving fast, quickly rising, and violently throwing waves of water. Because of the instability of Yellow River, the people are working together build a wall to hold back the water and protect their land (most likely farm land) from being flooded.  They are also gathering and moving their harvest in case a flood occurs.

This story would not have been easily told without the attempt to convey motion in this painting. As time goes on, attempts like this are made until the illusion of movement is achieved, where individual subjects can move a certain way, bringing out unique personalities, so unique stories can be told.

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(1) Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. 2^nd ed. New York:  Cambridge University Press, 2010. 222

After learning about the twelve principles of animation last class, I began to consider how important these principles are in animated films and cartoons. The first principle, squash and stretch, plays a very important role in animated films and cartoons because it can bring a character to life.  The basis of how the principle works in animation has not changed over time, but it has been used in many different ways. Squashing and stretching can be used for how the character walks, talks, interacts with its environment, and many other things .

For example, squashing and stretching can exaggerate a character’s emotions or reactions. In the Looney Tunes cartoon “The Hypo-chondri-cat” (WB, 1950), two mice, Hubie and Bertie, go up to a window and see some cheese on the kitchen table.

Here, the squashing and stretching principle is used to let Bertie have the most extreme reactions when viewing the cheese.

The principle also enables characters to respond with extreme emotions, as how Bertie reacts in extreme fear as Hubie taunts a cat:

The squash and stretch principle can also be used to exaggerate a bad circumstance, which can become funny joke. In the Tom and Jerry episode “Saltwater Tabby” (MGM, 1947), Tom is ready to go out for a swim but his bathing suit gets caught in the door:

It was bad enough that his suit got caught in the door in the first place, but unknown to him, the stretching of his suit gets him into a bigger (albeit funny) predicament.

In one more example, squashing and stretching can  be used in a subtle way, as in the exaggeration of speed or “life-like” movement. During the stampede scene in film The Lion King (Disney, 1994), Mufasa is animated in a fast moving scene during his attempt to rescue Simba:

Only by slowing down the film will one see that the squash and stretch principle was used for Mufasa’s quick movements as he:

Slides under a wildebeest…

… and gets hit by a wildebeest.

The same can also be said for Scar’s jump during the scene for the song “Be prepared”:

Slowed down, it can be seen that Scar’s foot was stretched to give the illusion of speed:

Without the squash and stretch principle, it may be difficult to animate such “realistic” movements and can result with choppy movements in fast paced scenes.

The squash and stretch principle is very important as it does not only helps animation look more fluid, but has many different uses to give a character an outlet for expression and movement.

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Images created from private DVD collection

(1-2) Looney Tunes: Golden Collection. (Warner Home Video, 2003). DVD.

(3) Tom and Jerry’s Greastest Chases. (Warner Home Video, 2000). DVD.

(4-10) The Lion King: Special Edition. (1994; Walt Disney Video, 2003). DVD.

The House of the Scorpion (Scorpion, from here on out) is by far the easiest book I have read for this class (with the exception of WE3). Though the book has a straight-forward and somewhat predictable plot, the book is easy to understand with its familiar scenery, non-confusing vocabulary, well-developed characters and, most importantly, a deep and exciting story that entices you to keep reading ‘til the very last page. Though these elements of the book may seem odd in comparison to the other Science Fiction book I have read in this class, I did find that Scorpion has many elements that are similar to the other SciFi books I have read for this class.

One similarity can be found in the book Frankenstein. As someone mentioned in class on Tuesday, The Creature and Matt were both created, rather than born, into their respective worlds. Both the Creature and Matt later learn how they were created and realize how different they are to the rest of the world. Though they both handle this situation differently, they do make their own choices on the matter and become willing to accept who they are as long as there is someone to love them (too bad it didn’t work out that way for the Creature).

Another similarity can be found in the book Blindsight, as both this book and Scorpion are mostly told in the perspective of the main character. Though Blindsight is mostly told through the mind of Siri in the 1^st person perspective, Scorpion takes on a similar perspective using the thoughts and opinions of Matt to shape the other characters and his world. With the book told in Matt’s point of view, I found it a bit hard to get a glimpse of the lives of the other characters. That’s why I found it hard to understand Siri’s teammates at first, as I only know what Siri knows and understand the world by what he perceives.

One more similarity can be found in the books Neuromancer, Lilith’s Brood, and Blindsight, which is the shock of being thrust into a strange, new environment and not knowing what to expect. In Scorpion, Matt became shocked in a new environment when he first entered the Alacrán home by Steven and Emilia and when he climbed over the mountains and looked upon Aztlán. He is taken aback by his new surroundings because it is something he has not experienced before in his life and needs time to adjust to know if it safe or not. The same can be said in Neuromancer, when Case smells grass for the first time, in Lilith’s Brood, when Lilith exits out of her apartment-like room in the vast ship of the Oankali, or in Blindsight, when Siri enters Rorschach for the first time.

I am finding it easier to focus after walking a bit inside Rorschach. I felt dizzy coming in at first, but I didn’t want it to stop me from the task at hand. Everything looked good so far. No warning signals on the HUD or from the grunts. As long as the team stayed focused, we can get this mission over with as quickly as possible. I did not like the looks of this place. It seemed that the farther we went through the tunnel, the more it seemed as if the walls were moving. It must have been an illusion from our head-lamps. I saw Keeton to the left of me, turning in all directions as if something was going to pounce on him. Sheesh.

I decided to ignore him. As long as we all just stayed focused and disregarded the strange surroundings, we can– I saw the warnings on my HUD flash! “There’s a spike”, I told the others, “hang on”. I looked behind me and saw Keeton setting up the tent. Good. When he’s done, we can all go inside to protect ourselves from this spike. I then heard a low roaring noise in my ears. I also thought I heard James say something, but I didn’t catch it. I knew something bad was about happen…. I stood my ground. I heard James say she saw something. I turn in every direction, but I didn’t see anything. The roaring began to get louder.

I thought James was acting crazy or something, but then Szpindel started to act crazy, saying he’s blind. The radiation must have affected them. I had to get them to the tent. “Everyone get into the tent!” I said. I grab Szpindel and hand him to Keeton. I find James struggling with her leg, saying there was something on her. I told her there was nothing there, but she barks back saying that I’m blind. Sheesh. I ignored her and called Keeton to help me carry her to the tent. The roaring in my ears became so loud, I couldn’t hear myself think. I began to feel dizzy again and everything was turning white. I pushed James into the tent and Keeton followed after her, and then…

And then, all the sudden, the roaring stopped. I looked around and everything is white. I heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing. There was no one else with me. As strange as it sounds, I did not react to my new surroundings. I didn’t feel alive, or dead…. I was just there, and I felt ok with it. I think I felt, for the first in a long time, free…. I felt free.

Then, all at once, I felt dizzy and I heard the roaring in my ears again. The whiteness faded to dark, and I realized I was in the tunnels of Rorschach, outside the tent. I had no clue what just happened. It’s as if nothing  happened at all. Was it an illusion? Well, illusion or not, I felt fine. The roaring in my ears subsided. The spike levels were down. I thought it was time to go back on the mission. I opened the tent to tell everyone its time to go and they look at me as if they just seen a ghost, asking me if I’m “ok” and if I “existed”. What stupid questions! The radiation must have hit them harder than I thought. I then decided that it would be best to head back to Theseus to recuperate. Maybe afterwards we can finish what we started so we can go back to Earth.

———–

For this blog post, I am in the mind of Bates as she and her teammates explore the insides of Rorschach for the first time. I also write about when the team is hit by and magnetic/radiation spike inside Rorschach and when Bates “drifts off” outside the tent. This scene takes place on pages 158-162 and 168-172. I chose this scene because I found it to be one of most exciting scenes in the book. I also found it easy to put this scene in different perspectives, as most of the characters are present and each have a role in the scene. I pretty much follow the book for this scene, except that I put it in her perspective. I did make it important to make it her personal feelings the opposite of the other characters. For example, when she describes Rorschach’s walls upon entering, it’s the opposite of Siri’s “scaredy-cat” description. I also made sure Bates was more focused on the mission than the well-being of her teammates (i.e. Szpindel and James during the spike hit). Lastly, there was nothing in the book that described what happened to her as she “drifted off” (besides talking to Szpindel/Keeton), so I made up what was going on in her mind. I got the idea from my own experiences of fainting (once in high school and almost fainted about 2 months ago).

“She was an abstraction in an abstraction: an impossible intersection of dozens of bright panes, as if the disassembled tiles of a stained-glass window had each been set aglow and animated”.

Blindsight, Pg. 142

 

After reading some of Part II in the book Blindsight, I found that the most compelling sentence in the book so far is on page 142 about Siri’s mom, Helen. The sentence describes what Helen looks like in the sensory Afterlife. The sentence describes her as colorful, glowing, and constantly changing shape. I find this sentence compelling because it connects to other elements in the book and touches on the question of agency.

First, an element in the book that has similar qualities to Helen is the space ship Rorschach. The book describes the inside of Rorschach as “haunted”, with moving walls and strange sounds (158). Since both Helen and Rorschach have the power to change, the question of agency becomes a concern as the power to change can affect who is in control of the situations at hand. This can hold true for these elements and other elements throughout the book.

For example, I found that Helen does not have a lot of agency in the book, as she is in the strictly controlled environment of the Afterlife and places limits on what she can do. She also has no control over other characters. Siri has control because he has the power stop sharing his feeling with her and  to leave her at anytime. I found Rorschach to be a different story. Inside Rorschach, Siri and his teammates are in an environment where anything can happen, as they do not know much about Rorschach and its capabilities. They also have no control over what Rorschach will do at any given moment and may not have the power to escape.

The question of agency is very important in this book as it will determine the fate of Siri and his teammates. There are many elements in this book, like Mission Control (I think that’s right…?) on Earth, Sarasti, or Rorschach, that suggest that they have true agency, the real power on what will or will not happen. So far, I’m not sure who really has this power. I will have to keep reading to find out.