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[Spoilers] Lux: Issue Nr. 3 - Feedback, Discussion and Questions

LordRedStone Nr1·7/10/2019, 4:16:11 PM·26 votes·17,115 views
https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/comic/lux/

#Intro

I got no time, so a short introduction today. Last thread is here, current issue here.

#Spoilers! Last warning!

   

Summary

https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/comic-series/luxcomic/Luxcomic-issue-3-link.jpg

We were waiting for some action after the last issues, and action is here! Lux once again tries to sneak back into Crownguard Manor, but is confronted by Garen and Tianna with some guards. Tianna arranged the execution for Sylas. They imprison Lux in the pantry to make sure she stays home while Sylas is dealt with. Sylas on the other hand thinks he'll be free soon. All he needs is one more touch. But instead of Lux, he is visited by the wardens. He's going to be executed in front of the Mageseeker headquarters, but Lux comes to save the day (because of course she does, it's a comic).

She gives a captivating speech, but can't swing the audience. She also fails to confess that she is a mage; Instead she says she is his "friend". The captain removes Lux from the podium, but she breaks free and runs to Sylas. She says that she is sorry, and Sylas replies that he is too. Then he breaks free of his chains. What follows is Sylas' rampage and destruction, killing everyone with her magic. (We knew this from his biography, but it's still impressive.) He tries to win her over, but she turns away. Garen arrives with some soldiers, but sends them away to secure the area. He's going in alone.

Luxanna tries to help the victims, while Sylas does not care and frees the other prisoners. His subsequent speech makes him look like the savior they have all been waiting for (he probably think he is the savior); Garen arrives. An epic battle ensues, at some point Sylas runs out of the stored energy and Garen gets the high ground. However he underestimated Sylas' power, and when he hits the petricite with his sword, Sylas gains a little bit of magic back and beats him with a fire punch. Lux persuades him not to kill Garen, and he leaves with the mages, asking her to come with him. She refuses.

In the infirmary, the Mageseekers question Lux, the only survivor of the massacre. She admits that she brought Sylas the books that gave him the knowledge to escape, and explains how Petricite stores magic instead of nullifying it. However she is interrupted before she confesses she is a mage - again. Lux then says he doesn't want to flee - he wants to kill the king. The issue ends on the realization that the palace is not a defense against mages; It's a weapon for them.

   

People & Places

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

Lux had a really nice development in this issue (which we kinda expected). She consciously decides to use her powers to escape, aware of the consequences, but she is determined to save Sylas. Of course, we know he was manipulating her, so she misjudged him, but for her, it all makes sense. She made a difficult decision and is running with it now. Then she realizes how Sylas betrayed her, how she misjudged him. Now she tries everything she can to help, even confessing to minor crimes (she broke into the mageseeker library). However, she still does not fully accept herself: she also almost said she's a mage (twice), but did not. Not really. I expect it will come bursting out of her sometime in the future.

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

There is a lot of theory fodder here: Garen is a mage? (NEW LEAKED Comic reveals the truth!)

######no need to thank me, youtubers

However, I'm still not convinced. He's definitely not a mage, because... well, he does not use magic. He never will go around tossing fireballs or whatever, so by that definition, he's not a mage. Done. He might have latent magic abilities. Remember from the first issue that "Magic is usually inherited". That's the easiest explanation as to why Sylas could steal magic from him, but there are other possibilities. His sword or armor might have absorbed magic, and Sylas simply used that. Or, my favorite explanation is: His sword is made from sun-steel. A special kind of metal found in Demacia, presumably blessed by Kayle. Note that he does not touch Garen, but only his sword. Furthermore, note that the magic takes the form of fire, when Lux' magic took the form of light / lasers (her Ult). So, Sylas might have been using celestial fire from Kayle's magic, just like Garen will be using Kayle's magic for his "Ult" (even if he hasn't done so yet).

Even if he knows / suspects that Lux is a mage (or just that she met with the most dangerous mage of this generation), he does not hesitate to storm into the breach to rescue her. He does not quite understand the relationship between Sylas and Lux, but still tries to protect his sister. Love!

Tianna https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/569515732593803266/570310574156808193/tianna_crownguard.png

I hoped we would find out more about Tianna in this issue, so I was excited when I saw her again. She's a recurring NPC (similar to Tamara, everyone's favorite Warmason) and maybe we could get some more backstory on her. Assuming she is the father's sister, does she have more siblings? What about the uncle that got killed by Sylas a mage? Is there a reason why she is so quick to judge Sylas, other than magecism?

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

We haven't seen anything of Demacia in this issue, except for some interesting worldbuilding details inside a pantry. These confirm that Demacias food is mostly agricultural, including:

  • Wooden barrels, presumably red wine or beer. In the first issue, Tianna can be seen drinking something, so there's more evidence it's wine.
  • A smaller array of flasks. Liquor? I'll assume it's not (just) water ;) Otherwise it could be oils and seasonings.
  • Sacks on the floor - My first thought was potatoes, but someone pointed out flour.
  • Taters? Po-tay-toes, various herbs, corn cobs, garlic braids and lettuce heads

What is missing is meat, but I doubt it would be stored here. I also can't imagine they wouldn't eat meat, they have a lot of forests to hunt in and farms, presumably with pigs (Sylas himself uses "swine" as insult for the upper class). So: Worldbuilding win! Ding

Sylas and the Revolution https://universe-meeps.leagueoflegends.com/v1/assets/images/turmoil_bg.jpg

Finally we see some revolutionizing! Sylas got to free his core group of mages from the mageseeker-prison. They are going to stay by his side, since they were treated as badly as he was. We know he is going to recruit more from his color story, but these might not be as loyal.

There is some nice "Jesus" / "Savior" imagery going on, the way Sylas stands amidst the rubble and his people and the way he talks. That's the beauty of this kind of storytelling, Sylas and his followers indeed think they are doing the right thing. Also, some important setup for the story.

   

General thoughts

There is not much plot going on, but a lot of action. I loved the fight between Garen and Sylas, as well as the devastation he caused. Nice work from the artists!

I think it's interesting how everyone jumps on the train that Sylas and Lux are in love. For Tianna and Garen, it might seem like an easy explanation on why she ditched Jarvan, but even the random person from the crowd calls her "mage-lover". It would not even matter that she herself is a mage (probably a more powerful one than Sylas), she's guilty by affiliation, just like witch-lovers.

I don't want Garen to be a mage. In fact, I think making him one would be lazy, because it would be the only way to make him see his errors. There are other ways to complete the arc for Garen and come to terms with the fact that his sister is a mage. Also, the fact that magic is supposedly rare but somehow almost everyone in Demacia has magic. The Kayle-explanation I mentioned is more likely, since there are hints she might come back soon. The writers clearly didn't forget about the sisters: The mageseeker compound uses the Protector as symbol, even though it's origin is a divine being. Also there is the "infirmary of the sisters". Last issue mentioned Morgana as cameo, so there might be something going on...

We already speculated Jarvan III might die, it was hinted at in the latest update to Jarvan IV's biography and this only confirms my fears. I'm super excited for the next issue to see how it all will work out!

   

Questions

I only got stupid questions today, red answers would probably be spoilers. We can discuss them instead:

  1. How do you explain (supposedly) Garen's magic?
  2. Will Tianna return? (I hope so)
  3. Do you think Jarvan III is going to die? How?
  4. Should Lux have confessed she is a mage on the podium? How would that have played out?

As always, thanks for reading this far! Feel free to discuss this issue below!

74 Comments

xox BaByDoLL xox7/10/2019, 5:05:09 PM9 votes

I absolutely LOVE this series! I love what seemed like a genuine regretful apology by Sylas before he stole her power, I love the pet name for Lux, and I also love the kindness he showed towards Garen - even if it was super tiny and totally not because he gives af about Garen lol, but because on some base level he cares about, or sympathizes with, Lux.

This leads me to talking about where I really hope this story goes, but I know it probably won't. Sylas at the moment is a sympathetic character to some degree. He was used and abused by Demacia's elite and then stuffed in a cage merely for how he was born. Demacia's way of handling mages is incredibly barbaric and shows that what appears to be a nice wholesome kingdom actually is a Kingdom that contains quite a bit of depravity outside the eyes of the masses.

If Sylas kills the King, or attempts to and winds up killing someone else high up, or does something else that's a bit overboard - even with the extenuating circumstances of his life story, he will lose that sympathetic side of him for most - including Lux. I REALLY don't want this to happen, but I think it's going to.

Sylas is pissed off, rightfully so, but I think there's a way to keep his anger and fury alive without dissecting him from Lux on a emotional level. I'd love for Lux to be his friend still, to have conflicting feelings over her attachment to Sylas and her attachment to her family and her people. I'd love to see the two of them second guessing the steps they take in whatever plans they come up with respectively because of how they feel about the other.

I think that would be a more entertaining and interesting story line, than just having Sylas go apeshit, kill masses of ppl and the King, and make Lux hate him. A two sided conflict is predictable, it's boring, Throwing a wrench in a two sided conflict is more interesting, having characters with conflicting feelings second guessing what they once thought was a just cause or action, is more interesting. Developing a relationship of some sort - be it platonic or romantic - between two very unlikely characters or people with polar opposite personalities, desires, and viewpoints on the world around them, is more interesting.

So, for all those reasons, I really do hope there's a bit more depth to Sylas and Lux's relationship and the whole story, vs. it just winding up being "Sylas goes too far and now Lux hates him 100% and it's Demacia (Lux) vs. Sylas and his mages."

Lux + Sylas = A very good read! Bravo to the writers and artist! =D

EdgeLady7/10/2019, 7:50:09 PM8 votes

I've expressed my theories on Garen before, so as one might imagine, I have a lot of thoughts and speculations on this.

Whatever happened there with Garen and Sylas, to any casual viewer, it would be implied that Garen does have some kind of magic. Now, it might be debatable on whether this would necessarily make him a "mage"; I can't exactly imagine Garen shooting light out of his hands, for instance. But many other people who simply have magic choose to channel it through weapons instead of by itself, particularly those who are less powerful (ex. Yasuo, Ezreal, likely Akali and Riven, and likely a lot more). And for those out there who like to focus on character power tiers (looking at you, RyzeTheSmurfMage), if Garen does have magic, I think it would be safe to say that he's less powerful than Lux. But to that note: in the present, Lux does channel her magic through her staff (with the exception of Final Spark, of which she seems to be using variants in these comics).

On that note, if he does have it, what could it be, and is it connected to Lux? If Kayle's celestial magic, which has been mentioned to be the source of Garen's ultimate, is actually inherent to Garen, I've expressed my theories before that Lux's magic might be connected to Kayle too, and it could be genetic. However, there is a possibility that it could be different, though from the same source, or just completely different in general. I do hope that Sylas isn't speaking for Riot that "we'll never know the whole truth".

Now, what do I want Riot to do? Well, like TheMan292 above, I definitely think that Garen discovering magic in himself would make for a very interesting and traumatic arc, but unlike Lux, I don't think it should be the sole focus of his arc, only a supplement. His arc could work without it, which is why I wouldn't mind too much if Riot does decide it's just his weapon or just petricite or something, but I think that aspect could be a massive intensifier of his arc. It would make it more about himself and his own loyalties over just being a side arc to Lux and, to a lesser extent, Sylas. He is supposed to be the true main character of Demacia after all. Plus, there are so many hints and teases to Garen being magic that I think it would be somewhat of a cop-out if Riot decides it's not anything special or interesting. Though I know there are people who don't want it too, especially because the magic-fearing has been so overdone in Demacian lore focus, and that I can understand. Of course, I would want said arc done well, if it happens, and not the same lore points hammered in again and again. But I also worry that this aspect of Garen will become a Miss Fortune VO situation where it'll be impossible or nearly impossible to make the whole fanbase happy, with whatever Riot chooses to do.

TheMan2927/10/2019, 5:44:50 PM7 votes

I think Garen's magic that Sylas took is not "regular magic". if it was, Sylas would've reacted way less cryptic and with much less interest.

no idea about Tianna, isnt she supposed to be a big political power?

Jarvan the 3rd will die. there's more drama to the story and I cant see how to counter your own base being a power source for mages like Sylas (plus you know the name of one of his abilities...)

as for lux, it would not be a good idea. I think if she did, it would've caused a huge uproar, especially for the people who had to give up their children while the noble got to keep them (and there's the issue of the crownsguard themselves having magic)

Camille Ferrøs7/10/2019, 4:49:14 PM6 votes

I find it really weird how no one knew what petricite really was, while its there since forever and literally everywhere.

Terozu7/10/2019, 4:27:46 PM6 votes

I liked the lightningy effect from Garen's magic, really makes it contrast from Lux.

Lux's light magic is powerful and dangerous but can be kind and gentle.

Garen's magic is stormy showing quick and decisive strikes with no gentleness.

Jeddy0177/10/2019, 5:22:17 PM4 votes

Alright, NOW we're getting to the good shit. Everything from the moment Sylas broke out is just what I was waiting for. No more retreading stuff covered in the bio (well mostly). It's all original progression from here & that's just the way I like it.

[sg-lux]

As for Gary having magic, I have to think about that. Also....

I don't want Garen to be a mage. In fact, I think making him one would be lazy, because it would be the only way to make him see his errors. There are other ways to complete the arc for Garen and come to terms with the fact that his sister is a mage.

Such as? Come on, you have my curiosity. Don't blue ball my curiosity.

Jaspers7/10/2019, 9:50:19 PM4 votes

Lux comes of as very naive about it things in the situation but she's young an idealistic so it makes sense. The rest is a good read, glad Sylas is coming off as a maniac that he is, showing his true colours.

Enjoying Billy Tan's work, liked his run on X-men back in the day and glad to see him keeping up his good work.

AbiwonKenabi7/10/2019, 9:27:19 PM3 votes

I don't think there's any sense in Lux confessing she's a mage yet. She feels like its the right thing perhaps, but even if it is, all it will do is get her locked away or otherwise persecuted. She can't do anything then. I think she needs to start small, start by confessing to those closest to her, like Garen--even though he might already have his suspicions, convincing your own brother (they clearly care about each other) is the first important step before being able to convince society. I don't think it helps anything to just confess her magic randomly to try and convince them to spare Sylas. Society isn't going to change on a dime like that, and a proper reveal to the public could actually be advantageous rather than just get her in trouble like it was about to.

ShadowGlaive2137/10/2019, 9:50:30 PM2 votes

I was disappointed. I thought if there was a time for Lux to really shine in some way it would've been now. Yes, she used her powers to break out, but she didn't think to use her powers to protect all those people, or at least to protect Garen if Riot didn't want her mage-ness to be exposed yet since supposedly no one else survived the riot. Instead all she can think to do is throw her body in front of people and beg?

If she doesn't know how to use her powers to protect yet, hopefully that'll be in the next issue, if not the one after. It's just strange to me that this issue places us almost where we are currently in lore but Lux is so vastly behind in terms of development.

Elipo7/10/2019, 5:57:20 PM2 votes

I think garen HAS some magic in him but is weak compared to Lux' magic, otherwise Sylas would have killed him inmediatly. Also I wouldn't be surprised if he knew about it. I mean he knew about Lux but hid it from everyone including Lux herself. But still I think his magic is so subtle it doesn't make him a mage.

This reminds me of people mocking Garen's hatred for magic when "he can summon a blazing sword from sky". I think I've even seen fanart of Jarvan trying to tell him he also has magic but Garen not realizing, being very thick. I mean Sylas kinda used Garen's ult on him.

BoringLittleF7/10/2019, 8:06:42 PM2 votes

I'm amazed at how naive and dumb they made her. In the end she was ready to let her friend die to keep her ass safe.

Penta Penguin7/10/2019, 8:02:02 PM1 votes

Why would you build a kingdom around denying magic when the world is full of magic? You literally created a whole population of "prisoners" who have the power to overthrow your entire nation and your own royalty is repressed form using their full power to protect the nation

This is some toilet-paper writing

Makarakarn7/10/2019, 6:46:25 PM1 votes

I think the whole garen thing is very easily the idea that he just had magic stored in the sword. In the exact same comic they were worried about him going to that one building I can't be fucked to remember the name of because it had magic stored in it. And think about it, considering how willing garen was to intercept a mage in the first issue, I wouldn't be surprised if his blade has blocked a few magic bolts. Considering Sylas is the only one we know who can manipulate the magic stored in petricite, we can assume garen's blade probably hasn't had any of its magic removed since its forging. And again, they were worried about that building having CENTURIES worth of magic, so I don't think that time of magic being stored is an issue here. Kayle idea is interesting but I've personally never heard of the whole sun steel thing.

Edit: Him going to the building-him = Sylas