I do wonder what Worm would have been like sans this whole end of the world plot. How would it have ended? What would the climax have been? The world against Taylor? Taylor seeing her villainous empire torn down (similar to Breaking Bad)? Her trying to do the right thing but failing to, becoming some sort of odd misunderstood martyr? Or would it have been about redemption? In a way, I think something special was squandered. Though, the story so far is okay, I never could get behind the end of the world prophecy. The beginning of the story started with that whole 'cops and robbers' theme and it would have been smarter to stick with that, as I'm really fatigued from 'epicness' that comes with 'the end of the world'.

 

To be honest, though it wasn't executed as well as the first part, the whole end of the world plot makes sense.


We've had hints throughout that there's something sinister about powers. The Manton effect, the trigger memories, the whole 'passenger' present since the beginning. The idea of powers has had to be resolved since the beginning. Letting the series end without some definite answers on powers would have been a mistake, in my opinion.

The real issue for me is the pacing. We have a MASSIVE first half of the series, which is done amazingly well and in incredible detail. Then there's Behemoth, the Wards, Khonsu and company, then S9 arc, then vs. Scion arc. In 6 arcs (so far) we've covered more time than the rest of the series combined, a couple of times over.

A timeskip was inevitable, but the pacing around Behemoth and the Wards, and around Khonsu and the other Endbringers appearing, is very uneven.

 

If this had been an actual comic, we'd be complaining about editorial mandates and forced crossovers ruining a good run. As is, the biggest issue was an absolutely pisspoor transition. At it's heart, Worm is a street level story. Brockton Bay is the backdrop and Taylor's dealing with problems at home. You get the occasional summer event (Leviathan) or cross book promotion (Echidna) but Wildblow wrote the street beautifully. The moving of Worm from a street level show to a worldly fight was poorly paced and not that well thought out. You could tell that Wildblow knew exactly where he wanted to be, but the process of getting us there left readers with motion sickness and jetlag.

The best first person narratives put you directly onto the character's train of thought; everything flows naturally because you're able to push your feelings through their logical processes and come out to similar conclusions. There's just a big old jar between the two segments of the story that hurts our ability to do so. There's also the fact that for all of her initiative, nothing in the end of the world arcs has really captured the same "I'm in charge" feel that we had during the meeting with the other villain groups (right after Accord's interlude) had. Couple this with a few questionable story telling decisions (Cody, Edeleon) along with fairly poor pacing for the SH9 arc and the story just doesn't flow as well.

I still love it and tune in at midnight to read it, but that's my somewhat constructive criticism.

 

I assume you mean the S9000 arc with the clones. The first S9 arc was very good, if unrelentingly heavy, imo.

 

Another update. Looks like things are about to go down.

I'm really liking this Arc.

 

Yes, it was all built up from the beginning to lead where we're at, but you can hint at the mystery of something and leave it unsaid. Stories that do this tend to have really cool moods - it's why I've always liked the World of Darkness universe - at least for a while, a lot was always left poorly explained or simply hinted at, so you were always left guessing asto the true nature of things.

I really like Worm's 'street' conflicts. It's fine to branch out and change the setting or really change things up, but I don't know, right now I'm really dettached from the story. I'm only still reading the weekly updates because I'm so very invested in it at this point. But enough whining... I mean, I could attempt some fanfiction of this series, if it weren't so impossible to keep all the characters straight - I don't know how wildblow does it. I'd have to reread the entire story a second time I think to make a readable spin-off.

 

Damn, that was a good chapter. It's been too long since we've seen Taylor truly in her element.

 

I felt oddly nostalgic seeing her choke someone with bugs.

 

So Scion has found Cauldron. Wonderful.

 

I don't think Scion actually found Cauldron. I think satyr Sas just saying that Scion is their mutual enemy, and that the answers that they want about Scion(from Doctor Mother) are in a bunker.

 

Possible, though it could read either way. When Satyrical says it's Him, it could mean Scion or the person with answers. Looking back on it now though, I doubt Satyrical would have stuck around if Scion had hit Cauldron.

Still, I don't like Tattletale's interrupted transmission about Scion. From what I can tell she's saying he's disappeared somewhere.

 

Well, looks like he had indeed made his way to Cauldron.

I'm really enjoying this arc.

 

I don't think a single chapter in this arc has ended without a cliffhanger. It's seriously killing me from anticipation. I liked how the Vegas capes worked though, fits their home city perfectly. Lots of flash to cover up the hammer.

 

Good point Lion. I've been feeling progressively more fatigued by each chapter. We're all waiting for the Doctor Mother conversation at this point methinks.

 

Taylor really needs to be more careful, Panacea isn't going to be around forever.

 

I still liked how her reaction was basically, damn not again. Also its good that Doctor Mother is dead although I think she took the easy way out, I still don't get why someone so unremarkable was the one in charge.

Am I the only one whose tired of Shadow Stalker and her weak ass world views?

 

At this point, I just expect her to do the dirtbag thing. meh


Wow, pretty pumped to get finally some definitive answers about Scion's companion.

 

I'm halfway certain that the Doctor Mother has been keeping it pinned to a crucifix with a pool of alien blood surrounding it, because that's the way she rolls.

 

hahahah, you pretty much called it. For real though.



Number Man is cool, Sveta seriously creeps me out and Lung is still predatory.

Dropped a mountain on 'em after slapping him with pieces of his dead wife. very nice.

But seriously, what/who was Doctor Mother and how did she do the things she did?

 

The Doctor Mother was Gendo Motherfucking Ikari. Once you work that part out the entire plot of Worm makes a whole lot of sense.