#sorana

From Bring on the Bad Guys: Green Goblin #001, “Neither Body Nor Mind / The Secret Origin of Sister Sorrow”

“Neither Body Nor Mind”, by Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan (W), Matteo Della Fonte and Mattia Iacono (A)

I did read the first issue, but I wasn't caught up until just now!

For anyone who hasn't read it, Bring On The Bad Guys-- which is a very corny title borrowed from a late-70s comic-- is an event miniseries largely centered on Mephisto, and each issue stars a different villain who gets involved, somehow, in his evil scheme to gather a series of enchanted soul daggers. Sister Sorrow, whose birth name is Sorana, is a new character who's introduced as Mephisto's reluctant servant. I had to guess, I think she'll probably turn against him and maybe even become the hero of the piece at some point.

Sorana was born several centuries ago in Latveria. When her father was unjustly arrested and sentenced to execution, Sorana prayed for his freedom and unwittingly made a deal with Mephisto. Needless to say, things did not work out in Sorana's favor, and she was bound to Mephisto's service.

During flashbacks to Sorana's childhood, we can see that her family lived in a covered wagon and were apparently part of a migrant community, as there are multiple other caravans camped together. Sorana and her father both wear head coverings and dress in a manner that is very similar to Romani characters like the von Doom family. Given the setting, the imagery, and even the implied social and political backdrop, I have to assume that Sorana's family are Roma as well.

If I'm being completely honest, though, I don't think that the writers and artists set out to create a Romani character on purpose. Sorana's backstory is hardly original-- it reads like a mashup of Victor's origin and Cynthia's demise-- and I suspect that they just cribbed some of the imagery from that story without much consideration. This sort of "gypsy camp" is practically a stock trope in Marvel comics, so it's not hard for me to imagine this was an appropriate choice for any kind of rustic European period setting. Using racialized visual tropes this way is extremely careless, so I can't say that I'm happy with this decision, but, again, considering the social and political themes in her story, no matter how brief, I do think that we have to take Sorana seriously as a Romani character.

A preview of Bring on the Bad Guys: Mephisto #1

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS: MEPHISTO #1

Mephisto’s epic schemes come to a fiery conclusion! Victory is in Mephisto’s grasp as he prepares to take control over all souls on Earth! But who is the mysterious figure who stands against him? Guest-starring the entire villain lineup of the original Bring on the Bad Guys: Doctor Doom, Dormammu , the Red Skull, the Green Goblin, Loki, and the Abomination!

Part SEVEN of SEVEN Villainous One-Shots!

Sora(@Blueblu15097655's nickname) took a bit personal the "Your gijinka oc may be cute and all but they'll never compare to Kaeru bling".

Now she will be doing a very detailed draw of Gijinka! Adult Xolotl to prove who's the Boss here lol.