these two pages from Azrael #4 are perhaps one of the clearest early depictions of the way jpv and az work together -- and against each other.
this other azrael, this replacement, did not have to be azrael. it was a repeated choice, made twenty-two times over as he eliminated all of lilhy's other candidates. when his position becomes threatened by getting on lilhy's bad side as she moves to take control of the order, he sides with the current leader against the rising insurgency. he chooses to maintain the status quo, treats being azrael as the honor the order claims it to be. not to mention that, shortly before this fight, the positions were reversed-- the replacement caused jean-paul to fall down an icy ravine, with the expectation that it would lead to his death. now here he is, begging for the help he would not give.
all of this, and it would be no small wonder for azrael to take vengeance. it would be no small wonder for jean-paul to take vengeance. the order has made victims of them both, and here is a man treating it all as something to be proud of. a grand accomplishment. yet, neither of them take that vengeance-- at least, not on purpose.
they work together to disarm the threat, clearly not intending for him to die; the goal of this is to get him to drop his sword (...and to give him a proper ego check). and yet, in the end, azrael's strength flees when it comes time for mercy. he is not made for mercy. as he says to lilhy on the following page, the system does not allow it. jean-paul is not any more capable of exercising it, and their replacement falls.
azrael does not hide the great sorrow this causes him. it's plain as day on his face. despite what this man represents, he truly did intend to save him--but at this point, so early on, he is simply not capable of it.
much of the struggle that azrael and jpv go through is balancing intent with action and what they can realistically accomplish (another really good and heartbreaking instance of this is in the grey abbott's laboratory in issue #7 but. that one physically hurts to think about so I shan't go there today, just know it's there if you're curious). azrael has his own distinct strengths and weaknesses, as does jean-paul. because of that, even when they're both on the same page, failing to account for these differences means their best of plans can (and often do) go terribly awry.
