The Seeker may have figured out how to capture the Cat, but is the Cat really the main problem? Find out more in Inkblot #15 from Image Comics!
INKBLOT #15
Writer: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
Artist: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 12, 2022
Previously in Inkblot: Illivanos continues to fight Stormlocke until her magic knocks him out and he sinks into the ocean. The Cat saves him, and he awakens among the people of the Depths, people who are half humanoid and half marine creature. Illivanos warns them of Stormlocke’s treachery, and they offer to help him regain his command. The Cat distracts Stormlocke and the merfolk from the Depths attack!
ONE PUZZLE DOWN…MAYBE
While I appreciate that Inkblot #15 continues to loop back around to past events and characters, sometimes the characters are from long enough ago that I have only a vague idea of who they are. This time, two more people fall into the Depths, an Elf girl (whose name I do not remember) and a young man with an eye patch who is a Grove Guardian. They fall into the ocean, are caught in a net, and are dumped out unceremoniously in front of some of the locals.
The Seeker finishes her latest invention, a cat collar made of magical iron and Siren’s teeth. The Cat finds it irresistible, and the Seeker collars it. It promptly pulls her through to the Depths to a different group of people who push her down a hole and run toward Bargeberg. They are in a panic because Illivanos won the fight.
Fortunately for all of us, the Seeker finds the Elf girl and the Grove Guardian in the same pit. They recognize her and the Elf demands that she release the Cat, or at least show it some respect. The Guardian has been wandering the Realms and confirms that the Void is broken. In fact, it has been broken for six hundred years. The Living Castle has been growing its root system like mad to keep portals to the other Realms open and to keep the Void at bay. To make a long story short, it is a losing battle, and the Realms are doomed.
Illivanos’ battle rages by just long enough for him to touch base with the Seeker just before the Cat takes her back to the Library. She now has some food for thought, and the beginnings of a different plan.
THE HIDDEN VOID
Inkblot #15 continues to have imaginative settings that are frankly fun. The Depths has ships large enough that they are practically cities. It has islands that look as though they may have once been ships. And it appears to have some larger chunks of land, although that may just be the scale of islands changing as the story needs more space. It did not seem to me that the Elf, the Guardian, and the Seeker were remotely close to one another. If I have a criticism, it is that there are just too many characters, and it is sometimes difficult to tell who is important and who is playing just another bit part.
When the Seeker is dumped into the pit, we can tell this is not just a normal pit. She is surrounded by darkness as black as the Cat except that it also has several eyes which is frankly a bit creepy. None of the people in the pit seem to notice them though. I also liked when the Cat fell in. When it falls to the ground, it lands like a splash of black goo. I think this is the first time we ever see it not simply looking like a cat, and it is pretty funny.
BOTTOM LINE: REDIRECTING THE SEEKER’S ENERGY
This is a big, rambling story, but Inkblot #15 does give it some new focus. I like that we continue to see more connections with past side plots, and I hope to see even more of them.
Dear Spoilerite,
At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.
Inkblot #15
The Seeker has figured out how to catch the Cat – but is the Cat really the problem?
-
Writing7
-
Art8
-
Coloring8
By day, she’s a mild-mannered bureaucrat and Ms. Know-It-All. By night, she’s a dance teacher and RPG player (although admittedly not on the same nights). On the weekends, she may be found judging Magic, playing Guild Wars 2 (badly), or following other creative pursuits. Holy Lack of Copious Free Time, Batman! While she’s always wished she had teleportation as her superpower, she suspects that super-speed would be much more practical because then she’d have time to finish up those steampunk costumes she’s also working on.