Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.6

Previously in Penny Dreadful: The Awakening #2.5

In last issue, Lucifer was just not into Belial and Lily had no time to explain to Ethan why she was still alive, Catriona and Victor spirited Malcolm’s body away to Bedlam with Dr. Jekyll and Renfield, Dorian Gray answered Lucifer’s summons, and I lost hope that Penny Dreadful would be resolved in a satisfactory manner but was already too far gone on the runaway train to pretend I wasn’t committed to the story.

With Sir Malcolm dead, the Dreadfuls are scattered across London. Ethan finally asks how Lily is alive, and all she can surmise is an unknown “twisted doctor” stole her body and she escaped ASAP to start a new life. He believes her but… say what? She didn’t exactly escape ASAP. Let’s pretend this means that this whole comic series is an alternate universe where Vanessa Ives’ body is still at peace. Better yet, she never died. Ethanessa 5 evah!

With the rise of the blood moon, they must find Dracula to destroy Lucifer. Through stained glass, she explains that when Lilith was banished from God’s sight for refusing Adam, driving Lucifer and Dracula to pursue her, to mate and create an evil race to rule the earth. To head this off, God created a sable flame which she used to entrap and banish Lucifer to hell, but Dracula stole the flame. The final window is broken, and Lily claims that there’s no more to the story. So, obviously, there is. Pay no attention to that rock at my feet that I just used to break the window 5 minutes ago, Ethan! (I made that up.) Mother Superior believes Lucifer is seeking Ethan, Lupus Dei, to father the Anti-Christ with Vanessa’s body, which could not be more revolting. His dead lover reanimated as Satan! *shudder*

Meanwhile LuciferVanessa sends her followers into the world to kill unbelievers and strike back at God, discarding Belial for his failure. She directs London’s 1%’ers to begin a world war so she can rule afterward. Dorian Grey approaches, and she reminds him of the deal they made when his portrait was painted in 1610: that he would remain young and beautiful forever. Point of fact: That makes Dorian almost 300. Lucifer sends him after Ethan, and he finds Ethan and Lily at Malcolm’s destroyed home, promising to help get them into Bedlam to search for Dracula’s former assistant, Renfield.

Kaetenay and the people of the Wolf sail back to London to do what they can, but as evil overcomes even normal human beings, some possessed sailors attack his sister Sedna, who turns into a wolf and slaughters them.

Victor and Jekyll debate bringing back Sir Malcolm, mentioning getting rid of Catriona and Victor’s “injections.” Finally they leave Catriona alone with Malcolm’s body and her abilities are revealed: clairvoyance. His spirit is trapped between worlds because he has not yet fulfilled his purpose, which, if you recall, was to save his foster son Ethan after failing to save his foster daughter Vanessa, who is now chopped liver. Yes, I am still salty about that. But, the plot of this issue was much less out there than the previous issue, other than Sir Malcolm’s ghost, and I enjoyed reading it. The renderings of all of the female characters improved substantially, and I loved the apocryphal stained glass windows.