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[Spoilers!] Zed Issue Nr 3. Discussion

Lady Faceless·1/15/2020, 4:40:13 PM·16 votes·17,008 views
https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_GB/comic/zed/issue-3/0/

Welcome back to my third Zed discussion thread! I hope you all had great holidays, no matter how and what you celebrated. If you are the first time here, feel free to check out my thoughts about the first and second issues of the serie.

Symmary https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/468671979269128194/667042437973278730/Cover.jpg

Knowing that he never can catch Jhin alone, Zed goes to meet Shen hoping that he sees reason and joins his quest to catch their demon of the past. But even after all the time, Shen still hates Zed for that he has done to his father and refuses to work together with him. Even when Zed offers his own head after the mission is done, Shen insists on his position.

In a flashback, we also see the reason why Zed came back to Kinkou Order. During a siege in the Noxian war it was obvious that the city they try to protect would be destroyed by Noxus and Zed went to the Kinkou Order to get the Tears of Shadow, also known as Yánléi, which grant them access to Shadow Magic if ingested or tattooed. Since Master Kusho refused to give it to Zed, he kills him off-screen.

In the meantime, Akali stumbles about Kayn and the other Yánléi and sends for reinforcements. Kayn tries to flirt with Akali, but she shows little interest until Zed arrives. Furious, she attacks Zed, which blocks her attacks and commands his people to leave. Shen intervenes, declares armistice between the Kinkou and Yánléi being over.

Since the possibility exists that Zed’s days are numbered, he announces Kayn as his successor and secretly follows Shen with Akali on his side on his investigation all across Ionia. In the end, they all arrived in Nanthee, where Jhin already murdered the elder. Zed, still looking for clues by himself, finds a suspicious lantern with a hidden bomb. With the realization that they walked into Jhin’s trap, the issue ends.

Characters

~~ Zed~~ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/468671979269128194/667042704575692850/Zed.jpg

While I understand that Jhin is not simply a killer, it is still bizarre to see that Zed would offer his own life to make sure he catches Khada Jhin. Overall he seems to get more and more melancholic the more time passes and makes me wonder if he ever will regain his motivation and fighting spirit back. Whenever I see Zed in one of his flashbacks, he seems to be too empathic for his own good. But if everything seems lost, you will also work with corrupting forces if you can save innocent lives with it.

Also, I’m the only one who is bothered by the complete lack of shadow tattoos from Zed? I know they will appear at a later point but I really want to see these now.

~~ Shen~~ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/468671979269128194/667042927608070154/Shen.jpg

All the balance talk two issues ago and now he finally snapped and breaks the armistice. He still trusted Zed word enough to actually start the investigation but he shows no interest to even try to work together with Zed. While his anger IS justified, I’m disappointed to see how easily the Eye of Twilights gets lead astray by his own emotions, especially since Zed offered his own head to him when they complete the mission.

~~ Kayn~~ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/468671979269128194/667043101214375979/Kayn.jpg

First of all, Kayn finally looks good in the comic. Only took them three issues for that.

Second, he reminds me of a smug cat the whole issue.

While I’m not surprised, I still find it funny that both Kayn and Akali know each other and he actually tries to flirt with her. He is so confident in himself, I love it.

More interesting to see is that Kayn shows little understanding of his master’s hyper-focus on Jhin. I guess for Kayn things like keeping the order well and feed are simply more important. And honest, with Kayn’s orphan background it more than understandable that he focuses more on material things like money and the political influence to keep the order at the top. Also, he is now the successor of Zed, if anything happens to him and Kayn looked so proud about it.

Another thing I noticed that Rhaast's corruption spread and is almost on his complete left arm. However, corruption doesn’t look like actually physical corruption but more like a skin disease, similar to Psoriasis. I don’t know but it is frustrating to see that we get cheated of the body horror which Rhaast should be infecting on Kayn. Speaking off Rhaast – will he ever get a speaking role in this comic? I hope so.

~~ Akali~~ https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/468671979269128194/667043384333959188/Akali.jpg

“Fear the assassin with no master” said she, while following Shen like a loyal puppy (and she even listen to him this time!). The girl is a walking contradiction – calls Kayn crazy but also jumps on Zed at the first given possibility while knowing that if she actually would have hurt him she would have been torn to pieces by the Yánléi, especially Kayn, surrounding her.

I enjoyed her talk with Kayn a lot, especially since she did say she found him handsome. To be fair, it also takes a lot of guts to just go and casually insult them like that. I can respect bravery.

Jhin https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/468671979269128194/667043697677959221/Jhin.jpg

I actually can say little about him, he is sitting and plotting his traps and murdering all around as we would expect from him. I do think he will play a bigger role in the next issue.

The growing discrepancy between the comic and the lore Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the comic so far and I am a patient person however I noticed a thing that starts to bother me personally.

The comic feels like it’s contradicting the things we know from the other lore pieces.

It doesn’t actually do it but because we only see Zed in a mostly positive (or really neutral) light, it feels like we have complete different champion. Zed is NOT a good person. We know he is not a monster and cares about his homeland. The problem is that I as lore geek KNOW that Zed does awful things to Ionia like his racism to Vastaya or the stealing of the spirit magic of the land. I also know that Shadow Magic is corrupting to mind and spirit world alike and will only create more pain and problems in the long run.

However, nothing of it really gets mentioned in the comic. For someone who doesn’t read the other lore, it will put Zed in a really good light. Overall, he is just someone who tries his hardest to protect his home and his master was wrong for letting Jhin live. I know it is not like that. And I really wish it would show us more of the actually questionable things Zed IS doing to Ionia in the long run. Again, we still have 3 issues left but still.

The second problem is that Zed clings too much on tradition and the concept of honor. It is funny because Zed is all about breaking tradition and forging things anew. But his whole discussion with Shen was built on traditions and rules. It is quite ironic for someone who has a quote which literally says “Tradition is the corpse of wisdom”. I do get it why he does it but it still weird for someone who literally killed his own master. At this point, people don’t trust you anymore, no matter how much you play by the rules of the old tradition.

Shen is no better. Two issues long he preached how vengeance will lead someone astray and the moment he meets Zed, he let his own anger overcome him. Don’t get me wrong, his anger and pain are justified. But he IS the Eye of Twilight and I expected him to do his job no matter what. Zed offers Shen his revenge after the mission is done. And Shen is aware that Jhin is capable of. It is frustrating to see the sudden change of heart from Shen, which feels unfitting for him. Also, if this is the person which is supposed to be truly neutral, how can we trust him if he gives in in his emotions that easily? Sure, Shen is only a man but he should be better. He should have just refuse Zed’s plan and work on his own without breaking their old contract.

The upcoming Issue

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/468671979269128194/669636828441215017/Unbenannt.png

(Will be released on the 12th Febuary)

Questions

  1. So Yanlei is used instead of Order of Shadow. Does the name still exist or who an when is Order of the Shadow used instead?
  2. What is the difference between ingesting Yanlei or getting a tattoo with it? What is more commonly used in the Order?
  3. “But I have fewer people I can trust than my master did.” Okay, how paranoid is Zed really? Because Kusho trusted two person and Zed seems to trust nobody, not even Kayn.
  4. “Akali, all my father ever wanted was for me to serve the Kinkou as the Eye of Twilight… as he has been.” Does Shen even know that Kusho actually wanted to pick Zed as Eye of Twilight?
  5. “Your engagement with Shen-“ “Was called off then you killed Master Kusho. […] But Shen – he was forced to become the Eye of Twilight. A duty and title he never wanted.” So we can assume as long someone is not the Eye of Twilight yet, they can marry and have a family? It would explain why Kusho had a son then.
  6. How many common people are aware of the Order of the Shadows and Kinkou? Since the people didn't recognize Zed on the Blossom Festival.
  7. How painful is it for someone to become an "artwork" of Jhin? One the hand I can imagine that this kind of "metamorphosis" should be painful (he literally turns flesh into something else) but Jhin's shots are aimed for the heart, which usual should result in almost instant loss of consciousness because of the lack of oxygen (and with is a death in a few minutes at max).
  8. How and when did was the armistice forged? I actually see little reason for Kinkou to ignore Zed’s Order that long, no matter how you spin the things.
  9. What is the Code of Tuonn? A deal which you offers with your own life?
  10. Speaking of the deal – if Shen would have taken the deal, would have Zed keep his world? He does seem to be a man of his word, even after all this time.
  11. When did the Siege of Thanze happened? Before or after the Battle of the Placidium?
  12. When and more important why did Zed renamed himself to Zed? Even if he doesn’t see himself as Usan anymore, why not go to his old name back instead?
  13. For someone who says she doesn’t belong to Kinkou anymore, Akali follows Shen a little bit too much. So why does she follow Shen? Does she think that Zed will ambush Shen otherwise?

35 Comments

4 Step Cadence1/15/2020, 4:59:37 PM16 votes

How painful is it for someone to become an "artwork" of Jhin? One the hand I can imagine that this kind of "metamorphosis" should be painful (he literally turns flesh into something else) but Jhin's shots are aimed for the heart, which usual should result in almost instant loss of consciousness because of the lack of oxygen (and with is a death in a few minutes at max).

As you know, I enchant my bullets with my own personal magic. With the heart's final beat, it sends the magic in the bullet coursing through the victim's veins, transforming them into something truly breathtaking. However, the unique property of it is that they are kept alive and conscious through the entire process. Only when the transformation is complete do they truly die. This allows them to get a good look at the conductor of their demise, and all the others that join them on the stage. So, in other words, it is extremely painful.

.... Anyways. I went into this blind really early in the morning. Normally I have someone check if there's a Jhin face reveal before I actually read it, but I had nothing else better to do so was like "fuck it".

I'm glad Jhin was more absent in this issue, though. I feel like he was really stealing the show, especially in the second one. I get that he's the villain and all and that he's pretty important in Zed's development, but I found myself more invested in Jhin than Zed. Maybe that's just me, though.

Oh, also, the comic has confirmed that multiples of 4 are fine. You can give me and other Jhin related content more than 4 upvotes now. As long as its a multiple of 4 in the end, its fine.

Ryuhardt1/15/2020, 5:16:00 PM8 votes

Not gonna lie, I was really excited for this issue. I was hyped to see Jhin's story adapted to the comic, seeing Zed and Shen interact. However the first thing we see happen is how Jhin's story was completely changed. They kept some lines, yes, but it turned from a "casual talk with high tension" to a "bar fight" sort of thing. Just like you said, Shen in the previous two issues kept talking about his duty as the Eye of Twilight and how Zed wasn't important, yet suddenly he is so bloodlusted and even declares war? I still got a TINY little hope left that he only did it that to calm down Akali, to have her hear what she wants to hear, but he doesn't actually mean it. I really disliked Shen in this issue, and Shen is my favorite league champion as well as my main. This Shen wasn't the Shen I know, and I really hope something is done for this. Also, once again, WHERE is his second sword? He fights Zed with the spirit blade, when he isn't supposed to fight humans with it, more like he isn't supposed to be ABLE to fight them with it, which is why he carries two swords. In the upcoming cinematic that was teased, he has both, which means that's still canon, but looks like the comic just ignores that, just like with many other things...

ArezuAfar1/15/2020, 8:45:53 PM6 votes

I honestly didn't like this issue as much as the previous ones. There were too many strange and out of character elements. Let me explain one by one:

Zed: I completely agree with everything you said about Zed. I always imagined Zed as a mentally scarred man who would do anything to protect his homeland. We know that he is willing to sacrifice his own people, the vastaya, to protect Ionia. He is stealing magic from the land to reach his own goals.

In the Xayah and Rakan cinematic, we see what kind of impact his actions have on Ionia and in that particular scene, Zed is portrayed as the villian. Zed thinks he is not hurting innocents as he states in the comic but his actions prove him wrong.

The comic so far has put too much spotlight on Zed, constantly showing him as a reasonable man without showing the more ruthless side of him. The side that is corrupted by the shadow powers. On the other hand, I do like the melancholy in Zed's character. After every thing Jhin has put him through, it makes sense for him to put his own life on the line in order to kill Jhin.

Shen: Shen's character is about duty, restraint, emotional control and maintaining a "superior judgment". We have to be reminded that Shen is a human with his own struggles. It is completely understandable for him to hate Zed.

In the last issue, Shen warns Akali of the consequences of pursuing revenge. He doesn't abandon his duty to chase Zed for this rare and perfect opportunity. But then Zed dares to come to him and Shen no longer holds back.

This encounter was imo much better in "The Man with the Steel Cane". In that story Shen actually considers Zed's request. In the comic he refuses it right away despite knowing how dangerous Khada Jhin is. As the eye of twilight, he shouldn't give in to his personal emotions so easily.

Akali: I like how Akali is straight forward about her opinions but her interaction with Kayn was kinda cringy. She saw the group, sent the kinkou boy to get help and stayed to buy some time. Her lines in general could have had better wording. The main problem here is how out of place it is.

What I did like in this issue was the relationship between Akali and Shen. It is very nice to see that Akali trusts and follows Shen when he decides to take action. The last couple of scenes from the two shows their close relationship. They were coworkers at some point in the past and you can see that Shen is doing the talking as the eye of twilight while Akali uses force and violence as the former fist of shadow.

MamaCarrotCake1/15/2020, 5:21:05 PM6 votes

I personally really like Shen and Akalis relationship. To me it just showed that Shen is still a man who can’t always stay true to his word here. It’s easy to preach forgiveness from afar but with Zed within range it suddenly is a lot harder. He is angry and has his first real chance to strike down the man that basically ruined his life. I can’t imagine he be very logical in that state.

In a way Shens kinda become a man of action, actively working to take both Jhin and Zed down, which is why I think Akali is listening. Instead of doing nothing like she’s accused him of doing...he’s doing what she’s been wanting for a while.

He stopped her in the moment, sure, but they are at war and taking a much more active approach.

Also Akali shooting Kayn down as he flirted with him was pretty funny. I remember the lead writer for Akalis lore said that while she found him attractive physically she found him to be an insane murderer who she has little interest in. It’s nice to see that in action outside of that one line on the rift and made for a good little break in action.

RiotWAAARGHbobo1/21/2020, 1:01:54 AM6 votes

Canon-osity: The comic book's scene where Zed asks Shen for help against Jhin doesn't actually replace the short story "The man with the steel cane" in canon. The general events in both are what is "canon." (i.e Zed comes looking for help, Shen wants to kill him etc..) The specific differences (Shen being more or less expressive, the conflict escalating to violence, them talking while fighting, etc...) are just the result of the different medium's needs, conventions, and strengths.

If this scene was depicted in a live action movie or in a game it would again be slightly different --because those mediums have their own conventions and needs. Riot is trying to be "consistent" in our lore but not slaves to the point that it undermines the various mediums storytelling conventions. (So if we were to do this scene in a live action movie with a great actor we might instead be closer to the short story. We would rely on the actor playing Shen to show us the conflict purely in his facial expression. BUT if we were to do a Teen-Titan's style comedy animation - or a lego movie- we might depict Shen and Zed's conflict here comedically and though you could count on them still being in conflict and not agreeing, the fight probably would involve "the soup" in a more viceral way.) This scene was adjusted to conform to conventions in the American comics (specifically Marvel) because... well that's what it is. American comics in general and Marvel comics in particular tend express heightened emotions as literal fights.

**Specific questions: ** -1. Yanlei is the short informal version of the name. So just as our real world Templars were/are also known as The Knights Templar, or the Pauperes commilitones Christi Templique Salomonici and a several other names: the Yanlei are known by several names depending on how formal you are being. (I felt like I answered this last time....)

-2. The amount of power, the amount of control over the power, and the length at which can use the power.

-3. Pretty paranoid... Hmmm... I wonder why....

-4. Would Kusho lie to his son, or Zed, or both? Hmmmm..

-5. Yes, you can have a family BEFORE taking the title but not after. (To serve the balance you are supposed to put all attachments behind you (family, love etc... ). Also personally I think traveling in and out of the spirit realm could do weird things to your DNA-- your kids might turn out more like Vastaya or something)

-6. They are aware of them and of Zed, but Ionia doesn't have instagram. So unless you have a bunch of commemorative statues, normal people don't recognize you before you give your name.

-7. Let's say "extremely unpleasant."

-8. The war was still on and the Kinkou got their asses handed to them-- so they needed to accept terms which allowed both groups to continue. Who set up this treaty is a story for another time and place.

-9. It is a warrior code of conduct, much like our real world ones it has several elements . (Much as we have common rules for surrender, white flags etc..) . The key here is Zed had come to give Shen information and set down his weapons.

-10. Zed has reasons for what he's doing... which none of you have guessed yet. (And there's a bunch of visual easter eggs and clues in all the issues no one has noticed yet.) Let's just say Zed is highly motivated, and trying to do something beyond catching Jhin. Yes, Zed hates traditions but his honor and his reputation mean everything to Zed, so if it came to it ... probably he would have honored that pledge.

-11. Almost certainly before Battle of the Placidium. It was before the Noxian tide was turned. (The editors are better people to ask about dates and distances.)

-12. This... will be revealed later.

-13. Akali is no longer officially in the Kinkou... but her mom is. And Shen and Kennen were both father figures for her. She disagrees with how they are doing things-- and is frustrated with them-- but that organization is her family both literally and symbolically, I tend to think of Akali's link to the Kinkou as a bit like Wolverine in the X-men. Wolverine is always walking away from them and quitting the team-- but whenever they really need him, he's gonna show up. Also People tend to forget Akali is actually about the age of a high-school senior, and Shen doesn't forget this. He's hoping by being tolerant, he can wait out this rebellion and she will return tot he Kinkou. ...but I wonder why he thinks that's the right path....

-Bonus: Shen's sword. This is a bit of deep lore but the assumption here is that Shen doesn't carry his metal sword everywhere, only when he's expecting to have to fight and kill humans (and perhaps Vastaya). The stone/jade sword (The physical form of the spirit weapon) is too valuable to leave anywhere, and pretty good in a pinch but more importantly Shen's a big guy that would prefer not to kill people he can just knock unconscious.

AbiwonKenabi1/15/2020, 7:11:12 PM5 votes

I thought this issue was....kinda bad? Don't get me wrong, I think the story and characters are generally good; I agree that Shen flipped into vengeance mode too easily and Zed is being portrayed in too good a light for a "gray" character. But I like the plot as a whole so far and the interaction between Akali and Kayn was perfect.

However, I feel the comic itself is lacking. I've not been a huge fan of the style, and to top it off, the panels are outright nonsensical at times. Its something that most readers won't really think about, but panel flow is super important. Good panel placement and flow can turn a good comic into a great one. I think this is something Eiichiro Oda (author of One Piece) for example is really good at and elevates One Piece from being a fun adventure manga to having great fight scenes and dramatic moments fly off the page (sorry for the manga example, but I mainly read manga as far as comics go).

For this Issue of Zed, there were several pages that I had to reread multiple times because the panels just make no sense. There's this one part where Zed slams his swords into a table, basically saying "Jhin's out there, I'm not here to fight", the next panel is Shen screaming in anger rearing his sword over his head to strike anyways...and then the next panel Shen's sword is sitting on the table. I felt like i missed something, but after going over it so many times, I think its just an abrupt cut from Shen's anger to calming down enough to hear Zed out. Narratively it makes sense, but it feels like there's a missing panel. No shot of Shen slowly lowering his arms, no shot of his face trying to compose himself for the "balance" he's always talking about. Its just "angurry Shen" and then "calm Shen".

There's also the brief fight between Akali and Zed; there's a panel showing Zed blocking Akali's kama with his hand, and then in the next panel he's behind her, not even close to her. No shadow-y tendrils on the blocking hand to indicate he shifted away, no action lines, no omae wa mou shindeiru intentions, he's just away from her. The two shots just don't line up. Not to mention the panel alignments allow for a ton of white space for no real reason on that page. The white space doesn't add anything, the way the panels flow don't add to the action or add to Shen's declaration at the bottom. I just think this page could have been done a lot better, add more focus to Shen's face when he declares the armistice dead by giving him most of the bottom half of the page, instead of wasting space showing me Zed nowhere near Akali after he blocked her. Or use that white space to show how he got so far from her. I don't know, just seems bad...

I'm hoping it gets better, but these are just two examples. I feel like the panel alignment and what they choose to show in each panel is really holding this story back.

Camille Ferrøs1/15/2020, 7:57:20 PM4 votes

You said it well. As someone who is just reading the comic with no prior knowledge, it paints zed as a good guy, the hero of the story. While it's not really supposed to be like that...

And the now the entire shadow magic is scary thing is just gone at this point. Firstly we all thought that the sole reason why Zed was having a mask was that his face was damaged or transformed into something, by the shadow magic. Now that is out of the window, okay, maybe the scary stuff isn't physical. But then he is still completely fine as anyone else that practices that magic.

I think it weakens the point of zed going to the extremes to get even more power in order to do what he deems is best for the land. Going after forgotten magics just to protect the land. Which paints him even more as a gray character, to some extent to destroy himself for e higher purpose. Since now everyone is morally gray but this comic makes him out to be even toward one of the two extremes and not really in the middle.

And the art, well yeah...

notkai1/16/2020, 1:20:14 AM4 votes

First off, thanks for opening this discussion! Your analysis is thorough, and I enjoyed reading it. I have my own two cents on this issue, and I'll drop 'em here.

Things I enjoyed: primarily, aesthetic changes.

As mentioned, Kayn FINALLY looks good. I noticed Akali also had a few harsh black contour lines removed from her face, which did her wonders. It always boggled me that Kayn somehow looked older than Zed, despite being at least ten years younger. They both look (and act) more their age now, which I enjoy. It was also nice to see more of the surrounding land. I enjoyed the architecture of the Kinkou monastery during Zed's flashback, and all the attention to detail during Shen and Akali's ventures as they track Jhin down.

I also enjoyed the fight scene in the inn, INDEPENDENT OF LORE. Meaning I enjoyed the way it was drawn. I don't like the fact that it was there in the first place, and I'll elaborate in a moment. But as someone who practiced martial arts, including weaponry, for a few years, I can always appreciate when a fight seems realistic in terms of power distribution, positioning, and so forth. A lot of action movies nowadays rely on numerous jump-cuts to give the impression of a flowing fight scene, when really it's just small snippets crammed together with nothing anchoring them together. But the fight between Shen and Zed, short as it was, never seemed to extend past the boundaries of the scene nor the powers of each individual character. Shen is able to body-slam Zed into a wall, yes, but Zed is able to sink into the shadows to evade attacks. It was a well-drawn fight scene as far as they go.

And we finally get to see close-ups of Shen's face that aren't from a backlit side profile. I've noticed that quite a few panels of Shen are backlit or in dim light- I counted four or five in this issue. I'm beginning to wonder if it's meant to have some symbolic meaning, if it's the artists playing fast and loose with Shen's skintone, or if it's merely coincidence. Honestly? It's probably not even coincidence, just the way the lighting works out. But it's something I've taken notice of.

And while I'm still talking about aesthetic changes, there were a couple things I didn't like. Such as them GETTING RID OF SHEN'S UNDERCUT. Did he just shave 60% of his head between issues? It's not a major detail, but I think it's reflective of a lack of consistency in character design, since this is not the first time a detail about a character has just randomly changed.

Things I didn't enjoy: lore deviations.

At this point, I'm viewing the Zed comic as a completely alternate lore from what we know and have seen/read/heard for the past however many years about these characters. Lady Faceless did a wonderful job summing up the lore discrepancies, and I couldn't agree more. I don't like how Zed is being painted in this sort of vigilante hero light, nor do I like how Shen is being portrayed as vengeful and violent. I think Shen's anger is justified, and he's probably been leaving it unaddressed within himself for years (that's another thing- I wish character traumas were treated with a bit more nuance, but that's just another facet of writing characters, well, in-character). But it has been well-established, both inside and outside of the comic, that Shen keeps the balance. He explicitly states in The Man With The Steel Cane:

“I do not act because of vengeance. You defy the balance. For that, you are damned.”

So while I don't think it unreasonable that Shen would take an opportunity to strike, I think the justification as posited by the comic is wildly out-of-character.

Akali follows Shen around and aids him on his mission. Again, not an odd decision IF lore had not already established that Akali vehemently disagrees with the way that Shen gets shit done. I could honestly go on about how the characters in the Zed comic are entirely different characters from the lore that already exists, but I think enough has been said on it. Maybe the comic makers thought it would be too boring to just draw out a nonviolent conversation between two guys? I mean, they managed it fine with Zed's chat with Yevnai in Issue #2. But...whatever.

What I'm hoping for next: not entirely sure. I'm predicting that we'll see another fight between Shen and Zed, which Shen will uncharacteristically initiate, and which will be interrupted by Jhin just doing Jhin things. In an ideal comic world, I would hope for a bit more introspection on Shen's half of things, so we can see as much of his thoughts as we're seeing of Zed's, followed by a different kind of confrontation. But that's a bit outside of the realm of possibility as things stand now.

Elipo1/16/2020, 5:34:50 AM4 votes

I think the madness Akali noticed on Kayn eyes are also part of Rhast's corruption

HalfTangible1/15/2020, 9:28:41 PM3 votes

I assumed 'Order of the Shadow' was a translation of 'Yanlei' or something along those lines.

Re:Akali's contradictory behavior: It's clear she's frustrated with Shen's attitude and choice to cling to tradition over ending the threat Zed poses. However, it's also clear that despite that she still has respect for Shen as a warrior and her master. She disagrees vehemently with him, but she'll still follow him. For the moment.

Also, I don't recall if we've seen the dragon tattoo she has in the lore after leaving the Kinkou. This comic could very well end with Akali going off on her own and it seems to be leading into Kayn turning on Zed.

Jaspers1/15/2020, 5:15:43 PM3 votes

Zed's backstory part was a little off from his Bio, that might want looking into. Good read however, not a big fan of the art myself. I prefer crisper colours in comics, not pastels.

Slight off topic conversation. Genuine question, when Kayn returned to the order with a new weapon and his arm deformed did Zed just accept this and move on? Considering he sent Kayn out to stop the Noxians from getting the weapon in the presumption it would be destroyed?

Raven Redeemed1/15/2020, 9:47:23 PM3 votes

Also, I’m the only one who is bothered by the complete lack of shadow tattoos from Zed? I know they will appear at a later point but I really want to see these now.

Maybe you know something I don't, but I would think it's entirely possible Zed has no tattoos. Assuming his only infusion of the tears was during the siege, he probably just drank the stuff so he could get back to battle.

While his anger IS justified, I’m disappointed to see how easily the Eye of Twilights gets lead astray by his own emotions, especially since Zed offered his own head to him when they complete the mission.

This is just my opinion, but I actually like that Shen tried to kill Zed here. Gives him a little humanity. I also like that he was level headed enough to not jeopardize lives in his anger and was willing to follow up on Zed's info. Plus it's unlikely Shen could run into ANY situation that would test him as being confronted with his father's killer. So it's like this is any ol situation in which he losses his cool. It also seems that Shen's honor and balance are now in conflict which is interesting.

It doesn’t actually do it but because we only see Zed in a mostly positive (or really neutral) light, it feels like we have complete different champion.

I imagine this is in part because they want to prove that Zed is a grey character (a lot of people I know think Zed is just plain evil) and also because Zed is the protagonist of this comic and it's hard to appreciate a character when they are being racist and such. But yeah, I would like to see Zed as a bit more a darker character in this comic, especially when it comes to traditions as you mentioned.

Xedlord1/15/2020, 9:48:07 PM2 votes

I wonder if those "Tears of the shadow" have anything to do with Nocturne, since I don't know of anything else that would be know as The shadow.

c h a u u s i e1/15/2020, 7:28:05 PM2 votes

This issue was very funny, Kayn just generally seems exasperated and has no idea what Zed is doing - he's also shit at flirting and would rather do that than do anythign about the reinforcements that have been sent for.. The whole Akali and Kayn interesction was a great comedy moment, as well as Shens face when Kayn calls him a giant freak in the background.

I agree with you that Zed doesn't seem to trust even Kayn, considering Kayn seems to trust him and that Zeds practically raised the guy from when he was around 10, it seems odd. You can also see the difference in teaching styles between Zed and Shen. Zed didn't care that his followers saw Jhins work and were so distraught some of them were vomiting. Shen wouldn't let Akali anywhere close, despite Akalis insistance that she could handle it.

The whole relationship between Zed and his order is interesting IMO. The way Zed doesn't trust any of them, yet the fact that they will follow Zed in his quests even just after a bunch of them got killed by Jhin(Again, Shen didn't let his (ex) follower even see what Jhin had done.. Zed didn't care and lost people for it, which he also doesn't care about). Zed is like this yet it shows his compassion for children and the refugees, his need to do something for his people and his upholding of honour and tradition. It's interesting.

Was Akali casually torturing someone for information on the bridge there? Shen digging out info on what Zed is doing too whilst looking for Jhin. Nice to get this Ionia lore written out.

I do wish the person doing the colouring was more consistent.. There's bits that don't match up from one frame to the next, or don't match up with previous issues.

Galactic Titty1/22/2020, 4:21:48 AM2 votes

I just want to say that your discussion here is chef kiss and almost every problem i had was pointed out