I Knew it with Spoilers

Do I need to repeat, SPOILER ALERT...?

So, having wasted my money last issue on Cry for Justice in the hopes of learning Lian Harper's fate, I wasn't going to spend more on that mess of a comic. But I had to know. So I skimmed. And it was there, just as I'd feared.

I'd been hopeful after folks mentioned the whole city vanishes gambit, but then, in my heart, I knew that wasn't what happened to Lian. Not with the blatant teasers and hints, both in the related comics already published and in related solicits. Roy has to face Cheshire who shows up to kill him in the upcoming Arsenal mini? Not if Lian's just missing? Cheshire would be demanding he find their daughter. She'd only want his head on a platter if Lian was dead and she blamed him.

And the whole "Roy's lost everything" situation, which has become Donna's lament. Let's face it, she doesn't mean losing his arm. Sure, archery is a way of life for Roy, but it isn't who he is, not now. Being Lian's father is who/what Roy is. When he got custody of Lian, he told Dick Lian would make him a better person. And she did. She made him responsible (well, more responsible as a father than Ollie ever was). Roy's job was to protect his little girl and shepherd her into adulthood. How could he not feel like a complete failure?

In fact, being maimed seems redundant or unnecessary. How could Roy be hurt more than losing his daughter? I don't see what that adds to the story arc? Not now. After Lian's death, hitting Roy with losing an arm just seems more like meanness, though I can't think of anything crueler than killing his little girl. But I can understand doing either, story-wise. It gives Roy something to overcome, a life-changing something. Either by itself would do that. Together, it's just piling on.

I wonder which was decided first? To maim Roy or to kill his child? I can imagine someone thinking ripping off Roy's arm would lead to lots of story angst. The whole need to overcome adversity, relearn things with a prosthetic arm. Will his aim be true? As good as before? Worse? Better?

And killing Lian? Well, that would surely lead Roy to utter despair and what's more powerful than a father coping with the murder of his child? Except I can't help but think someone just figured writing a character with a young daughter was getting tedious. No one wanted to deal with her. And this isn't a soap opera where children get aged rapidly into adulthood while the parent is left the same age. No one could figure out how to use Lian, so she kept getting shunted aside, mentioned now and then, or trotted out for an appearance, as in the recent Titans issue, to remind us she existed. And now I think that sweet little story was setup for her being killed. I suspected as much before I glanced through JLA: Cry for Justice 7.

When the original Supergirl was killed, I boycotted DC (and comics, with a couple of exceptions) for 10 years. I can't do that now. Roy's still there and so many other comics are too good to give up. And damnit, I want to see where this is going. I'm going out on a limb here (pardon the pun) in trusting J.T. Krul to write a helluva story for Roy. But let's face it, unless there's one of those weird DCU quirks or reboots or whatevers, at the end of The Rise of Arsenal, Lian will still be dead, and I will miss her.

I have some reviews to write, but not now. I'm really too upset.