The Talisman power took Shaman's emotions because he was not the intended to wield it. I see Elizabeth's personality after her return as being more cold and angry with what had happened with her father. She had lots of emotions, they were just harsher emotions.
Ben
1. Beautiful cover. Love it. (I don't know if I like the colour version any better or worse than the sepia version; though the tear shows up stronger.)
2. In Byrne's run, Shaman mentions that the prophecy of The Talisman is tragic. Mantlo seemed to interpret that as she loses her humanity.
- Le Messor
"Do not be angry with me if I tell you the truth."
- Socrates
"You want the truth? You can't handle the truth! No truth handler you! Bah! I derided your truth-handling abilities!"
- Sideshow Bob
Talisman's coronet
I agree with Dana and Ben. Talisman's emotions are still there, when she is wearing the coronet...the good and the bad emotions. Elizabeth's resentment of her father saving Snowbird first and nearly dooming her to the void was the only really spot-on character motivation that I feel was right throughout the Mantlo run that I've got so far. Taking it out on Snowbird and her baby was a true tragedy, and if it had been written and drawn better, it could've been a classic.
But it isn't.
What reeks (and I understand what Ben is saying about Michael not being the intended one to wear it) is that the coronet warped Michael's fundamental character, considering killing Kara (hardly a Great Beasts-level threat), which is totally contradictory to his being a doctor and a shaman charged with protecting the people of Canada! This is just arbitrary manipulation that is unbelievable! I couldn't---and still can't---suspend disbelief that a shaman of Michael's training would become so unlike himself.
Once upon a time, they exploded from the pages of The X-Men. For a moment, they were "Canada's answer to The Avengers."
They were ALPHA FLIGHT....
...once upon a time.
Right...Not to mention, Michael was not the one destined to wear the circlet in this generation...Elizabeth is/was. It was bound to have some not-so-good side-effects after he put it on.
I don't believe the circlet alters Liz's personality...But power can corrupt and she was royally peeved at her father (and indirectly, at Snowbird)...I think she was jealous of Shaman's attention toward Narya too(and Michael's choosing to save Snowbird first and not his own flesh and blood daughter in AF Vol.1 # 2. Maybe she was just so consumed with anger coupled with the fact that she had this tremendous power, it allowed her to take her revenge on those who she believed hurt her (people aren't always rational when enraged or bitter...LOL, myself being a good example...See my sig below).
Dana
ALPHA FLIGHT IS RESURRECTED, LONG LIVE ALPHA FLIGHT!
I think that is exactly what happened. Shaman failed to save Elizabeth's mother, then he abandonded her, then he "adopted and raised" Snowbird and finally, when he had to choose who to save, it wasn't her. Man, if my dad did that to me I'd be a tad PO'd at him too! I have no problem believing she would do something to get back at both of them.Originally Posted by cmdrkoenig67
I don't believe the circlet alters Liz's personality...But power can corrupt and she was royally peeved at her father (and indirectly, at Snowbird)...I think she was jealous of Shaman's attention toward Narya too(and Michael's choosing to save Snowbird first and not his own flesh and blood daughter in AF Vol.1 # 2
Dana
But the reason why Shaman's portrayal while wearing the coronet doesn't ring true for me is---and it's been mentioned by others beside myself---Talisman was really P.O.'d, took revenge in a spoiled-bratty way, but didn't contemplate killing Shaman or Snowbird, either in # 28 or during the Pestilence storyline. And she had far less training in mystism than her father.
Yet, Michael (and again I totally understand that he isn't supposed to wear it) contemplates killing Kara as a logical solution to her power?
The coronet does one thing and then something else. I don't get it.
Once upon a time, they exploded from the pages of The X-Men. For a moment, they were "Canada's answer to The Avengers."
They were ALPHA FLIGHT....
...once upon a time.
Perhaps the coronet was influencing Shaman, because he was not meant to wear it. Or maybe he lacked the will/ability/power to properly harness its power, and to do so he had to "give up" some of his emotion to maintain control. While Liz, the "destined one" behaved exactly as she would normally (which didn't include homocidal tendancies), but having access to the Talisman's powers she overdid her revenge, and was too green to stop things from getting out of control.
Its the John Kerry of mystical artifacts.
I recall one panel during AF Annual #1 where Shaman is invited to eat and he replies "I no longer eat (pause for dramatic effect) food". That always suggested to me that Elizabeth controlled the power of the Talisman while in Mikchaels case, he was controlled by it. So killing Kara and Snowbird would be a logical solution to him...
JMTCW
Del
Driftwood: Well, I got about a foot and a half. Now, it says, uh, "The party of the second part shall be known in this contract as the party of the second part."
Fiorello: Well, I don't know about that...
Driftwood: Now what's the matter?
Fiorello: I no like-a the second party, either.
Driftwood: Well, you should've come to the first party. We didn't get home 'til around four in the morning... I was blind for three days!
Its the John Kerry of mystical artifacts.
Okay, I can go along with this...
This makes sense to me, a lot more sense than the actual books IMO, yet Pestilence removed the coronet (something in itself wasn't supposed to be a good thing which we've established in another thread), then something inside Michael is weak/homicidal (I find both of these questionable, but the 2nd one truly repugnant), and finally nobody---not even Elizabeth or Snowbird---has a sense of concern or duty to help Michael with something that was obviously doing strange things to him?Perhaps the coronet was influencing Shaman, because he was not meant to wear it. Or maybe he lacked the will/ability/power to properly harness its power, and to do so he had to "give up" some of his emotion to maintain control. While Liz, the "destined one" behaved exactly as she would normally (which didn't include homocidal tendancies), but having access to the Talisman's powers she overdid her revenge, and was too green to stop things from getting out of control.
I think in trying to set up Lionel Jeffries as the doctor of choice for AF, tptb too quickly dismissed Michael by failing to deal with him fairly and made the rest of the team look so stupid they didn't even consider any other doctor except Lionel.
This will be my last post on this subject, since there's not much that can convince me that the Mantlo era wasn't designed and published primarily to tear down the Byrne era.
Once upon a time, they exploded from the pages of The X-Men. For a moment, they were "Canada's answer to The Avengers."
They were ALPHA FLIGHT....
...once upon a time.
The mantlo era started out strong.. and then came issues #50-#60 in which i wanted to kill my self..
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