The new year is in full swing, and it’s time for the DC Book Club to make its 2022 debut! With HBO Max’s Peacemaker recently kicking off, it only made sense for the DC Book Club to follow suit…let’s give peace a chance!
That’s right: this month is all about Peacemaker! From January 17th to February 11th, we’ll be diving into the 4-issue Peacemaker '87 Series! The series is FREE to read for all registered DCUI members, so give them a read and join the discussions in this thread!
Read as Peacemaker takes on hordes of baddies across Europe, and confront some of his deepest demons. Will our peace-loving vigilante hero come out on top? Only one way to find out…
For this Book Club, we’ll be going through each book week by week:
Peacemaker 1
Jan. 17-23
Peacemaker 2
Jan. 24-30
Peacemaker 3
Jan. 31-Feb. 6
Peacemaker 4
Feb. 7-13
Here are some thought starter/discussion questions to kick things off!
Peacemaker 1 Discussion Questions
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What is your opinion on Peacemaker’s “kill to keep the peace” approach to fighting terrorism? Do you think the tradeoff is worth the resulting sense of peace?
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How do you feel about Peacemaker’s relationship with his father? How do you think his father’s past influenced the way Peacemaker executes his missions?
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Can Peacemaker ever truly do penance for the crimes of his father? Is this endeavor worthwhile, or folly?
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Do you think Peacemaker can overcome his inner demons, and strengthen himself to be a better soldier? Do you agree with Dr. Bridgette D’ Abo that he is “an accident waiting to happen”?
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How do you feel about Peacemaker’s struggle with living up to perceptions? Is this relatable at all?
Peacemaker 2 Discussion Questions
- What was your perception of Peacemaker before you started reading the series? Has it changed?
- Do you think that Peacemaker uses the ghost of his father as a scapegoat to avoid the guilt of killing to make peace?
- How do you think so many co-ordinated terrorist attacks across the globe would be received in modern day instead of the late 80s?
- What purpose do you think the regular ‘umms’ and ‘ahhs’ from Dr. Lyton serve in the comic?
- The excerpt at the back of the issue mentions that there were actually 2 members of the Peacemaker program left when it was finally deactivated. Do you think this story would be improved or spoiled if Peacemaker had the other member of the program as his partner?
Peacemaker 3 Discussion Questions
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In the early pages of Peacemaker #3, it seems as though our hero consistently struggles with external dialogue distracting him as he fights–particularly when the dialogue has to do with his “performance” and how he is perceived in combat. How/why do you think Peacemaker struggles with his self-image? Do you think this is a weakness of his?
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Overall, do you think Peacemaker’s vision of his father is helping fuel his desire to fight terrorism? Or do you think this is a truly a curse, that will only impede his fight for peace?
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During one particular “conversation” with his father, Peacemaker seems to struggle with the idea that his father is actually a figment of his imagination. What do you think is Peacemaker’s perception of this vision?
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It seems like the stigma around suicide is a key element of this series’ plot development. Why do you think Peacemaker struggles so much with that stigma, in regards to his father?
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In the final pages of this issue, Peacemaker is called a “madman”, and seems to cackle maniacally as he kills an enemy. Do you think Peacemaker is indeed a madman? Has he lost his grip on reality?
BONUS QUESTION: If you’ve been watching HBO’s Peacemaker show, how do you think the on-screen character compares to Peacemaker in this series?
Peacemaker 4 Discussion Questions
- We see that Peacemaker continues to struggle with the hallucination of his late father by his side. During one of these conversations, Wolfgang “reminds” Peacemaker that he has just as big a part in this war as those he’s fighting against. Do you think that this particular bit of conversation derives from Peacemaker casting doubt on his own role? Is he truly an icon of peace at this point, still hoping to be the hero that saves the day, or has the mental torment triggered a response to execute mercilessly in hopes of quelling Wolfgang’s dialogue by any means possible?
- Do you think Peacemaker is haunted by these visions because he craves his father’s attention on him in any way he can, which is why Wolfgang wasn’t necessarily expelled when he “jumped” from the plane? Moreover, do you think Peacemaker is still trying to prove to his father that he can make him proud, or is it more so that he’s trying to prove him wrong?
- On page 12, we see a man dead on the ground with a collapsed sign that reads “PEACE” while Peacemaker shouts “I’ll give them death … more than any of them bargained for!” and guns down the surrounding soldiers. How do you feel about this clashing imagery? Additionally, by “avenging” them, do you believe Peacemaker is contributing to the protestor’s wishes for real peace?
- Do you believe that Peacemaker is aware that his father’s ghost still looms in the back of his mind, or does it seem more like Wolfgang is creating a completely different persona in Peacemaker’s conscience when he’s shown to be toasting to the thought of them being “reunited”?
- Overall, it’s implied that Peacemaker may have depended on this psychosis to aid him in carrying out his mission as “No sane man could’ve done what had to be done out there.” Do you think this relates to Peacemaker’s hesitation to perform certain contract kills in the HBO series as he may yet be too “sane”? Would you consider the latter a desperation to cling to his humanity?
As always, what would a DC Book Club be without some awesome digital perks? Check out these awesome Peacemaker wallpapers and bookmarks!
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