“Disney Villains: Maleficent” Vol 2 Issue 4 “The Dragon” – Comic Book Review

From writer Paulina Ganucheau and artist Theo Stultz, Disney Villains Maleficent volume 2 issue 4, titled ‘The Dragon’, was about the Mistress of Evil dealing with, you guessed it, a dragon.

I’ll admit that I was wrong in my initial theory that the tears of a dragon required to complete Maleficent’s mission to obtain a powerful magical source were somehow going to relate to her shedding the necessary tears. From the original animated movie, Maleficent knew how to transform into a dragon. So, technically, it would have still worked, especially with certain magical rules having loopholes that could work in her favor. However, putting my issue-one-based theory to rest, chapter 4 showed the lead character procuring tears from an actual dragon from inside the castle that the dead soldier had accompanied her to.

Frankly, I’m okay with such a creative decision. I’m not the biggest fan of when writers try to redeem iconic villains. And while I thought my theory held weight, it would have also involved placing Maleficent in a situation that would have somehow tugged at her heartstrings to make her sad or something. So, yeah, I’m more than okay with the dragon tear situation being literal instead of being an emotional character study.

Having said that, Maleficent did showcase emotion. I enjoyed how she was capable of being (or faking being) empathetic if it meant she would get what she wanted in the end. The way she reached out to the dragon and encouraged the creature to share its sadness of being alone in the castle for so long with her, leading the beast to cry… it was so deliciously villainous!

I also liked how the dragon gave up on fighting Maleficent. Not only was she clearly powerful enough to defeat it, easily deflecting its fire and not showing any fear, but Maleficent had given it the emotional push to fly away. The great beast wasn’t beholden to the abandoned castle anymore.

With the tears procured, the only thing left was the iron the dead soldier had promised the Mistress of Evil. And that’s where she hit a snag.

I had been side-eyeing the fallen soldier the moment he appeared in the previous chapter. Not only was his humorous personality coming across as a way to mask his true feelings toward Maleficent, but the visuals had made it clear that something was up with him. There was a reason he had led Maleficent to this particular castle. Kudos to artist Theo Stultz for making a skeleton display emotion through body language, as well as for how the panels focused on the skull.

It’s revealed that Maleficent had attacked the realm in the past, causing the soldier to not only lose his life in battle but also his entire kingdom. He was seeking revenge, and there was no way he was going to give his iron sword to an evil sorceress to obtain even more power.

While the soldier reveal wasn’t much of a surprise, what did get me was the return of the old woman from issue 2. As the soldier put it, Maleficent was very bold to venture into a realm where every living being hated her. I don’t know if she visited the realm in person before and forgot about it, or if she had only sent her troops to destroy everything. But whatever the case, the soldier and the old woman understandably wanted her gone.

I couldn’t help but smile when Maleficent looked at her two wannabe opponents with intrigue. There’s no way they can defeat her. But hey, when it comes to the good guys, standing against evil, even when failure is all but guarnateed does count for something. So, applause for those two. But also, it was nice knowing ya!

With the miniseries concluding with chapter 5, I’m looking forward to seeing if Maleficent will gain what she’s after or if she will be forced to return empty-handed.

Did you read Disney Villains Maleficent Volume 2 issue 4? What did you think of it?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary