Ascender #9
Mother’s origin is revealed… as is a new power in Ascender #9, by writer Jeff Lemire, artist Dustin Nguyen, and letterer Steve Wands. This issue fills readers in on who Mother was, a glimpse of how things got to where they are, and a new enemy.
After the UGC rebel attack, Mother teleports to the Black Desert to try and find the Mothers. Not finding them, she is met by a younger version of herself, who tells her the only way to know what to do next is to look back. Together, the two of them go through their memories, revealing Mother’s past- a magicless girl, in the shadow of her powerful sister, abused by her Mother and the rest of the Coven. She and her sister overhear the incoporeal Mothers tell the older members of the Coven about the Seedbank, where all the seeds of magic have been hidden. Mother is punished for spying while her sister is judged blameless, for she is Coven-Bound. Later, after the events of Descender, Mother and her sister are led to the Seedbank, where they find all of the hidden magical artifacts and creatures. Before her sister can use awaken them, Mother kills her and takes them for herself, finally gaining power. In the present, her younger self reveals to her what she should be looking for- the source of all magic. Then, Mother’s sister comes back and reveals that it was she who helped the UGC rebels destroy the Mothers so she could take their energy and come back to life. She beats Mother down and revels in her dominance, ready to find the source of magic.
One of the best parts about the writing in this book, and Descender before it, is the way Lemire is able to do origin issues which also serve to progress the main plot. A lot of other writers would just pause the action and do an origin issue. Lemire does this occasionally, but he always finds a way to fit his origin issues into what’s happening in the book’s present. This issue is basically a guided tour as a younger version of Mother takes her through her past to reveal what she needs to do next… but the younger version of herself isn’t exactly what she thinks it is. The book never out and out reveals that she’s a specter created by Mother’s sister.
The book also goes a long way towards explaining something that needed explaining- where exactly all of the magical creatures came from. There was no hint of this sort of thing at all in Descender until the very end, but even then, it was just a glimpse. There were no dragons or vampires or anything of that nature. This issue reveals the Seedbank, a seeming UGC facility containing magical artifacts and specimens. How did it get there? Why have the UGC been hiding all of this time? These are tantalizing questions that Lemire lays out.
The art by Dustin Nguyen is pitch-perfect as always. He uses juxtaposition a lot in this issue. Mother’s sister is beautiful, while Mother herself is ugly. Mother’s magic is blue, while her’s is red. There are several amazing splash pages in this issue, one revealing the Seedbank, another showing Mother killing her sister, and the last showing Mother using the ambient power of the artifacts around her. Nguyen’s art sells these moments perfectly.
Ascender #9 gives readers a glimpse of the past and the future. Lemire lays out who Mother was, garnering a little sympathy by showing her terrible treatment at the hands of her family and the Coven, but also showing what that treatment transformed her into. He introduces a new villain in Mother’s sister and gives them a new focus- the source of magic, adding a new wrinkle to the series. Nguyen’s art is amazing, as always. Lemire and Nguyen are building a story that rivals its predecessor in quality and succeeding at every turn. If they keep pumping issues like this one out, Ascender will go down as a classic.
Grade: A+
