The Adventures of Ishtar!

[Mr. Cryptic]

The Prospero saga continues in The Adventures of Ishtar #10!
Maria Jones and Paul Barnes fight valiantly to protect Victory City, but under siege by villains and enslaved heroines, there appears to be no hope!
Will Maria ever regain her identity as Ishtar!?
The war continues in The Adventures of Ishtar #10!

NOTE: We will see more of the fate of the heroines captured by Lord Prospero in Victory City #31, coming in December!

http://www.mccomix.com/members/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=33518

[Hector2]

Dear Mr. Cryptic:

I loved The adventures of Ishtar # 10.

Even when the first part seemed like a recap of an old serial (Star Wars the clone wars come to my mind), when we see the hypnotized heroines doing bad deeds and liberating the criminals and taking Victory City for the Triskelion Guild.

The part where a city was not really part of the US was used in Batman after the Gotham Earthquake. I didn’t believe that for a while, but after certain political events that had transpired recently, now it seems most likely than ever the secession of a city from the country.

Things will be very interesting now, because we have a true villain free: I think that was the buzzard who survived Isthar’s encounter, if you get what I mean

Well, what I mean was, the Buzzard captured and controlled all those superheroines long time before Prospero. If the Buzzard didn’t conquer the city, was because he give in his lust. But having Ishtar, could you blame it?

The best part was seeing Paul Barnes and Maria fleeing in the night, tired, defeated and afraid… and then connecting emotionally. It was not a cheap trick, it was geniuine human emotion. I love the twist that Isthar secret identity is the one that get the guy!

Great work!

[jrhcl2]

Hello Mr. Cryptic, Very interesting installment!! Things look really dark for our heroes and the people of Victory City!! No longer being a part of the country. Maria Jones and Paul Barnes on the run! Very dark!! everyday people falling prey to Prospero and the Guild!! Prospero is truly a monster!! The only good moment was seeing Maria and Paul finally KISSING!!! Something i've wanted to see since i first saw them together way back in the first installment of the ring of domination!!! Even those i don't want to get my hopes up to high, i hope we see Maria and Paul explore their desires and feelings for each other!! If not, It still was a very nice moment between them, i agree with Hector, i thought that moment was set up very well!! Even those i want to see what happen to our heroes on the island, i also want to see if the kiss between Maria and Paul leads anywhere just as much!! Why did you post the Adventures of Ishtar # 10 before Victory City #31?? A lot to look forward too!! Can't wait!!

[Mr. Cryptic]

Glad you all liked it! This was an installment I had planned for a long time, and now it's finally been revealed. It's a big deal for Maria/Ishtar and Paul to finally kiss.

Yes, that's the same Buzzard who was arrested in Victory City #16, now being broken out of jail. I was imagining this being kind of like the storming of the Bastille.

It's easier for me think of what I'm doing as a play on a stage. It's hard for me to do really big epic scenes, so I tried to convey a big epic battle to take over the city by showing a few select scenes. There were other villains being broken out of prison also, and I used the Buzzard as a representative for all of them.

I really appreciate the time you take reviewing our comics, Hector. I'm glad the atmosphere I was trying to convey came through. For some scenes I can just load a premade set of lights and it works fine. However, for this one I had to take some time to get the lights dim enough to make it shadowy and dark, but not so dark you can't see anything.

This isn't so much seccession as it is a takeover from an outside invasion. The teleportation link that connects Victory City and Malanga Island makes it possible for one city to conquer another city on the other side of the planet without having to control any territory in between.

[mns_95125]

I see some interesting potential from the Paul/Maria thing. Maria wonders "why haven't we done this before?" As I recall, there is a good reason -- the way Ishtar's prana responds when she has sex with someone she's also emotionally connected to. Now, Maria may no longer know this, but I expect the pranic response will be the same regardless. As Ishtar herself put it, "But if he were the one who got me off, and my prana intermingled with his, I don't know if I would be able to take it back! The Annunaki gods would not be pleased if their queen were to become the love slave of a mortal!" Or, as I might put it, I think Paul is about to get lucky, and then get very lucky.

[jrhcl2]

I see some interesting potential from the Paul/Maria thing. Maria wonders "why haven't we done this before?" As I recall, there is a good reason -- the way Ishtar's prana responds when she has sex with someone she's also emotionally connected to. Now, Maria may no longer know this, but I expect the pranic response will be the same regardless. As Ishtar herself put it, "But if he were the one who got me off, and my prana intermingled with his, I don't know if I would be able to take it back! The Annunaki gods would not be pleased if their queen were to become the love slave of a mortal!" Or, as I might put it, I think Paul is about to get lucky, and then get very lucky.

I've always wondered about that comment from Ishtar. (The Annuaki Gods would not be pleased if their queen were to become a love slave of a mortal!!) One do these other Gods know that Ishtar is on Earth? Two do they know she's a crime fighter on Earth?? And the last part of the statement, wasn't that what she was for most of the Ring of Domination story, no good has ever come from Ishtar being enslaved, as least when she's enslaved by a mortal villain. Besides that, Ishtar wanted to give herself to Paul at the beginning of the whole Prospero saga, if she had, maybe these current events would have never happened?! Which is worse, Lord Prospero gaining greater magical powers, enslaving her fellow heroines and taking over Victory City? ( I know for the purposes of this story, it's a good thing.) Are Ishtar being Paul Barnes love slave?? Would that be such a bad thing?! It's a lot better than what happened when Ishtar released her build up of prana with Prospero!! As least to me it would be better!! I do hope Paul get lucky with Ishtar/Maria!!

What about the future for the heroes of Victory City, will these events change the people view of the heroes of Victory City?? Heroes they thought they could trust to protect them and the city?? Now they see those heroes, the heroes they trusted to protect them attaching the city, helping the evil guild take over the city??? Will or can the people ever trust the heroes of Victory City to protect the city, will they ever feel safe again!? After seeing how the ones they charged to protect the city completely fail!!

[Mr. Cryptic]

You're very perceptive, mns!

The questions you raise about Paul and Ishtar are valid, CL. We'll just have to see what happens .

It's possible that the heroines being used against Victory City might turn people against them, but my general inclination is that, in the reality of this story, superhuman powers and mind control are facts of life. Someone like Paul Barnes would probably just try to make sure the city's defenders (both heroic and conventional) have better counter measures against mind control/seduction. Prospero has a talent for controlling heroines that probably exceeds that of any other villain Victory City has faced.

I haven't shown it much yet, but I think Victory City probably also uses mind control and seduction as a means to fight the Triskelion Guild. Sovereign and Ishtar probably have double agents they have created among the villains ranks to act as spies and informants.

[Mr. Cryptic]

Even when the first part seemed like a recap of an old serial (Star Wars the clone wars come to my mind), when we see the hypnotized heroines doing bad deeds and liberating the criminals and taking Victory City for the Triskelion Guild.

The part where a city was not really part of the US was used in Batman after the Gotham Earthquake. I didn’t believe that for a while, but after certain political events that had transpired recently, now it seems most likely than ever the secession of a city from the country.

I forgot to mention, lately I've been making a point to make it so that a new reader can start reading an update without being totally confused about what's going on. Or for that matter, someone he read the earlier issue a long time ago and maybe forgot what's going on. Stan Lee mentioned how he did this in an interview, and it seemed like good advice to me.

The Cataclysm/No Man's Land storyline of Batman was in the back of my mind when I thought of VIctory City being basically quarantined from the rest of the country. I wasn't entirely conscious of it until you brought it up

[jrhcl2]

[quote="Mr. Cryptic"]Glad you all liked it! This was an installment I had planned for a long time, and now it's finally been revealed. It's a big deal for Maria/Ishtar and Paul to finally kiss.

I've been meaning to comment on the outstanding artwork from the Adventures of Ishtar # 10!! The expression on Maria face when Paul said he failed to keep Victory City safe, the look in Maria's eye really gave me the feelings that she really cares for Paul!! Maria looked like she was happy they kissed. It's been hinted at in the past that the two have feelings for each other!! It seems the kiss was more then just a kiss!! You could see and feel the two connecting on an emotion level! Again the artwork was outstanding!!

[Mr. Cryptic]

The Fall of Victory City!
Victory Legion headquarters has been overrun by the Triskelion Guild!
The city's heroines have been hypnotized to fight alongside the Guild!
Maria Jones and Paul Barnes have escaped into the night and found solace in each other's arms!
Is there any hope that the city can be recovered!?
Find out in The Adventures of Ishtar #11, in the member's section, now!
http://www.mccomix.com/members/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=33518

[jrhcl2]

Hello Mr. Cryptic!! You know i'm going to say i love this installment!! I've been wanting to see Ishtar/Maria and Paul Barnes together since i first saw them in the ROd almost three years go!! You did a great job of making it seem like they were making love instead of just having sex!! You made Maria/Ishtar being with Paul seem different from her past encounters (sexual). There wasn't a whole of lot talking or a lot of, i don't what you call those comments you have in the corners, in yellow or red,are called!! We will finally get an anwer to the question, how strong is Ishtar feelings for Paul?? Can she put it behind her like she has done so many times in the past?? Again great job!! Thanks for letting us see Ishtar and Paul together!! It's something i really wanted to see!!

[jrhcl2]

Don't know why it did this twice?? Must of pushed submit twice!! Deleted it!!

[Mr. Cryptic]

Glad you enjoyed, CL! Like you said, I was expecting you would.

This story's been building up to this for a long time, and I was happy to finally get it realized in pixels. I was pleased with how the "morning after" part played out. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that.

The boxes with text are narration (same as in a standard comic book).

[jrhcl2]

Glad you enjoyed, CL! Like you said, I was expecting you would.

This story's been building up to this for a long time, and I was happy to finally get it realized in pixels. I was pleased with how the "morning after" part played out. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to do that.

The boxes with text are narration (same as in a standard comic book).

Hello Mr. Cryptic!! That make sense, this story buiding up to this point!! Reasons being the whole Prospero sage started with Maria choosing to sleep with a stranger fearing what might happen if she and Paul had sex! It was sex with a stranger (Prospero) that leads to Ishtars defeat, having sex with Prospero cause her to become emotionally in tune with him, leaving Ishtar unable to resist Prospero spells!! So her making love with Paul make sense that it would cause Maria to remember who she really is!!

That was very clever!! Throwing me off track!! You know i try to guess what might happen in the story, didn't see that! I hoped to see them make love i didn't really think it would happen in this story, because of some of the things you were saying!! One in the beginning of this story she stated why she couldn't be with Paul even those she wanted too!! Second by other statements you made in the forums, Ishtar being a love Goddess, she really couldn't sleep with someone she cares for, because if she has feelings for the man she sleep with, the stronger these emotions bond she develop for the man. Maria changing into Ishtar while she was sleeping beside Paul is different from when she changed into Ishtar when she was under Prospero spell. She was a slave revealing everything to her master!!

I'm wondering why she changed into Ishtar in front of him, letting him see who she really is?? When she changed into Ishtar in front of Lord Prospero, she was wearing her magical garments and called for the rod of domination and she looked mad, she was under a spell!! This time she's nude and she looks peaceful, they both still seem caught in these after glow of love making. I Wonder how Ishtar will react now that Paul knows that Maria Jones and Ishtar are the same person?? I wonder how much more influence Paul will have with her, it been stated, that if she sleep with a man she has feeling for, she fall heavily under his influence after making love.

[mns_95125]

So her making love with Paul make sense that it would cause Maria to remember who she really is!!

We don't actually know that. We see Paul wake up; we see that Maria has physically transformed into Ishtar. We don't know that anything has changed as far as her mind is concerned. The story might be even more interesting if Paul is faced with a disbelieving Maria Jones now 'trapped' in Ishtar's body. Imagine Maria trying to work out how to use Ishtar's powers to fight back against the villains, with no instruction manual, sort of like the Greatest American Hero.