Iron Man has just advocated supporting Hero Registration publicly while working to take it down as part of the process. What does Black Bolt think? When I first read this scene, I thought it meant that Black Bolt was expressing solidarity with Tony and Reed. The fist = solidarity. Turns out I was way off.
Marvel's Joe Quesada says, "I believe what Black Bolt said was, 'Screw you and you!'"
Bendis' script:
IRON-MAN
Well. I'm sorry you can't communicate with us, Black Bolt. I -
6- Black Bolt holds up a stern hand with stern pursed lips.
7- Black Bolt gestures at him through with pursed lips.
8- Black Bolt points at them with disappointed, hateful eyes.
9- From Behind Reed Richards, Black Bolt flies away. Iron Man hangs his head as Reed gets up to leave.
IRON-MAN
I think I got the gist.
(Quote and script from newsarama Q&A articles.)
With that mask essentially obscuring any opportunities for expression in the forehead and around the eyes, this was a tough task for Maleev. The script isn't exactly clear on what kind of gestures either. Situations like this might call for a relaxation of the reliance on art and sparse dialogue in favor of giving some form of narration as to what characters are trying to portray if not outright thinking. I would probably get the "gist" right along with Iron Man if I were sitting there at the table seeing all the subtle movements. In this case, I missed it. I suppose in hindsight, gist has a negative connotation here, and with only Tony and Reed left talking, presumably only they agree with the approach.
The other thing I wonder about is if you can have glasses that block the optic blasts of Cyclops while still allowing him to see, why can't some genius design a voice dampener/modulator that would allow Black Bolt to speak without the side effects.
Having just read this issue, I entirely agree. Lacking that voice modulator/dampener thingy, I think Tony should be thinking ahead and providing a pad of paper and a pencil for poor old Black Bolt.
ReplyDeleteNo, no. What kind of non-sense suggestion is that? You'd think between Iron Man, Mr. Fantastic, the Sorcerer Supreme and the Professor, they could have come up with a magically secure wireless Matrix-like environment, so they wouldn't even have to meet in the same physical location. And in that environment BB could speak.
ReplyDeleteThat could very well be the super shocking secret of the Marvel Universe. Our favorite heroes have not been adventuring and fighting evil at all. They have been kept in the Marvel Matrix, draining their energy and keeping them under control!