The Origins of Evil, Part Five: One Unholy Machine
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| "The Origins of Evil Part Five: One Unholy Machine" | |||||||||||||
| Publisher | IDW Publishing | ||||||||||||
| Published in | First Strike #5 | ||||||||||||
| First published | October 11, 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Cover date | October 2017 | ||||||||||||
| Written by | John Barber | ||||||||||||
| Pencils by | Netho Diaz | ||||||||||||
| Inks by | Walden Wong | ||||||||||||
| Colors by | David García Cruz | ||||||||||||
| Letters by | Tom B. Long | ||||||||||||
| Editor | David Hedgecock | ||||||||||||
| Assistant editor | David Mariotte | ||||||||||||
| Continuity | 2005 IDW continuity | ||||||||||||
| Chronology | Current era | ||||||||||||
Garrison Kreiger recounts his history.
Synopsis
[edit]With his villainous cabal now assembled, Joe Colton looks upon the Talisman and ruminates on the mission before them that will span two planets, quoting Plutarch's account of Alexander the Great weeping over his failure to conquer even one world. And though the Talisman is key to his plans, he still wonders: why did it become Garrison Kreiger's lifelong obsession? Kreiger answers by telling Colton the story of his life.
The son of immigrants who suffered from depression due to feeling like he never belonged in the United States, Kreiger's pursuit of purpose saw him join the army during World War II, hoping he could help build a better future for America and the world. He believed his wealth would ensure him a position as an officer, off the front lines, but it didn't work out that way, and he found himself in the trenches with the other enlisted men. The hellish experience led Kreiger to believe nothing good could come of war, until he met Colton's hero, Sgt. Savage, a man who accepted him into his unit despite his background, who helped convince Kreiger of the necessity of war, and was proof of the heroism that could be forged amidst it. Together, the men received their first hint that Earth was not alone in the universe when they encountered the IRON Troopers, the robotic creations of the Talisman, and the trail this led them down resulted in Savage disappearing, catapulted through time by the Talisman's power. But in losing Savage, Kreiger gained purpose: a new war to wage on this world and beyond, with the Talisman as his weapon. Like Alexander, Kreiger concludes, he too weeps... but at the prospect of how many worlds remain for him to conquer.
Featured characters
[edit]Characters in italic text appear only in flashback.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Humans | Others | ||
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Quotes
[edit]"I didn't take you for a scholar of Greek literature, general."
"I read it in a fortune cookie."
- —Kreiger and Colton discuss Plutarch
Notes
[edit]This four-page story is the fifth and final in a series of back-up strips published in the First Strike mini-series.
Continuity notes
[edit]- Kreiger's history as an immigrant not originally born in the United States was first related through his profile in Hasbro Heroes Sourecebook #2. Contrast that with his appearance in classic G.I. Joe media, in which he was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Of course, note carefully that Kreiger never actually gives his place of origin at any point in his story, merely calling himself an "alien" to America and stating he "never belonged". Now why ever could that be, eh?
- In the course of his story, Kreiger recounts his and the Screaming Eagles' first encounter with the IRON Troopers, as seen in Revolutionaries #3, and the disappearance of Sgt. Savage, from Revolutionaries #5.
- Gosh, the guy apparently obsessed with technology suddenly declares the idea of a world dominated by it is "blasphemous". But that couldn't be more foreshadowing, could it? Naaaaaah.
Real-life references
[edit]- Colton opens the story by quoting from Plutarch's Moralia, specifically a portion of the essay On Tranquility of Mind which relates a story that claims Alexander the Great was driven to weep upon hearing the philosopher Anaxarchus theorize that there were infinite worlds, as he had failed to conquer even one. Over the centuries this inspired a different, flipped version of the story which presents Alexander, at the height of his power, weeping because "there were no more worlds to conquer" (i.e. there was nothing left on Earth for him to conquer)—something for which there is no evidence in antiquity, but which has become one of the most famous quotes attributed to Alexander. It is to this version Kreiger alludes at the end of the story.
- Additionally, Kreiger describes this weeping as shedding "a salt tear." That's riffing on a 1984 quote from English sports commentator Sid Waddell, made in reference to the latter version of the Alexander story: "When Alexander of Macedon was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer."
Errors
[edit]- Kreiger is depicted with a mustache during his days in the war, while Revolutionaries established that he was clean-shaven during that time.
