Their Children

In many regards, the best structure to use when telling stories about abuse tends to be that of children’s fiction. Among other things, the structure of children’s fiction forces the writer to not go into the graphic depictions of physical abuse, find a healthy way of dealing with the subject, and (as is the case with the best fiction) treat the audience with a mature honesty about the situation. And while the structure of adult fiction can deal with the subject of abuse well (Breaking Bad), typically it focuses on the act of abuse itself in a “rape scene cliffhanger” or “both sides are wrong and should be punished” sort of way.  Though, to be fair, even the best depictions of abuse can end up being misread as “Skyler White is a Bitch” or “Jasper did nothing wrong.”

There are numerous examples of children’s fiction that tackle abuse well: Helga on the Couch, Mark of the Berserker, Something Terrible, and Something Terrible, among others. But the one I want to talk about is the episode “Alone At Sea” from Steven Universe. The episode tells of Steven, along with his father Greg, taking Lapis, an abuse survivor, out into the ocean to help her cope with one of her triggers. They have a fun-time fishing and whatnot, but Lapis can’t stop thinking about her abuser, Jasper.

Steven tries to reassure her that she doesn’t have to be in that relationship anymore, assuming Lapis is afraid of being trapped again. Lapis replies his implicit assumption is wrong: she misses her. She’s aware of how unhealthy and awful the relationship between the two of them was, but a part of her thinks she deserved to be in that relationship. Because she did bad things, Lapis feels she deserves to suffer. It’s the part of her that asks

Why shouldn’t I commit suicide?

Which brings us quite nicely to the most interesting sequence in Mister Miracle #2. (In many regards, superhero comics [and especially Jack Kirby’s New Gods] fit the bill of “children’s fiction for adults” wherein the structure of children’s fiction is used to discuss subjects that wouldn’t be suitable for typical children’s fiction [see also Star Trek: The Next Generation {there’s a reason they cast LeVar Burton in the show}].) Shortly before going off on a mission to kill Granny Goodness, Scott talks to Barda about their relationship with Granny.

They were both raised under the cruel tutelage of Granny, to the point where jumping in lava was a normal way of getting clean. But Scott recalls a “positive” experience with her where Granny came to take Scott down from a torture pit a few days early and held him. He wonders if he likes her. In the sequence where he recounts this experience, it appears that there is only one panel, implying that Barda shares his uncomfortable feelings, despite claiming otherwise. However, on closer examination, the pure whiteness of the Boom Tube, the lack of panel borders, and the word balloon of Scott’s speech help hide the fact that the panel is, in fact two different panels. There is still a separation between husband and wife, which leads nicely into the ending of the book.

The episode ends with a direct confrontation between Lapis and Jasper wherein Lapis outright rejects Jasper’s advances in favor of a more healthy relationship and physically removes Jasper from her space once she tries of hurt Steven. Big Barda likewise rejects Granny and beats her to death once she tries to emotionally manipulate Scott.

But Scott is still unsure of his relationship with Granny. He never had that definitive end to the relationship that Lapis and Barda were able to get for themselves. Scott is still in that murky grey area between abuse and catharsis. This is an area that Tom King excels at writing in, and which Scott must escape from.

Also, Alexa!Mother Box is hilarious.

“Some people want to achieve immortality through their children. I want to achieve immortality by not dying.”
–Andrew Hickey rewriting Woody Allen, Sci-Ence! Justice Leak!

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