The Second Summer of Love begins with The Queen arriving from outside time promising a paradise for all who follow her. When The Queen threatens to destroy all of reality, Eliza is forced to make a difficult choice that will compromise everything she holds dear to stop her.
The Power Fantasy #8 opens at a school in New York State in 1976, where a discussion of Thomas Aquinas takes place. Aquinas, a thirteenth-century theologian and philosopher, believed in natural theology and the omnibenevolent nature of God. According to Aquinas, God would never allow one of his devout followers to suffer eternal damnation. The scene ends with a student being chastised after she dismisses Aquinas beliefs by saying that he can “go f*** himself.” While this opening does thematically resonate with themes present in the issue, as we will later see Eliza’s faith and beliefs being tested in the issue, it is a bit of an odd opening that feels somewhat disconnected from the overarching plot of the series thus far.
In this issue we learn more about Eliza, first introduced in the previous issue, and in a series of flashbacks we learn more about Eliza’s backstory, and details about her previous marriage and their shared history with Jacky Magus. These flashbacks help flesh out and establish Eliza as a character in ways that humanize her and allow the reader to empathize with the character. It makes what happens to her later in the issue all the more tragic.
Fully transformed by the demonic magic of Hell, Eliza Hellhound laments over her sins. Courtesy of Image Comics.
Eliza uses a magic ritual to access the power of Hell in what she calls a “simple exchange.” This is a significant moment for Eliza because to access this power she had to betray her faith and her God. As she says in the issue, “I turned my back on God…knowing God will never turn his back on me.” Eliza’s faith is an integral part of her identity as a character, but she chooses to allow herself to be corrupted by the demonic magic to defeat The Queen and save the world and all of reality.
Eliza’s magical transformation itself is a highlight of the issue, with exquisite artwork from Casper Wijngaard showing the pure and pious Eliza becoming infused with the demonic dark magic of Hell. Eliza’s final form as Eliza Hellhound is reminiscent of the mutant known as Magik, aka Illyana Rasputin, when she goes full Darkchylde after being corrupted by the demonic power of Limbo. I wonder if much like Illyana, Eliza will struggle with succumbing to her darker impulses now that she has the power of Hell at her fingertips.
Overall, the issue is another satisfying addition in a series that has been relatively consistent in terms of providing high-quality storytelling and art. The issue leaves the reader wondering about the moral and ethical ramifications of Eliza betraying her faith to receive the power necessary to defeat The Queen. How will this choice affect Eliza going forward? What kind of emotional fallout of her decision will we see in subsequent issues?
The introduction of Eliza Hellhound helps round out the cast while fitting neatly into the moral and ethical dilemmas surrounding power and responsibility that have defined the series since issue #1. There are also hints that Valentina may call upon Eliza to use her power to help neutralize a potential threat at some point in the series. This issue feels like just a tease of what Eliza will be capable of with her newfound abilities. It will be very interesting to see what kind of role Eliza will play now that she has begun to emerge as a major player in the book.
Masterfully written by Kieron Gillen with astonishing art from Wijngaard, The Power Fantasy continues to deliver a captivating, compelling, and unconventional approach to the superhero mythos. Much like previous installments in this series, Gillen once again manages to deconstruct the moral and ethical dilemmas present in traditional superhero comics while conveying these ideas in exciting ways that offer something new and original.
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