Southland Tales Part II: Fingerprints (2006)

SPOILER WARNING!!! This post spoils comic Southland Tales Part II: Fingerprints (2006).

First comic was warming up. This one starts to explain things much more. In this part, we see how everything is Baron von Westphalen's plan to extent, that his gang helped Krysta Now to write script of "The Power". Krysta Now was hypnotised and drugged, when they told her to write dovument of last days of apocalypse. They read her the book of revolations, while she was hypnotised and drugged to give her inspiration. That document is script of The Power. Westphalen's gang knew she was psychic. Nothing indicates she herself knows that.

In this part we meet Ronald Taverner, the another main character of the movie. Ronald has also lost his memory. He has twin brother Roland, who is drugged and tied. His father tells, this was Roland's idea. USIDent was created after nuclear attack, because government didn't feel it could fight terrorism, if it didn't have complete control over internet. USIDent is organisation, that controls internet and spies everything else too. Under USIDent are Urban Pacification Units (UPU comes from that). Roland found out misuses in USIDent, when he worked in UPU. He has staged kidnaping to hide from officials. Ronald is now acting as Roland and trying to bring down the USIDent. Roland is told to do what Zora Charmichael tell him to do. Ronald and Zora go to Los Angeles with drugged and tied Roland. This was also part of Westphalen's plan.

Two things are named Fluid Karma. First is wireless energy Westphalen's company promotes. It is not on market yet and it is not sure if it actually works. Another Fluid Karma is drug, that makes it's users bleed. Concept of bleeding was not explained in movie and it wasn't used that much in it. This bleeding means user can see to future or past. In movie Ronald has scene, where his mirror image is few seconds behind him. That refered to bleeding. In this part Boxer Santaros see six months back to past in mirror. Man in mirror is another Fluid Karma user, who sees six months into future.

From now on when, I talk about Fluid Karma, I talk about the drug. Krysta Now was drugged with Fluid Karma, when she wrote The Power. Boxer used Fluid Karma, when he woke up in desert. Ronald also uses Fluid Karma. Fluid Karma was tested on soldiers. Boxer's man in the mirror was one of those solders.

In movie Boxer had tattoos of various religions around the world. He takes those tattoos in this part, because he wants to become Jericho Cane, main character of The Power. In The Power story is, that one of those tattoos start to bleed and that is the one true religion. That is reason why Boxer starts to bleed right before the end of the movie. Serpentine is also character of The Power. That is why Boxer knows her at Mega Zeppelin.

Neo-Marxists are most vocal fraction against USIDent. They want to destroy capitalism and dethrone the god. Zora is part of the movement and Boxer got his tattoos from Neo-Marxists. Baron von Westphalen is great grandson of Jenny von Westphalen, who was wife of Karl Marx. Baron seem to have other connections to Neo-Marxists too, because his plans involve them so much.

Original plan was to make six comics 100 pages each. Then plan was changed to three comics with 100 pages each. It feels like plan was changed during first comic. It is paced slowly, until it dumps roller coaster and Westphalen's gangs plans at the end. This comic has faster pace and explains much more, like it tries to include three hundred pages of story into hundred pages. Probably something was dropped off. Like story of Mohawk Man. He has been in these comics like he is important character, but he is not used at all. In movie he was just like extra, until... I will get to that later.