Boards›Story, Art, & Sound

[Spoilers] Lux: Issue Nr. 4 - Feedback, Discussion and Questions

LordRedStone Nr1·8/14/2019, 6:38:33 PM·12 votes·16,690 views
https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/comic/lux/

Intro

Hello World! After what felt like an eternity, the next issue of the Lux comic is finally here! There is a lot to cover today, since we did not only get a comic issue, but also a story exploring the aftermath to support it. I'm a little late today (sorry), and soon I have to leave the boards again to learn for some exams. But now, let's wrap up issue 4. Before we get into things, here is my spoiler spoiler warning because holy shit it's definitely needed today. :

Spoilers! Last warning!

   

Summary

https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/comic-series/luxcomic/Luxcomic-issue-4-link.jpg

The city is under attack! We see Lux running off to the mageseeker compound, then cut to the strategic meeting in the palace. Sylas and the mages breach the palace doors, and a fight ensues. It seems like the rebellion is overwhelmed, but Sylas steps up to face Jarvan IV and summons a firestorm from the palace's magic. The guards fall. He then summons a purple bind, and Jarvan falls too.

Back in the Infirmary, Garen is still knocked out. The doctor is helpless, but Tianna tries something else: Appealing to his sense of duty.

Sylas leads his prisoner to the chambers of his father, the king. But when they open the doors, the king is already dead. Slain in his own quarters. The mage-leader reveals he didn't actually want the king dead, but humiliated. Someone put an end to his plan agains his orders; But when the father is dead, he'll take the son.

Lux meanwhile was sneaking into the mageseeker compound again. She wants to confront Sylas without magic, so she got herself a crossbow and a knife and is now gulping down Petricite juice to get rid of her magic.

Back at the palace. Sylas is holding a speech to the masses in a fake "trial" for (now King) Jarvan. He accused him of a reign of terror, and Jarvan defends himself: He loved someone not so different from them. Sylas is playing with the crowd, and then reveals his sentence: He wants to kill him, but grants him a final meal: A juicy demacian prison rat.

Lux finally shows up, crossbow in hand. Sylas orders the mages to spare her once more, but she has no intention of sparing him: He gets a bolt straight to the shoulder. He retaliates with his shackles and knocks her down. She stabs him in the foot with her dagger. Heroic, certainly, but it's not enough. She is overwhelmed by the mages. In the last second, the crowd stirs and Garen arrives: "Hello, Mage. Ready to finish this?"

    https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/aftermath_t.jpg

In this story, we see the other point of view: Jarvan IV and Xin Zhao. The next day, after the palace is secured, Xin wanders through the halls purposeless. He failed his king, the one he swore to protect. Now he intends to keep his promise to Tianna: He's seeking her so she can kill him. On his way, he runs into Jarvan IV in a training hall. J4 tosses him a sword, then begins flailing at him in anger. Xin merely deflects.

In flashbacks, it is revealed what Jarvan III did before his death: He wrote a letter that would free the mages if delivered. Xin Zhao just didn't deliver it.

When they switch over to their real spears, Xin defends himself for a while, then accepts his fate. He wanted to die on this day. Jarvan stops his blade on his throat. In the end, Jarvan wants Xin Zhao to be his seneschal as well. He doesn't blame him anymore for the death of his father, only the mages. We see him join a council, and then he orders Xin to destroy the letter.

   

People & Places

    Garen

https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/demacia-sketches/garen-demacia-sketch.jpg

Garen is the badass knight again. Even though he got temporarily knocked out (and even by cruel magic), when honor calls, he must defend the kingdom. He too was to late to save the king, but now this is something personal. I fully expect him to beat the crap out of Sylas in the next issue.

    Jarvan https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/demacia-sketches/jarvan-demacia-sketch.jpg

Young prince King Jarvan is grief-struck. He got captured in his own palace and discovered the body of his father. Even though he was not against all mages in the comic (he even mentioned that he loved Shyvana), things are different in the Aftermath story. Right now, there is no one to blame for the death of his father except for Xin Zhao and the mages. So when he learned he can't blame Xin, there are no other options left for him. He destroys the letter that could have ended this rebellion, and continues to enforce the laws with newly found anger.

    Demacia https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/images/demacia_emblem.png

An interesting revelation is that not all of Demacia stands behind the mage policies. So far, this seems obvious, but let's take a closer look. Who enforces the policies? The mageseekers, who'se head is... a Crownguard. Sylas was right when he told Lux he was imprisoned by the Crownguards. A yet unnamed crownguard, married to Tianna Crownguard is leading the mageseekers. The aftermath story also reveals that the king has the absolute power, but doesn't seem to use it that often. Most of the decisions are made in a small council, made up from the important people around the court. This includes the head of the mageseekers. Jarvan III himself admits that he gave them too much power.

    Sylas and the Revolution https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/569515732593803266/611149618264145920/unknown.png

The king is dead. Long live the king. https://tenor.com/view/scar-mufasa-scary-lion-king-gif-5571645

They did it. They killed the king. The biggest and fattest swine of them all. Of course, the king was finally on their side reversing the regulations to imprison mages. But similar to Azir and Xerath, it's too late. The deed is doneThe king is dead. The question is: Who killed him?

I think Sylas is genuine when he says he didn't want him dead. He wanted to kill him in the public to humiliate the "swine". I don't think the mages Sylas commands killed him - he should have ordered them not to. Unless someone betrayed Sylas, the rebellion is not what killed the king.

    Lux https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/demacia-sketches/lux-demacia-sketch.jpg

##Holy Shit. Badass good girl.

This is what we have all been waiting for. She's standing up for herself and facing Sylas without magic, just with a crossbow. She acknowledges how stupid this is, and still does it. In the end, she actually played a major role in driving Sylas out of the palace. She held the line, waiting for Garen to arrive, without knowing if he would ever come. This is the content I'm here for.

   

Final thoughts

  • The action in this issue is on point. Jarvan entering the fray; Sylas conjuring celestial magic he can not handle, binding Jarvan; the confrontation between Lux and Sylas; Garen arriving. More of this please!

  • The map table in the palace is amazing, I want one of these too. I like big maps like this one or this one (both images are GoT, beware spoilers). In Jarvan IV's color story, we see (saw) another map of Demacia. I actually wanted to link that too, but it turns out it's gone (Probably in preparation for King Jarvan IV). Would it be possible to get them to the players, like the Medarda Heirloom? (Bioluminescence, get on it please!)

  • The death of Jarvan III was predictable. People have called that one since the releas of Sylas (his W is called "Kingslayer" for a reason), but I still think it's fine. I have the feeling that this riddle is not as obvious as it may seem.

  • How is Jarvan going to handle the death of his father and the country he inherited? For now, he wants to crush these mages, but did he forget Shyvana? I'm genuinely interested in Demacias future, how he is going to handle the issue his father pointed out. Even though it's pretty clear it's all going to work out in the end (given the circumstances in the lore/game, they can't turn Demacia completely evil now), I still want to know how the story continues.

  • How did Lux get her wand? Last time, someone pointed out she doesn't have it yet (and can't have it yet), but the cover for the next issue shows her with her staff. Maybe this will be revealed in the next issue?

Feel free to discuss this issue and the corresponding story below! ######(Sorry again for being late)

61 Comments

Jeddy0178/14/2019, 10:37:08 PM18 votes

Good old Gary.

recieves all the best medicine in the land

Garen: "I sleep"

told Demacia is in trouble

Garen: "I must go! My people needs me!"

TheMan2928/14/2019, 8:19:15 PM11 votes

am I the only one surprised that sylas not only looks surprised, but worried upon seeing the dead king.

Red Spider Lily8/14/2019, 7:06:08 PM9 votes

I'm still not sure about the Crownguards/Mageseekers as the real kingslayer. Why not Noxian Spies using the mage rebellion to kill the king? A war between Demacians is a free win for Noxus. And with the former lore, why not the doing of Leblanc? She's a deceiver after all.

Terozu8/14/2019, 8:00:04 PM7 votes

We need a legendary Lux skin where she has a cross bow and knives.

Magicless Lux.

ModRowanstar8/14/2019, 8:14:47 PM4 votes

There are 2 characters I despise in these comics.

  1. Aunt Tianna: basically Garen is overprotective of his little sister and wants to keep her hidden from prying eyes. Tianna doesnt care about her and literally calls her STUPID GIRL. What kind of family is she? It pisses me off because I have an amazing family, and anyone who is cruel to family is of the worst kind of scum. She also only cares about the family name, not ppl themselves. Lame.

  2. Jarvan: despite his father recognizing that they causes the uprising, Jarvan acts like a brat and insists that he is in the right and Sylas the wrong. His childish attitude and insolent behavior is what caused Sylas to happen in the beginning. Demacians overall are such pricks. There are only 4 I can actually stand. Garen, Lux, Sylas (i know he is the villain but rightfully so) and my favorite Galio who just wants to help is people and is free from the maddening hierarchy and politics of Demacia.

IBBE L33TZ8/14/2019, 10:15:42 PM4 votes

I'm guessing the next issue will be the last? I am so happy and excited that there is actual advancement on the lore now. Looking forward to it already!

[slayer-pantheon-popcorn]

Toniy8/15/2019, 1:47:25 AM4 votes

im calling it Leblanc killed j3 it just makes sense noxus would try to fuck up as much as they could if they heard about this maybe they're the ones that put sylas in prison to begin with could be a long con done by Swain

4MERICAS4ASS8/18/2019, 11:32:23 AM3 votes

Okay I just can't keep this out of my mind and want to know if other people agree with me: Sylas "pulled out" Morgana's magic from the petricide, right? I thought so because before "pulling out" the magic he said to Jarvan:"Allow me to enlighten you, dear prince, of the great beings of old. You can feel their presence still. Here they Struggled and Fought with power far beyond your comprehension". Struggled and fought. This is an almost direct hint at Morgana and Kayle, as our dear sisters were known as the winged protectors of Demacia . Also, I want to remind you that in issue two Lux gives Sylas a book called "The tales of the veiled lady", and as we all know, Morgana is known as the veiled one. So that's whwere Sylas found out about her and that is exactly why he pulled out Morgana's magic, not Kayle's. I'm just going to leave this theory here.

Hokuto No Shen8/15/2019, 1:11:53 AM3 votes

I bet my money on LeBlanc. She might went hidden in Demacia to kill the King

ModCaliCoastReplay8/15/2019, 1:55:30 AM3 votes

What I love about Runeterra, and want to see continue - is its insistence that all of its characters are flawed and intensely human.

Indeed all of its nations are flawed and intensely human.

That aspect reminds me of real history - I mean, if real history had petricite and magic and giant purple swamp dragons.

Demacia always struck me as, if not "the good guys", at least those who fancied themselves they were - Garen, Lux, a real emphasis on nobility at least in places - but the entire Sylas story really exposes its underbelly. I thought the part where Sylas served a rat to Jarvan - because eating rats was the only way he and others survived in Demacian prison - was nothing less than some of the finest writing I've seen lately.

And this is Demacian prison. One wonders what kind of a tale could be told of, say, a Noxian prison.

The art is beautiful too, this team needs to keep working in comics!

FSRER8/15/2019, 5:50:11 AM3 votes

Sylas is not acomplishing anything in Demacia. He has influenced the civil war towards the mages and he will be put to blame for the king's killing. The people of Demacia, after all this is over, will despite mages even more after what they have done and even the common folk that are not against them, will start having doubts about trusting them and the high class of Demacia will be free to issue even harsher laws against them. Sylas has done more wrong than good without even realising it

Oleandervine8/15/2019, 2:00:43 PM2 votes

No one's going to mention the fact that Sylas pulled Morgana's magic out of the petricite walls of the place to bind J4? What this implies in regards to Morgana and Kayle? It's interesting to mull over, because we haven't had much indication that Morgana had thrust herself into civilization, let alone managed to enter the palace and have one of her signature spells absorbed by the walls. Why was Morgana in the palace? Who was she trying to bind? Isn't she supposed to be a hermit?

EbonyBladeJ888/14/2019, 11:07:38 PM2 votes

Well, I realize this is on a SAS thread, but with the death of Jarvan the 3rd in the lore, and J4 thus now becoming the new king OFFICIALLY, could this mean that we may be seeing J4 get a VGU? Let me clarify first by saying that he should NOT usurp the positions of Volibear and/or Fiddlesticks, or any other champions that Riot has decided upon for VGUs in the time since the last Champ Roadmap, but MAYBE, just MAYBE, this could lead him to getting changes.

Getting a fancy new kit to go with his new position? I can get behind that.

Yordle Xayah8/15/2019, 8:01:49 AM2 votes

Probably the issue I've enjoyed the least.

Other than the fight with Jarvan, every time Sylas interacts with anybody, I felt like he is in he looks like he's chilling with some friends or something. His smile is so casual in almost every panel, and I find it hard to buy he's this tortured character raging for revenge we met in the previous 3 issues.

He's just like "¡Oh sup Jarvan! Gonna kill you and stuff. Are you free on Friday? if not it's fine, we can do this on Saturday" or something like that. I honestly thought he was gonna be super angry when the king was found dead. Like... he's been plotting to kill him for YEARS and yet he shrugs it like... "Oh well, I guess he's dead now" and it just felt really weird. Lux attacks him and he's like "Well, screw you too". I thought he was gonna have a bigger reaction. They had formed a bond that came across as very genuine and the payoff of the bond breaking felt very weak.

ModCaliCoastReplay8/15/2019, 1:50:52 AM2 votes

I am so into this comic. It's the bright spot in my day today.

ZaneShadow8/15/2019, 3:46:07 PM1 votes

I just really want to see Gallio or Shyvana show up and show Sylas what some “real” magic looks like.

Probably won’t see Shyvana because the rework is already sorta planned and that might cause some issues with design and such.

Gallio also probably not, as he kinda resolves everything a bit too easily. I mean, Sylas might wield magic from petricite, but Gallio eats it to fuel his conscious movements.

Silly day dreaming aside, I really enjoyed this comic. Really curious to see how they plan to end it.

ThasMahHamma8/16/2019, 7:33:57 PM1 votes

Where has Poppy been throughout this entire comic? Hero of Demacia "the only one who could keep Demacia whole" sure isn't doing much throughout this entire thing.

Greenette8/15/2019, 2:14:31 AM1 votes

Ive only ready the first issue.

Just tell me before I read, do these comics imply a romance between Sylas and Lux? Cuz just no thanks on all of that.