Yeah, this was massively different in the comics, where the Astral Drops "rebellion" was an actual arc, and their actual sentience there came from abusing the power... but they had memories and feelings even before they became completely "sentient".
Will's Astral Drop acted as Will's stand-in and was actually kidnapped and frightened out of her wits(as the Astral Drop don't have powers, this was espescially bad).
Eventually, the Astral Drop decides she's had enough and rounds up the rest, and they start making life terrible hard for the girls, who of course reacts negatively. Eventually, the powerless Drops are chased by the out-for-blood Guardians(the guardians would essentially absorb them back and remove all their memories- it can be thought of as killing them, and the tone of the comic is certainly that).
There are also problems: If the Drops stay too long, they will take the originals places.
Either way, this is the first, and perhaps only arc that really delves into the girls darker and more selfish sides, and shows why they are actually threatening: We sympathize with the powerless and abused Drops, who are chased by life-threatening, powerful creatures(who, by the way, lack the mercy of the TV-series; They do kill their enemies when capable of doing so, and not just as a last resort).
The girls do have decent reasons to react the way they do, but the problem is still that they by and large are the bad guys of the arc.
This is even pointed out in the big end sequence(which involves The Oracle in one of his most awesome scenes in the comic series).
This episodes really sets the difference in tone.
Comic Guardians: Effective (but unforgiving) guardians, but also very emotional teenagers that are quite flawed in quite a few ways(comparatively, the older "quasi-member" of the team, Orube, acts much more reasonable and does what is needed, not because of emotional turmoil).
Cartoon Guardians: Merciful but not quite as effective(leaving openings at bad times), but altogether better people than the comic guardians.
I do very much prefer the comic(this is arguably my favorite part of the entire comic series), but I have to say- the cartoon team wouldn't have worked with it. They were established as much too "soft" far earlier.
In the end, both are nice stories.
I do like a simple fact about Caleb in both stories- he is an "offshoot" of evil. You know the cartoon Caleb, and as for the comic Caleb?
Comic Caleb is a whisperer. And in the comic, the whisperers are literally part of Phobos(while the new authors who introduced him might not have intended this, the whisperers being parts of Phobos personality was established to be the case early on and was never rebuked in any way). This is interesting in a number of ways:
1. It explains his magical aptitude. Caleb is weak in magic, but very skilled. He is in fact the one to teach the girls how to use their powers to teleport(after learning to do so himself with a slight amount of their power he retains from his "resurrection"). When granted new magic in a later spot, he actually uses it much better than the original wielder.
2. His way of "gaining" magic is similar to Phobos who drains magic to fill his own supply- when Phobos uses magic, this magic is lost and he needs to absorb it from the world. Caleb is very limited in his use of magic, likely for the same reasons.
3. It makes his statement about his destiny to forever be a slave to someone a good deal more reasonable.
4. He is essentially Phobos good counterpart.
It's also interesting in regards to Elyon:
She drew him back, in the human world before ever meeting him (likely actually forming the real Caleb from the whisperer), giving him life. In a way, he's both her brother, and her son. His extreme desire to be with Elyon is actually the parts of Phobos that genuinely care for her.
It also explains, to a degree, why he took Cornelia's actual shape so seriously(revealing her real form and it's age to be different from her guardian self). He hates facades, because it's what Phobos used to trick Elyon(his creator, sister, mother, and later on, lover). Even if the intewnt wasn't to trick him, his reaction, seen from this angle, is understandable.
This also makes his and Elyon's relationship in the comics quite disturbing, though.
People need to remember that Comic Caleb is not just a plant man who came to life and fought Phobos- he's a literal part of Phobos personality split off from Phobos (by Elyon) who hates the rest of Phobos so much he lead a rebellion against him.
Comic/TV-series difference.
Yeah, this was massively different in the comics, where the Astral Drops "rebellion" was an actual arc, and their actual sentience there came from abusing the power... but they had memories and feelings even before they became completely "sentient".
Will's Astral Drop acted as Will's stand-in and was actually kidnapped and frightened out of her wits(as the Astral Drop don't have powers, this was espescially bad).
Eventually, the Astral Drop decides she's had enough and rounds up the rest, and they start making life terrible hard for the girls, who of course reacts negatively. Eventually, the powerless Drops are chased by the out-for-blood Guardians(the guardians would essentially absorb them back and remove all their memories- it can be thought of as killing them, and the tone of the comic is certainly that).
There are also problems: If the Drops stay too long, they will take the originals places.
Either way, this is the first, and perhaps only arc that really delves into the girls darker and more selfish sides, and shows why they are actually threatening: We sympathize with the powerless and abused Drops, who are chased by life-threatening, powerful creatures(who, by the way, lack the mercy of the TV-series; They do kill their enemies when capable of doing so, and not just as a last resort).
The girls do have decent reasons to react the way they do, but the problem is still that they by and large are the bad guys of the arc.
This is even pointed out in the big end sequence(which involves The Oracle in one of his most awesome scenes in the comic series).
This episodes really sets the difference in tone.
Comic Guardians: Effective (but unforgiving) guardians, but also very emotional teenagers that are quite flawed in quite a few ways(comparatively, the older "quasi-member" of the team, Orube, acts much more reasonable and does what is needed, not because of emotional turmoil).
Cartoon Guardians: Merciful but not quite as effective(leaving openings at bad times), but altogether better people than the comic guardians.
I do very much prefer the comic(this is arguably my favorite part of the entire comic series), but I have to say- the cartoon team wouldn't have worked with it. They were established as much too "soft" far earlier.
In the end, both are nice stories.
I do like a simple fact about Caleb in both stories- he is an "offshoot" of evil. You know the cartoon Caleb, and as for the comic Caleb?
Comic Caleb is a whisperer. And in the comic, the whisperers are literally part of Phobos(while the new authors who introduced him might not have intended this, the whisperers being parts of Phobos personality was established to be the case early on and was never rebuked in any way). This is interesting in a number of ways:
1. It explains his magical aptitude. Caleb is weak in magic, but very skilled. He is in fact the one to teach the girls how to use their powers to teleport(after learning to do so himself with a slight amount of their power he retains from his "resurrection"). When granted new magic in a later spot, he actually uses it much better than the original wielder.
2. His way of "gaining" magic is similar to Phobos who drains magic to fill his own supply- when Phobos uses magic, this magic is lost and he needs to absorb it from the world. Caleb is very limited in his use of magic, likely for the same reasons.
3. It makes his statement about his destiny to forever be a slave to someone a good deal more reasonable.
4. He is essentially Phobos good counterpart.
It's also interesting in regards to Elyon:
She drew him back, in the human world before ever meeting him (likely actually forming the real Caleb from the whisperer), giving him life. In a way, he's both her brother, and her son. His extreme desire to be with Elyon is actually the parts of Phobos that genuinely care for her.
It also explains, to a degree, why he took Cornelia's actual shape so seriously(revealing her real form and it's age to be different from her guardian self). He hates facades, because it's what Phobos used to trick Elyon(his creator, sister, mother, and later on, lover). Even if the intewnt wasn't to trick him, his reaction, seen from this angle, is understandable.
This also makes his and Elyon's relationship in the comics quite disturbing, though.
People need to remember that Comic Caleb is not just a plant man who came to life and fought Phobos- he's a literal part of Phobos personality split off from Phobos (by Elyon) who hates the rest of Phobos so much he lead a rebellion against him.