Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney and today, we continue our deep dive under the sea as we swim more with Disney's mermaids as we look at the second issue the first Little Mermaid comic series as we look at the second part of the Serpent-Teen arc. With that outta the way, let's begin.
Cover
I love this cover as it does a great job of capturing Ariel and friends in action swimming from that scary looking sea monster that we saw at the end of issue # 1and it makes the reader wonder, if she'll survive or not. However, according to the source that I read this comic from, this does not actually take place in the comic but I am surprisingly okay with that as it once again, does a great job of capturing Ariel's spirit.
The Plot
There is a bit more to go into here as we pick up, where the comic left off as it looks as though Ariel is about to be attacked in that crazy maze contraption and we truly get a sense of how awful, these eel-people truly are. (We later learn that they are known as Moray) And we see Ariel attempt to save her sister but Aquata is able to escape back to Atlantica and relays the information to her father and he tells her that he did the right thing coming to her and plans to head back to save Ariel. However, that is not the most interesting part. Ariel is able to make a connection with the queen of the Moray as she is the only one to show Ariel any sympathy.
We actually see more of this after Ariel is taken prisoner once again after Aquata has escaped and how Ariel stands up to the queen in regards to the way, her daughter named Celia mistreats her and talks back to her. I think Ariel's dissatisfaction with the treatment of the Moray Queen can be summed by this exchange.
Ariel: Don't you talk to her that way!
Celia: What's your problem? She's just my mother!
Ariel: If I had a mother, I'd treat her better. Your mom deserves respect!
This exchange is fascinating in how it helps to show another side to Ariel that most people may not think of. The remorseful side. Consider that Ariel was just a baby/toddler when her mother passed away and she never actually got to know her mother and probably only knows what her mom is like through stories that her sisters may have told her.
So, Aiel most likely saw this rather toxic relationship between daughter and mother and it may have reminded her of something that she never got to have and it hurts her to see a daughter be so cruel to a parental figure that she never got to have a relationship with. While this may not have been the intent of what this comic was going for, one cannot help but notice how Ariel must be feeling at this particular moment. As mentioned prior, Aquata heads back to her father and he tells her that she did the right thing as he heads out.
Meanwhile, Flounder accidentally lets it slip that Ariel is a princess and that only makes things worse for our dear heroine. However, the young princess is able to use a thingamabob that she found in the last issue to escape out of the prison that the Moray are holding her captive in.
This is another great moment for Ariel as it shows her ingenuity in thinking of ways to get herself out of sticky situations that she finds herself in. We later learn that the crazy creature that we saw attack Ariel on the cover and at the beginning of this issue had died. And that more importantly, King Cornelius (leader of the Moray) and King Triton know of each other's existence. And okay, this is the one issue that I have with this arc. Why is Ursula here? Her presence in this issue and talking with the Moray just felt rather forced and unneeded. It seems like they might have been setting up something bigger with her as the issue ends with the seawitch looking on over Ariel and Triton as they swim back to Atlantica.
Honestly, I think that this could have been cut out of the comic as I don't really think that anything crucial would have been lost from the story. (Note: Apparently, Ursula was in this comic as this shows how she got her lair. So okay, I was somewhat wrong) Meanwhile, we see Ariel has gotten out of her prison and that the respect that she has shown the queen of the Moray has paid off somewhat as we will see after she and Celia get into a bit of a tussle. Meanwhile, we see the two kings get into a heated argument as Triton makes his appearance known to the Moray. And things get a bit heated as Sebastian "helps" but he's not exactly helping. Cutting back to the battle, Ariel and Celia, the queen comes in and sees what is going on and helps Ariel by delivering the worst punishment that on could endear. Hearing Scuttle sing.
All in all, this was a fun comic that did a great job of bringing these characters to another medium with a rather tense story.
Characters
Ariel
This comic was great at showing Ariel's strength and weakness and how much she yearned for a mother figure in her life as seen with her interactions with the Moray Queen.
Supporting Characters
King Triton
I really liked how Triton was handled in this issue as it showed him as being tough but firm and would do anything to save his daughter
The Moray Queen
I apologize but I can't recall if she had a name but man, did I feel really bad for this character as she was constantly put down by her husband and daughter as she let them walk all over her. And the way, her daughter talked to her was just unacceptable.
King Cornelius
This man was just a cruel man that barely listened to reason until Triton came along and explained that the Moray and the Merpeople that had caused the myths between these two fractions to exist in the first place.
Celia
This young woman was just a brat and made me hater her considering the way, she talked back to her mother and showed her no respect. That was just cruel and went too far.
My Final Thoughts
Overall, this comic was pretty fun and this was an enjoyable arc that did a lot to help set up the kind of adventures that one could have with Ariel in this format. We aren't done with comics just yet as tomorrow, we will be looking at a Free Comic Book Day handout featuring Ariel from this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment