106: Cloak and Dagger v2 #10 - Who'll Stop the Rain?
- Location
- Netherlands
106: Cloak and Dagger v2 #10 (January 1987)
Cover
Doom returns to the old staple of becoming insanely huge on the cover, and I actually quite like how menacing he comes across here, even if it's mostly down to how exaggeratedly angry his mask's expression is drawn here. Cloak and Dagger don't seem to be having a great time here, and I'm a little weirded out by what's going on with the former's face. Looks more like a jaundiced goblin than a person at first sight! Also, Dagger, how exactly is that ensemble staying on your body at all? I swear, that's not a boob window, that's just straight up a fundamental lack of sensible design choices! And that's not even mentioning the weird hair - visited any towns from Uzumaki recently…?
Story Overview
Who'll Stop the Rain?
Creedence Clearwater Revival reference? Okay then. Anyway, if you want to get into my good graces, opening your story with Doctor Doom standing on the parapets of his castle, screaming into the winds that the storm must rage on, for its power is his to deploy… that's a pretty good way to do it. As Doom commands the gale to continue, Boris approaches from behind, warning his Master that the Particle Projector is nearing completion. A shadowed silhouette Doom tells Boris that he is the only person who could get away with interrupting his communion with the elements. Boris notes that he exists to serve, as he has done since his father died! The comic actually references back to Doom's origin here, both the original version in Fantastic Four v1 Annual #2 as well as the more recent rehash in the Kristoff story of Fantastic Four v1 #278.
Boris and Doom descend down from the castle's tallest tower towards its depths, revealing ever more advanced technology hidden behind the medieval trappings. They pass through an advanced laboratory and then move on to a library where several flying robots are busily sorting out the vast stores of knowledge that Doom has accumulated. Several scientists approach and tell Doom that the atmospheric conditions are excellent according to satellite data, while another rather Einstein-looking fellow declares that nobody has ever predicted the weather with such uncanny accuracy from months in advance. Doom simply declares that nobody else can compare with Victor von Doom!
As Doom moves on through yet more elaborate rooms of his castle, he narrates to Boris that in all the world, no one else is his intellectual equal. Even his arch-enemy Reed Richards, he reasons, while capable of comprehending the theory behind his Particle Projector and even building it, does not have the essential rectitude that is required to impose his final solution! Uhhh, wanna reconsider that name there, buddy?
The device, he declares, was constructed for the salvation of the Earth, and he will save the planet despite humanity's apparent desire to destroy it! Mankind's inventiveness exceeds its intelligence, he reckons, since the arms race spurred on by war has led people to develop weapons capable of incinerating not only themselves, but everyone else inhabiting the world as well! Doom, however, will not die because of other people's recklessness. If the nations of Earth cannot stop squabbling long enough to control the forces they have unleashed, then Doom shall take their precious toys away from them!
Inside the gutted interior of what was once a tower used for addressing the public, a gigantic metal construct has been built, a spire of technological might. Doom asks Boris what he knows of Greek mythology. Fire, it was said, was a gift from the great god Zeus, but when Man abused his fit, he withdrew this gift and plunged mankind into primordial darkness. Today, man has gained another godlike gift: nuclear power. A great tool for industry, medicine, science - but it's primarily been used to build ever larger stockpiles of weapons. Zeus deprived man of fire lest, in his arrogance, he thinks himself greater than the gods, thus destroying his belief in them. Now, once he presses the big red button on his machine, he will deprive humanity of nuclear fire, lest it destroy itself - and Doom!
We switch scenes to Cloak and Dagger, who arrive through the dark dimension contained within the former's cloak with Shaggy-looking Bill Clayton along. Cloak groans in pain as they arrive in pursuit of drug-smugglers, mostly because he doesn't generally travel such distances, and he's avoided consuming the light power of Dagger that sustains him lest the creatures in the dark dimension he houses came out and attacked his friends in transit. In the background we see a castle, from which a brilliant beam of light shines up into the sky. Dagger asks where they are… and what's that beautiful light over there? Cloak points out that Clayton was brought along for his supposed knowledge of Europe, but he points out that he doesn't know the entire continent on sight, and they should head over to a nearby village and ask around. Cloak engulfs the other two in his power again, with Dagger quickly grabbing Clayton's hand so her light powers can protect him. They vanish inside it, and the cloak itself disappears from view.
Nearby, several Latverians look on to the shining castle and ask what sort of wonders the Master works tonight. They do so in their native tongue - as far as I'm aware it's the first confirmation that Latverian is its own language. Several Latverians think that whatever is going on is probably to their benefit, and that of the world. Another disagrees, declaring that the world condemns the good 'Baron' von Doom as a criminal. Were he so benevolent as they all claim, why would they fear him? No, Doctor Doom is the very devil! Cloak and Dagger arrive at that moment, and try to get someone to talk by speaking German at them, but people just think they're demons - or possibly servants of Doom. In any case they run away.
As they're left behind by the crowd, Dagger complains that now they'll never find out what that wonderful column of light is, while Cloak wonders if Clayton understood the language the people were speaking. He did, actually - it's a Balkan dialect similar to Transylvanian, it seems, and judging by the sign over a nearby building he knows exactly where they are. He then mistranslates 'Doomstadthaus', which is actually just German, as meaning 'the house of the state of Doom' rather than, you know, Doomstadt House, or maybe Doom Townhouse. In any case, they've arrived in Latveria!
Before they can react, a dozen robot guards come rushing in and surround the trio, who are a bit confused. Dagger admits that she didn't even think Doom was real, while Clayton notes that his father told him he was, and as an American ambassador, he ought to know.
The robots part to let through a local magistrate, who announces that he's inviting them over to the Master - not as prisoners, but guests! Clayton doesn't trust invitation at gunpoint, but Dagger just wants to know about the pretty lights. Cloak observes that Dagger seems dazzled by the bright pillar, and she might get shot before he's able to whisk her away from the situation. As such he decides to accept the invitation for the moment.
Soon they are led inside the castle, where Doom apparently read the previous panel since he commends Cloak for his wisdom. Looking down on them from behind raised semi-circular control panel, he muses that they are surely not tourists, and that they are of that particular kind of people that are blessed with powers beyond the rest of their race. He's implying they're mutants which is… conditionally true-ish depending on which comic you read. Cloak introduces everyone and explains they're after some smugglers who deluge the streets of New York with drugs, and their chase has led them here, to Doom! The monarch tells them that he lets no common criminals across his borders, and undoubtedly the people they seek were following the nearby Autobahn that passes close to the borders before heading towards Istanbul, where such illicit deals are known to take place. They've strayed from their path, clearly, but why…?
Dagger admits that it might have been the bright column of light that drew them in. Doom wonders if they sensed its power, and Dagger explains that the two of them are attuned to light - she uses it with her powers, while Cloak eats it to sustain himself. Doom wonders if they use these power to do… good, and offers his hand to Dagger, who takes it despite Cloak's warnings not to. Doom then… introduces himself as Vincent von Doom for some reason, declaring he was ever a man to bow before beauty. Dagger notes that the only things they know about Doom speak of evil. Doom just says they shouldn't trust the word of his enemies, and Clayton incredulous wonders if they're supposed to believe the Fantastic Four are liars. Doom just says that those of limited vision have misconstrued his intentions. Dagger wonders if that means he doesn't want to rule the world, and he responds that he wouldn't unless survival compels him to do so…
Which it has finally done! Fate had decreed that they should bear witness to a pivotal point in history, Doom declares, and perhaps it's only right - for their generation will be the first to come of age in a world ruled by Doctor Doom! Cloak calls him mad, and Doom dismisses it as an epithet he's copied from his elders. Never again can he amass the necessary rare elements for the Particle Projector, he declares, and it will be years before the atmospheric conditions will once more be ideal. But they can see the power-pillar before their very eyes, which has made him the Master of the world this very night! Even now a stream of nuclear neutralization particles encircle the world, which will home in on nuclear material and render it inert in one fell swoop!
Dagger is amazed, wondering if that means he's ended the threat of nuclear war - forever! Just like that? Clayton wonders why, and Doom declares that now he can sleep securely tonight, and every night thereafter. As can they. He tells them Boris will lead them to a bedchamber for the night, because tomorrow a new era will begin! They actually agree and are led to a well-furnished room with beds and a roaring fire. Cloak asks why they are afforded this hospitality, and Boris muses that perhaps it's because Doom senses they don't have the power to interfere with his plans, or because even Zeus needed an approving audience of his fellow gods when he took the gift of fire back from Mankind!
Cloak notes that the world's nations may even now be discovering what Doom has done, but it will take time to mobilize, and they're hamstrung without their nuclear arsenals at their disposal. But they are there right now, they can stop Doom! Cloak wonders if they should, since removing the threat of nuclear war seems like a good thing. Their kids will grow up without fear of sudden extinction! Behind them, Clayton repeats Boris' words about Zeus and the gift of fire, and realizes what's going on. He knows what Doom has done! Cloak dryly points out that Doom already explained what he was doing pretty succinctly to their face.
Clayton, however, has realized the scope of Doom's insanity. He believes himself as powerful as the old gods, as all-powerful as Zeus himself! Myth says that Zeus say man playing with fire, and took it away to humble humanity, to remind them that they owed their lives to the gods. But mankind had a champion - the god Prometheus dared to defy Zeus and stole the fire back to return it to mankind. In punishment Zeus had him shackled to a cliffside, where he would suffer for all eternity. If Doom is Zeus, Dagger wonders, who are they supposed to be? Are they Prometheus, restoring nuclear fire to mankind and suffering the eternal agony of knowing they've given the world back the capacity to destroy itself? Yeah, no thanks…!
It's not that easy, though, because Doom's machine doesn't just take out nuclear weapons - it also means no energy for cities since nuclear power plants are taken out, no radiation therapy for cancer patients, no nuclear scientific research. And what if he concludes they're misusing electricity next? Why not erase that too, and kick everyone out of the 20th century? Or take fire away, and boot them back to the Stone Age? A lot of people died of famine, plague and pestilence in the days before nuclear power, perhaps more than may ever face nuclear extinction. Cloak and Dagger seem convinced, but how are they supposed to stop Doom? He's powerful! Surely the Avengers or the Fantastic Four will show up? Clayton figures that maybe they won't, and it's up to them…
Elsewhere, Doom is merrily narrating to himself, asking his enemies whether they sense power in the storm tonight, or if they stare bemused at the nuclear instruments which no longer work? He pours himself a cup of wine as he wonders how long it'll take them to trace the collapse of atomic society to Doom, who now holds that card alone, since all his nuclear technology is shielded from the Particle Projector's effect? As Doom pours his wine directly through his mask into his waiting mouth, Cloak and Dagger arrive to confront him.
They declare they cannot stand by as he attempts to conquer the world, and Doom responds by saying he's already done it, but he senses from their infantile posturing that they are here to try and do something about it.
Dagger strikes out with her daggers of light, projectiles created form her own inner purity. The light-knives effortlessly slip through even Doom's force-fields and should be paralyzing him - but they're not doing anything. Any normal villain would be frozen by now, captions claim, as these daggers are filled with such purity that impure, villainous people couldn't cope with it. But they have little effect, because he's never regarded his actions as evil - he acts as he must, because what's good for Doom is also good for the world.
Cloak rushes in, figuring if light can't take him down, maybe darkness will be more successful! He then engulfs Doom in his cloak like a shroud. Doom finds himself in the shadow-realm, presumably because he lost a children's card game. He tries shooting at the darkness with magic missiles, but when that proves ineffective he ceases his assault to preserve energy. He then sets out to explore the dimension to which he has apparently been exiled, withholding his thoughts on what he might find there - but he's still startled by what he comes across. There, standing over a bubbling cauldron, is Cynthia von Doom herself - Doom's mother! Condemned and killed for her witchcraft, her son swore to one day free her from torment - and has always failed.
The image of Cynthia demands to know how much longer she has to wait, how much more agony she must endure. Why has he pursued worldly power while she remains in purgatory? Crumpling to his knees, Doom begs forgiveness, despair rising within him. As Doom explains that he sought to amass enough power to challenge the mystical sources that bind Cynthia's soul, he senses something else in the darkness.
Behind him, a mysterious predatory creature feeds on his light, and Doom refuses to let it take him and starts hand-blasting it. Outside the dimension Cloak suddenly shrieks in agony as Doom hits something inside of him, and he's forced to let the monarch escape back into reality. Doom realizes instantly that what he saw was all a trick - a thrice-cursed lie of his own mind! No man may know, let alone manipulate, the inner desires of his mind and live!
Doom starts hand-blasting the duo, but Cloak is unable to get them away with his powers, still unsettled by intense pain. Doom's attack is instead intercepted by a steel door that Clayton suddenly slams open, and he's mid-way through an explanation of how Doom managed to neutralize radioactive particles when he realizes the door has melted.
Cloak quickly calls him over - they'll all have to vanish into his cloak. Even though he's still quite hurt, there really is no other option - he has to try! Wracked by agony Cloak uses his powers just before he gets incinerated by Doom's lasers, and he sweeps the trio away. Doom immediately commands an army of robots to hunt down his enemies and destroy them!
The trio reappear quite nearby, inside the tower that houses the Particle Projector. It seems Clayton directed them there, since he reasons the light that drew them here is just an energy manifestation of the neutralization particles that Doom is sending into the atmosphere. Cloak isn't sure what it matters - they've already established they aren't strong enough to fight Doom. Clayton figures if they can just take out the tower and escape, they won't need to fight him again. Dagger isn't sure how they're supposed to shut it down - she's not seeing a plug! Cloak admits that normally he might have used his dark dimension to spirit the machine away, but he's too hurt to even try. Dagger attempts to use her own powers to destroy the machine, but it's utterly useless, and she only exhausts herself in the attempt.
They've failed, and the world will suffer for it! Unless… Unless Doom can be made to destroy his own device! Clayton wonders if Cloak is going to try and convince Doom to give nuclear power back for humanitarian reasons? That would never work, there's no humanity in Doom's armor!
Cloak declares he shall not reason with Doom, but instead bait him into destroying the reactor with himself as the bait! Doom soon arrives and takes the bait, and Cloak tells Dagger to take Clayton and flee while he takes care of the good Doctor. Engulfing him once more in the cloak, Doom wonders if the lesson hadn't been learned the first time. He doesn't fear the darkness. Why should he fear that which he can destroy? As Doom raises his hands to release another force-burst against his captor, Cloak suddenly retreats and releases at the last moment, and the beam lashes out against the Particle Projector, detonating the machine!
As the destruction spreads Cloak sweeps up Dagger and Clayton, and they flee the scene. They materialize across the Latverian border as the castle goes up like fireworks in the background. Cloak hopes that wiser minds than theirs will analyze what happened here and ensure that it can't happen again in the future. Clayton figures that Reed Richards will construct some kind of shield should Doom ever choose to build the machine again. Cloak decides that like Prometheus they have triumphed over a jealous god, and nuclear fire has been restored to mankind. Will they come to regret that gift in time, as they live with the guilt of giving humanity back the means for its own destruction…?
Rating & Comments
You know, fresh off Emperor Doom, I didn't really expect to cover an issue that is so… similar… in some respects. I mean, yes, this is the rather inferior Emperor Doom IV: The Quest for Peace in that comparison, but still. One again we're dealing with a comic that attempts to portray Doom as someone who's acting on behalf of the greater good, even if he really isn't. I'm also fairly certain I remember covering a similar plot to this in a previous issue, but I've forgotten which one. In any case, the supposed benevolent motive of stopping nuclear war is eventually revealed to be at least partly a lie, since Doom is keeping an arsenal of his own in his back pocket, just in case, while disarming everyone else. And willfully screwing over every non-warfare use for radioactivity.
This feels like a very filler issue for Cloak and Dagger, who take a detour from their doubtlessly all-important chase after some drug smugglers to save the world's nuclear stockpiles in a one-off side issue. Uh, okay? That was random. I doubt it'll ever come up again. In any case they both come off as pretty dim in this issue, especially Dagger, who basically ends up staring at the pretty lights for the duration and then ineffectually lobs some light at things. Cloak doesn't have much character either, but at least he does stuff - although his fighting repertoire seems to consist of banishing people to the Shadow-Realm and hoping they stay there. Suffice to say they don't.
The dark dimension seems to induce despair into its inhabitants, which is why we get a pretty nice little encapsulation of Doom's personal struggles there, by showing an impatient and cranky Cynthia von Doom who condemns her son for not being fast enough in saving her. I'm not sure if we're supposed to believe this is Doom's own subconscious berating him, or if it's Cloak manipulating his memories to do the same, but either way it's definitely not his actual mother there. That explains why he's rightfully pissed when he finally manages to blast his way out of the illusion. That process, by the way, is a bit weird - the comic establishes that Doom's hand-blasts don't work, but then suddenly they do. It seems the mysterious 'predator' hiding in the background is related, and maybe it's just that since it's solid and counts as part of Cloak, hence him getting hurt when it gets shot. I suspect it's part of a larger plot that we're only seeing a part of here.
Aside from that little glimpse into Doom's psyche, we actually get another odd one when Dagger lets loose her light-force daggers and fails to do much of any damage to Doom. Apparently Doom has never seen his actions as 'evil' and that's why he's unaffected. Which, sure, I can buy that Doom views his every action as benefiting the world - but does that really not apply to many villains, then? Aside from a handful of proper crazies who work off pure madness, wouldn't most people generally believe they are not evil, just misunderstood? How many really interpret their own actions as malevolent and repugnant? Surely many villains would have self-justification just as elaborate as Doom's and thereby skirt around the apparently really subjective edges of Dagger's power? It comes across as a bit ill-considered, but maybe Dagger really is pretty useless on the whole, I don't really read her comics.
Doom's character is a bit weird in this issue, since he happily rants about his megalomaniacal world-conquering plans to all who want to hear, and then turns around and offers a bunch of superheroes room and board for the night because apparently he thinks they're too weak to actually do anything about it. You'd think he would have learned not to underestimate random heroes after they keep beating him up unexpectedly - or ruin his plan without defeating him. Cloak and Dagger basically pull a Dazzler on him! At least he still gets to be a combat badass - Cloak and Dagger only get away with their lives through sheer luck, and the way they actually manage to take down Doom's plan is to trick him into destroying it himself. Which makes Doom look rather dumb, but at least it makes sense that Doom would underestimate these kids - the last time he ran into underage superheroes, a single Doombot managed to take them all out by himself! Poor embarrassing X-Men, your legacy persists...
I'm not sure what the whole Zeus/Prometheus stuff is about in this issue, as it mostly just comes across as overly dramatic symbolism on the parts of both Doom (from whom you'd expect such nonsense) and Clayton (who just randomly seems to read Doom's mind because Boris said a handful of words in his presence.) I do like that in the story Zeus takes back the fire for himself, rather than destroying it entirely - which explains why he's keeping his own nukes while taking everyone else's away. That said, I'm not sure the analogy works if Cloak & Dagger just get away after returning the fire, since the myth is pretty explicit about what happens next. I'm not seeing nearly enough birds eating superhero livers to make sense of all this!
I have some minor gripes with the issue besides that - notably the really excessive amount of dialogue explaining what's going on at all times. Most of it is unnecessary or removes any sort of tension from the story - I don't need an elaborate explanation about how you plan to trick Doom into firing on his own machine before implementing it, just show it already. I can't believe I have to explain this to a piece of visual media but show, don't tell! It's also strange that we got literally no response from anyone outside Latveria despite several hours passing in-story. The other characters even bring up the Avengers and the FF, but we don't even see a panel of them arriving at the end or something, there's just nothing there. Since timeline-wise this is slotted right after Emperor Doom, you'd think people would keep a close eye on Latverian plans for global conquest (again!)
I wasn't a big fan of this one, and since I was debating giving it two or three stars, I'll edge on the lower end and give it a 'meh' two stars. There were some half-decent Doom moments in this one, I suppose, and some funny poses - but nothing too much to write home about.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I'm going to go with that dramatic opening shot of Doom on the parapets shouting at the storm. It's just really neat! Alternatively I guess I could go with the painterly scenes of Cynthia von Doom inside Cloak's cloak dimension, but they don't look great in most of the scans I've seen, unfortunately.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Rage on, storm! Your power is mine to employ!"
"Save the world I shall - despite humanity's apparent determination to destroy it!"
"Am I to be blamed for the way my name may have been maligned by my enemies? ...I merely meant that those of limited vision may have misconstrued my intentions."
"No man may know - let alone manipulate - the innermost desires of Victor von Doom - and live!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
...This is the second time he's erroneously called himself Vincent von Doom in his own comics. Is it his middle name? Weirdly enough he also calls himself Victor in this very issue, so it's not like the writer just forgot. Editors, do your job! Hey, maybe this is confirmation that we're dealing with a Doombot? They do have a habit of flirting with pretty super-women, as with Storm and Sue in the past, and it makes his loss against a pair of random teenagers a bit more palatable. Maybe he's not a combat-type either, like the one in the X-Men three-parter?
Doom-Tech of the Week
The obvious Particle Projector has to be mentioned here - a device to destroy all the nuclear material on a planet in one go, save for those bits that were safely shielded. Turns out Doom could probably get a job with the Psychlos, who knew?
Cover
Doom returns to the old staple of becoming insanely huge on the cover, and I actually quite like how menacing he comes across here, even if it's mostly down to how exaggeratedly angry his mask's expression is drawn here. Cloak and Dagger don't seem to be having a great time here, and I'm a little weirded out by what's going on with the former's face. Looks more like a jaundiced goblin than a person at first sight! Also, Dagger, how exactly is that ensemble staying on your body at all? I swear, that's not a boob window, that's just straight up a fundamental lack of sensible design choices! And that's not even mentioning the weird hair - visited any towns from Uzumaki recently…?
Story Overview
Who'll Stop the Rain?
Creedence Clearwater Revival reference? Okay then. Anyway, if you want to get into my good graces, opening your story with Doctor Doom standing on the parapets of his castle, screaming into the winds that the storm must rage on, for its power is his to deploy… that's a pretty good way to do it. As Doom commands the gale to continue, Boris approaches from behind, warning his Master that the Particle Projector is nearing completion. A shadowed silhouette Doom tells Boris that he is the only person who could get away with interrupting his communion with the elements. Boris notes that he exists to serve, as he has done since his father died! The comic actually references back to Doom's origin here, both the original version in Fantastic Four v1 Annual #2 as well as the more recent rehash in the Kristoff story of Fantastic Four v1 #278.
Boris and Doom descend down from the castle's tallest tower towards its depths, revealing ever more advanced technology hidden behind the medieval trappings. They pass through an advanced laboratory and then move on to a library where several flying robots are busily sorting out the vast stores of knowledge that Doom has accumulated. Several scientists approach and tell Doom that the atmospheric conditions are excellent according to satellite data, while another rather Einstein-looking fellow declares that nobody has ever predicted the weather with such uncanny accuracy from months in advance. Doom simply declares that nobody else can compare with Victor von Doom!
As Doom moves on through yet more elaborate rooms of his castle, he narrates to Boris that in all the world, no one else is his intellectual equal. Even his arch-enemy Reed Richards, he reasons, while capable of comprehending the theory behind his Particle Projector and even building it, does not have the essential rectitude that is required to impose his final solution! Uhhh, wanna reconsider that name there, buddy?
The device, he declares, was constructed for the salvation of the Earth, and he will save the planet despite humanity's apparent desire to destroy it! Mankind's inventiveness exceeds its intelligence, he reckons, since the arms race spurred on by war has led people to develop weapons capable of incinerating not only themselves, but everyone else inhabiting the world as well! Doom, however, will not die because of other people's recklessness. If the nations of Earth cannot stop squabbling long enough to control the forces they have unleashed, then Doom shall take their precious toys away from them!
Inside the gutted interior of what was once a tower used for addressing the public, a gigantic metal construct has been built, a spire of technological might. Doom asks Boris what he knows of Greek mythology. Fire, it was said, was a gift from the great god Zeus, but when Man abused his fit, he withdrew this gift and plunged mankind into primordial darkness. Today, man has gained another godlike gift: nuclear power. A great tool for industry, medicine, science - but it's primarily been used to build ever larger stockpiles of weapons. Zeus deprived man of fire lest, in his arrogance, he thinks himself greater than the gods, thus destroying his belief in them. Now, once he presses the big red button on his machine, he will deprive humanity of nuclear fire, lest it destroy itself - and Doom!
We switch scenes to Cloak and Dagger, who arrive through the dark dimension contained within the former's cloak with Shaggy-looking Bill Clayton along. Cloak groans in pain as they arrive in pursuit of drug-smugglers, mostly because he doesn't generally travel such distances, and he's avoided consuming the light power of Dagger that sustains him lest the creatures in the dark dimension he houses came out and attacked his friends in transit. In the background we see a castle, from which a brilliant beam of light shines up into the sky. Dagger asks where they are… and what's that beautiful light over there? Cloak points out that Clayton was brought along for his supposed knowledge of Europe, but he points out that he doesn't know the entire continent on sight, and they should head over to a nearby village and ask around. Cloak engulfs the other two in his power again, with Dagger quickly grabbing Clayton's hand so her light powers can protect him. They vanish inside it, and the cloak itself disappears from view.
Nearby, several Latverians look on to the shining castle and ask what sort of wonders the Master works tonight. They do so in their native tongue - as far as I'm aware it's the first confirmation that Latverian is its own language. Several Latverians think that whatever is going on is probably to their benefit, and that of the world. Another disagrees, declaring that the world condemns the good 'Baron' von Doom as a criminal. Were he so benevolent as they all claim, why would they fear him? No, Doctor Doom is the very devil! Cloak and Dagger arrive at that moment, and try to get someone to talk by speaking German at them, but people just think they're demons - or possibly servants of Doom. In any case they run away.
As they're left behind by the crowd, Dagger complains that now they'll never find out what that wonderful column of light is, while Cloak wonders if Clayton understood the language the people were speaking. He did, actually - it's a Balkan dialect similar to Transylvanian, it seems, and judging by the sign over a nearby building he knows exactly where they are. He then mistranslates 'Doomstadthaus', which is actually just German, as meaning 'the house of the state of Doom' rather than, you know, Doomstadt House, or maybe Doom Townhouse. In any case, they've arrived in Latveria!
Before they can react, a dozen robot guards come rushing in and surround the trio, who are a bit confused. Dagger admits that she didn't even think Doom was real, while Clayton notes that his father told him he was, and as an American ambassador, he ought to know.
The robots part to let through a local magistrate, who announces that he's inviting them over to the Master - not as prisoners, but guests! Clayton doesn't trust invitation at gunpoint, but Dagger just wants to know about the pretty lights. Cloak observes that Dagger seems dazzled by the bright pillar, and she might get shot before he's able to whisk her away from the situation. As such he decides to accept the invitation for the moment.
Soon they are led inside the castle, where Doom apparently read the previous panel since he commends Cloak for his wisdom. Looking down on them from behind raised semi-circular control panel, he muses that they are surely not tourists, and that they are of that particular kind of people that are blessed with powers beyond the rest of their race. He's implying they're mutants which is… conditionally true-ish depending on which comic you read. Cloak introduces everyone and explains they're after some smugglers who deluge the streets of New York with drugs, and their chase has led them here, to Doom! The monarch tells them that he lets no common criminals across his borders, and undoubtedly the people they seek were following the nearby Autobahn that passes close to the borders before heading towards Istanbul, where such illicit deals are known to take place. They've strayed from their path, clearly, but why…?
Dagger admits that it might have been the bright column of light that drew them in. Doom wonders if they sensed its power, and Dagger explains that the two of them are attuned to light - she uses it with her powers, while Cloak eats it to sustain himself. Doom wonders if they use these power to do… good, and offers his hand to Dagger, who takes it despite Cloak's warnings not to. Doom then… introduces himself as Vincent von Doom for some reason, declaring he was ever a man to bow before beauty. Dagger notes that the only things they know about Doom speak of evil. Doom just says they shouldn't trust the word of his enemies, and Clayton incredulous wonders if they're supposed to believe the Fantastic Four are liars. Doom just says that those of limited vision have misconstrued his intentions. Dagger wonders if that means he doesn't want to rule the world, and he responds that he wouldn't unless survival compels him to do so…
Which it has finally done! Fate had decreed that they should bear witness to a pivotal point in history, Doom declares, and perhaps it's only right - for their generation will be the first to come of age in a world ruled by Doctor Doom! Cloak calls him mad, and Doom dismisses it as an epithet he's copied from his elders. Never again can he amass the necessary rare elements for the Particle Projector, he declares, and it will be years before the atmospheric conditions will once more be ideal. But they can see the power-pillar before their very eyes, which has made him the Master of the world this very night! Even now a stream of nuclear neutralization particles encircle the world, which will home in on nuclear material and render it inert in one fell swoop!
Dagger is amazed, wondering if that means he's ended the threat of nuclear war - forever! Just like that? Clayton wonders why, and Doom declares that now he can sleep securely tonight, and every night thereafter. As can they. He tells them Boris will lead them to a bedchamber for the night, because tomorrow a new era will begin! They actually agree and are led to a well-furnished room with beds and a roaring fire. Cloak asks why they are afforded this hospitality, and Boris muses that perhaps it's because Doom senses they don't have the power to interfere with his plans, or because even Zeus needed an approving audience of his fellow gods when he took the gift of fire back from Mankind!
Cloak notes that the world's nations may even now be discovering what Doom has done, but it will take time to mobilize, and they're hamstrung without their nuclear arsenals at their disposal. But they are there right now, they can stop Doom! Cloak wonders if they should, since removing the threat of nuclear war seems like a good thing. Their kids will grow up without fear of sudden extinction! Behind them, Clayton repeats Boris' words about Zeus and the gift of fire, and realizes what's going on. He knows what Doom has done! Cloak dryly points out that Doom already explained what he was doing pretty succinctly to their face.
Clayton, however, has realized the scope of Doom's insanity. He believes himself as powerful as the old gods, as all-powerful as Zeus himself! Myth says that Zeus say man playing with fire, and took it away to humble humanity, to remind them that they owed their lives to the gods. But mankind had a champion - the god Prometheus dared to defy Zeus and stole the fire back to return it to mankind. In punishment Zeus had him shackled to a cliffside, where he would suffer for all eternity. If Doom is Zeus, Dagger wonders, who are they supposed to be? Are they Prometheus, restoring nuclear fire to mankind and suffering the eternal agony of knowing they've given the world back the capacity to destroy itself? Yeah, no thanks…!
It's not that easy, though, because Doom's machine doesn't just take out nuclear weapons - it also means no energy for cities since nuclear power plants are taken out, no radiation therapy for cancer patients, no nuclear scientific research. And what if he concludes they're misusing electricity next? Why not erase that too, and kick everyone out of the 20th century? Or take fire away, and boot them back to the Stone Age? A lot of people died of famine, plague and pestilence in the days before nuclear power, perhaps more than may ever face nuclear extinction. Cloak and Dagger seem convinced, but how are they supposed to stop Doom? He's powerful! Surely the Avengers or the Fantastic Four will show up? Clayton figures that maybe they won't, and it's up to them…
Elsewhere, Doom is merrily narrating to himself, asking his enemies whether they sense power in the storm tonight, or if they stare bemused at the nuclear instruments which no longer work? He pours himself a cup of wine as he wonders how long it'll take them to trace the collapse of atomic society to Doom, who now holds that card alone, since all his nuclear technology is shielded from the Particle Projector's effect? As Doom pours his wine directly through his mask into his waiting mouth, Cloak and Dagger arrive to confront him.
They declare they cannot stand by as he attempts to conquer the world, and Doom responds by saying he's already done it, but he senses from their infantile posturing that they are here to try and do something about it.
Dagger strikes out with her daggers of light, projectiles created form her own inner purity. The light-knives effortlessly slip through even Doom's force-fields and should be paralyzing him - but they're not doing anything. Any normal villain would be frozen by now, captions claim, as these daggers are filled with such purity that impure, villainous people couldn't cope with it. But they have little effect, because he's never regarded his actions as evil - he acts as he must, because what's good for Doom is also good for the world.
Cloak rushes in, figuring if light can't take him down, maybe darkness will be more successful! He then engulfs Doom in his cloak like a shroud. Doom finds himself in the shadow-realm, presumably because he lost a children's card game. He tries shooting at the darkness with magic missiles, but when that proves ineffective he ceases his assault to preserve energy. He then sets out to explore the dimension to which he has apparently been exiled, withholding his thoughts on what he might find there - but he's still startled by what he comes across. There, standing over a bubbling cauldron, is Cynthia von Doom herself - Doom's mother! Condemned and killed for her witchcraft, her son swore to one day free her from torment - and has always failed.
The image of Cynthia demands to know how much longer she has to wait, how much more agony she must endure. Why has he pursued worldly power while she remains in purgatory? Crumpling to his knees, Doom begs forgiveness, despair rising within him. As Doom explains that he sought to amass enough power to challenge the mystical sources that bind Cynthia's soul, he senses something else in the darkness.
Behind him, a mysterious predatory creature feeds on his light, and Doom refuses to let it take him and starts hand-blasting it. Outside the dimension Cloak suddenly shrieks in agony as Doom hits something inside of him, and he's forced to let the monarch escape back into reality. Doom realizes instantly that what he saw was all a trick - a thrice-cursed lie of his own mind! No man may know, let alone manipulate, the inner desires of his mind and live!
Doom starts hand-blasting the duo, but Cloak is unable to get them away with his powers, still unsettled by intense pain. Doom's attack is instead intercepted by a steel door that Clayton suddenly slams open, and he's mid-way through an explanation of how Doom managed to neutralize radioactive particles when he realizes the door has melted.
Cloak quickly calls him over - they'll all have to vanish into his cloak. Even though he's still quite hurt, there really is no other option - he has to try! Wracked by agony Cloak uses his powers just before he gets incinerated by Doom's lasers, and he sweeps the trio away. Doom immediately commands an army of robots to hunt down his enemies and destroy them!
The trio reappear quite nearby, inside the tower that houses the Particle Projector. It seems Clayton directed them there, since he reasons the light that drew them here is just an energy manifestation of the neutralization particles that Doom is sending into the atmosphere. Cloak isn't sure what it matters - they've already established they aren't strong enough to fight Doom. Clayton figures if they can just take out the tower and escape, they won't need to fight him again. Dagger isn't sure how they're supposed to shut it down - she's not seeing a plug! Cloak admits that normally he might have used his dark dimension to spirit the machine away, but he's too hurt to even try. Dagger attempts to use her own powers to destroy the machine, but it's utterly useless, and she only exhausts herself in the attempt.
They've failed, and the world will suffer for it! Unless… Unless Doom can be made to destroy his own device! Clayton wonders if Cloak is going to try and convince Doom to give nuclear power back for humanitarian reasons? That would never work, there's no humanity in Doom's armor!
Cloak declares he shall not reason with Doom, but instead bait him into destroying the reactor with himself as the bait! Doom soon arrives and takes the bait, and Cloak tells Dagger to take Clayton and flee while he takes care of the good Doctor. Engulfing him once more in the cloak, Doom wonders if the lesson hadn't been learned the first time. He doesn't fear the darkness. Why should he fear that which he can destroy? As Doom raises his hands to release another force-burst against his captor, Cloak suddenly retreats and releases at the last moment, and the beam lashes out against the Particle Projector, detonating the machine!
As the destruction spreads Cloak sweeps up Dagger and Clayton, and they flee the scene. They materialize across the Latverian border as the castle goes up like fireworks in the background. Cloak hopes that wiser minds than theirs will analyze what happened here and ensure that it can't happen again in the future. Clayton figures that Reed Richards will construct some kind of shield should Doom ever choose to build the machine again. Cloak decides that like Prometheus they have triumphed over a jealous god, and nuclear fire has been restored to mankind. Will they come to regret that gift in time, as they live with the guilt of giving humanity back the means for its own destruction…?
Rating & Comments
You know, fresh off Emperor Doom, I didn't really expect to cover an issue that is so… similar… in some respects. I mean, yes, this is the rather inferior Emperor Doom IV: The Quest for Peace in that comparison, but still. One again we're dealing with a comic that attempts to portray Doom as someone who's acting on behalf of the greater good, even if he really isn't. I'm also fairly certain I remember covering a similar plot to this in a previous issue, but I've forgotten which one. In any case, the supposed benevolent motive of stopping nuclear war is eventually revealed to be at least partly a lie, since Doom is keeping an arsenal of his own in his back pocket, just in case, while disarming everyone else. And willfully screwing over every non-warfare use for radioactivity.
This feels like a very filler issue for Cloak and Dagger, who take a detour from their doubtlessly all-important chase after some drug smugglers to save the world's nuclear stockpiles in a one-off side issue. Uh, okay? That was random. I doubt it'll ever come up again. In any case they both come off as pretty dim in this issue, especially Dagger, who basically ends up staring at the pretty lights for the duration and then ineffectually lobs some light at things. Cloak doesn't have much character either, but at least he does stuff - although his fighting repertoire seems to consist of banishing people to the Shadow-Realm and hoping they stay there. Suffice to say they don't.
The dark dimension seems to induce despair into its inhabitants, which is why we get a pretty nice little encapsulation of Doom's personal struggles there, by showing an impatient and cranky Cynthia von Doom who condemns her son for not being fast enough in saving her. I'm not sure if we're supposed to believe this is Doom's own subconscious berating him, or if it's Cloak manipulating his memories to do the same, but either way it's definitely not his actual mother there. That explains why he's rightfully pissed when he finally manages to blast his way out of the illusion. That process, by the way, is a bit weird - the comic establishes that Doom's hand-blasts don't work, but then suddenly they do. It seems the mysterious 'predator' hiding in the background is related, and maybe it's just that since it's solid and counts as part of Cloak, hence him getting hurt when it gets shot. I suspect it's part of a larger plot that we're only seeing a part of here.
Aside from that little glimpse into Doom's psyche, we actually get another odd one when Dagger lets loose her light-force daggers and fails to do much of any damage to Doom. Apparently Doom has never seen his actions as 'evil' and that's why he's unaffected. Which, sure, I can buy that Doom views his every action as benefiting the world - but does that really not apply to many villains, then? Aside from a handful of proper crazies who work off pure madness, wouldn't most people generally believe they are not evil, just misunderstood? How many really interpret their own actions as malevolent and repugnant? Surely many villains would have self-justification just as elaborate as Doom's and thereby skirt around the apparently really subjective edges of Dagger's power? It comes across as a bit ill-considered, but maybe Dagger really is pretty useless on the whole, I don't really read her comics.
Doom's character is a bit weird in this issue, since he happily rants about his megalomaniacal world-conquering plans to all who want to hear, and then turns around and offers a bunch of superheroes room and board for the night because apparently he thinks they're too weak to actually do anything about it. You'd think he would have learned not to underestimate random heroes after they keep beating him up unexpectedly - or ruin his plan without defeating him. Cloak and Dagger basically pull a Dazzler on him! At least he still gets to be a combat badass - Cloak and Dagger only get away with their lives through sheer luck, and the way they actually manage to take down Doom's plan is to trick him into destroying it himself. Which makes Doom look rather dumb, but at least it makes sense that Doom would underestimate these kids - the last time he ran into underage superheroes, a single Doombot managed to take them all out by himself! Poor embarrassing X-Men, your legacy persists...
I'm not sure what the whole Zeus/Prometheus stuff is about in this issue, as it mostly just comes across as overly dramatic symbolism on the parts of both Doom (from whom you'd expect such nonsense) and Clayton (who just randomly seems to read Doom's mind because Boris said a handful of words in his presence.) I do like that in the story Zeus takes back the fire for himself, rather than destroying it entirely - which explains why he's keeping his own nukes while taking everyone else's away. That said, I'm not sure the analogy works if Cloak & Dagger just get away after returning the fire, since the myth is pretty explicit about what happens next. I'm not seeing nearly enough birds eating superhero livers to make sense of all this!
I have some minor gripes with the issue besides that - notably the really excessive amount of dialogue explaining what's going on at all times. Most of it is unnecessary or removes any sort of tension from the story - I don't need an elaborate explanation about how you plan to trick Doom into firing on his own machine before implementing it, just show it already. I can't believe I have to explain this to a piece of visual media but show, don't tell! It's also strange that we got literally no response from anyone outside Latveria despite several hours passing in-story. The other characters even bring up the Avengers and the FF, but we don't even see a panel of them arriving at the end or something, there's just nothing there. Since timeline-wise this is slotted right after Emperor Doom, you'd think people would keep a close eye on Latverian plans for global conquest (again!)
I wasn't a big fan of this one, and since I was debating giving it two or three stars, I'll edge on the lower end and give it a 'meh' two stars. There were some half-decent Doom moments in this one, I suppose, and some funny poses - but nothing too much to write home about.
Best Panel(s) of the Issue
I'm going to go with that dramatic opening shot of Doom on the parapets shouting at the storm. It's just really neat! Alternatively I guess I could go with the painterly scenes of Cynthia von Doom inside Cloak's cloak dimension, but they don't look great in most of the scans I've seen, unfortunately.
Most Gloriously Villainous Doom Quotes
"Rage on, storm! Your power is mine to employ!"
"Save the world I shall - despite humanity's apparent determination to destroy it!"
"Am I to be blamed for the way my name may have been maligned by my enemies? ...I merely meant that those of limited vision may have misconstrued my intentions."
"No man may know - let alone manipulate - the innermost desires of Victor von Doom - and live!"
Doom's Bad Hair Day
...This is the second time he's erroneously called himself Vincent von Doom in his own comics. Is it his middle name? Weirdly enough he also calls himself Victor in this very issue, so it's not like the writer just forgot. Editors, do your job! Hey, maybe this is confirmation that we're dealing with a Doombot? They do have a habit of flirting with pretty super-women, as with Storm and Sue in the past, and it makes his loss against a pair of random teenagers a bit more palatable. Maybe he's not a combat-type either, like the one in the X-Men three-parter?
Doom-Tech of the Week
The obvious Particle Projector has to be mentioned here - a device to destroy all the nuclear material on a planet in one go, save for those bits that were safely shielded. Turns out Doom could probably get a job with the Psychlos, who knew?
