What's Up With The Sword? (Q&A 3)

Before we go on with this week's Q&A, I need to stress that these posts, by the virtue of shedding light on my thought process, will inadvertently spoil a few things about the comic. If you wish to read Hornet: Origins completely blind, I advise you do not read any of this. 

Q: What's up with the sword on Hornet's back? Isn't she supposed to be a pacifist?

A: This has been a common question and one I'd like to answer thoroughly. Perhaps we can examine the whole notion of what it means to be a pacifist, especially seeing as I mentioned the Greek mythology, ancient history and SEKIRO as some of my inspirations. 

Whenever I talk about the whole pitch behind my comic, I must stress that Hornet's pacifism is amidst many of her character defining moments. She doesn't start off that way, however. Origins, as the name implies, is only the overture of an opus. Hornet's journey is punctuated by events that demand of her to adopt a stance in the face of danger and dilemma. A lot of those moments are based off of things that I had to internalize growing up; the observations I've made on other people and how my attitude kept on changing as I grew into the person I am today. How I have come to mature and take responsibility for myself and others. I believe I can coalesce those experiences into a compelling story that'll transcendent far beyond memories specific to me alone. That's why I have decided to work on the graphic novel to begin with.

Back on the topic of the sword, the thing that comes to mind is the notion that you must learn good and evil, and then learn control over both, before you'll overcome that which holds you back. In a way, Hornet's sword symbolizes her triumph over the her shadow; her fears, insecurities and hesitation. Now this doesn't preclude the very existence of adversity; on the contrary, mastery over yourself merely puts you on the precipice of the path to greatness. Needless to say, Hornet will not start the story already proficient with a katana. 

That said, who we grow into is, eventually, predicated on who we are. The circumstances we develop in seem like a key factor in defining our growth, but our very response to these conditions often speaks volumes about us. How we deal with evil and misfortune, that kinda thing. There is only so much blame you can put on a person's bad upbringing, before you'll ultimately decide the problem lies with them in specificity. Concordantly, standing tall in the face of certain doom stems from one's sense of virtue and integrity projected from deep within. To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson:

The characteristics of a genuine heroism is its persistency. All men have wandering impulses, fits and starts of generosity. But when you have resolved to be great, abide by yourself, and do not weakly try to reconcile yourself with the world. The heroic cannot be the common, nor the common the heroic.