Broken Frontier

Wouldn’t you know it... the moment I take a break is also the moment all the angst and drama subsides in Michael Terracciano’s Dominic Deegan in lieu of a tight and abundantly satisfactory ending?

In this case, amidst their first fight, Dominic reveals the reasoning behind his shady behavior, as he literally gives a leg to buy an engagement ring for his beloved Luna, who, after a head start, accepts.

Marriage has always been a thorny issue in comics, whether on print or web page. Comic commentators like Peter Sanderson have long held marriage as a sacred institution to be avoided at all cost in comic continuity. Don’t worry, the reasons are practical instead of political. In addition to removing much of the necessary romantic tension and soap opera drama, marriage also creates a situation where the spouse, whether they are Lois Lane or Oliver Queen, must be present and accounted for every time.

In mainstream comics, Joe Quesada has controversially annulled Spidey’s marriage to MJ through a recent Faustian pact to save Aunt May. That’s right – Marvel thought it would be better if Spidey sacrificed his marriage to save his ancient aunt who’s only wanted Peter to be happy regardless of the cost to her. From a purely pragmatic perspective, writing marriage into a comic book storyline can also be compared to a Faustian Pact – trying to weasel your way out of the sacred vows will get even the slickest comic writer burned, this time by their own readers, who have come to root for their favorite characters (and many times, their spouses).

Fortunately, I don’t think we have to worry about a similar fate for Dominic and Luna. There is, at the core, very concrete reasons this relationship works. By far the biggest is in the origin of Luna Travoria herself. Lois Lane and Mary Jane were both created to play against personality of their respective supermen. Both are extroverted firecrackers compared to the bumbling Clark Kent and the luckless Peter Parker.

Unlike these two leading ladies though, Luna was not created to contrast, complement or otherwise complete Dominic Deegan. Instead, she was introduced as a would-be victim of her own mother’s attempt to drive her to suicide by preying upon her low self-esteem over her physical appearance and then collecting the insurance money. Luna eventually blossomed from one-shot character to Dominic’s assistant, confidante, and ultimately, lover.

Luna’s organic development created a character which rivaled Dominic in terms of appeal. In the beginning my biggest peeve against DD was the lack of flaws found in the titular seer. Sure, he was a solitary grump, but beyond that he was a spotless master manipulator, and as the strip progressed, even his grumpy streak began to fade. This recently corrected itself, as Dominic Deegan kept secrets from his friends and returned to his grumpy roots, furthering his prolonged fight with Luna.

But before this point, I’m convinced it’s Luna, not Dominic, that many readers (myself included) were checking the strip for day after day. Her struggles to build confidence and come to terms with her appearance really struck a cord with readers. Her deformity, manifested in the form of two tiny tusks jutting out of her mouth, is barely noticeable, concluding that prejudice of any kind is always concerned with trivial superficiality over true beauty.

Honestly, we’d all like to have Dominic’s powers, with the ability to gaze unfailingly at what’s happening between the lines and beyond the lies. But ultimately, I personally would take Luna’s strength and courage over second sight any day. The flawed heroine has developed leaps and bounds over her entitled counterpart, and that’s really why this relationship works – and perhaps why Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire flourished – because it features not one but two engrossing protagonists drawing in readers day in and day out.

Of course, I have a feeling it’s going to be a long engagement. The ghost of Siggy is still causing trouble, and someone (possibly Siggy, possibly someone else) is killing fellow oracles for hire. All of this to say nothing of several other dilemmas Mookie has hinted at, including the return of Dominic’s bad-ass rival, Celesto Morgan. But the foundation of the union is strong, because the characters neither supplement nor complete one another, but instead, rival each other in terms of appeal and empathy. In the span of months, one of my favorite webcomics has been more compelling than I ever dreamed, and I have a feeling this is only the beginning.