Aftershock Comics 2015
Created & Written by Marguerite Bennett
Illustrated by Ariela Kristantina
Coloured by Bryan Valenza
Lettered by A Larger World
Ambushed by an ancient and mysterious order, the lovers battle monsters in the shadows of London. With their true enemy revealed at last, Lady and Mariah race to rescue the stolen women from the clutches of the Hag!
This continues to be some of the more groundbreaking stuff on stands today. I mean this is Victorian London they are lesbians and monsters of unknown origin it doesn’t get much more original than that. So far we’ve seen a lot of story set-up with the Lady and Mariah settling into their new roles and with the Lady’s in-laws arriving. There’s also been a string of murders and a man in custody who claimed to have murdered the Lady’s husband.
This issue things start to change a bit as the story becomes more involved as we meet new characters, creatures and an enemy is revealed. Things begin to heat up a lot as we get to see more of what’s going on in London at this time. Marguerite has really taken this expansion to new levels too and while there’s still plenty of oh my goodness moments I like that i’m really liking that we get to see Talal and his people more.
I’ve been dying to learn what or who else is out there that is shall we say among the supernatural set. So seeing these characters is a huge joyous moment for me. There’s nothing like seeing a world be fleshed out more and that includes what we’ve already seen. I mean we knew someone else was out there killing people, like the Ripper, and we’ve seen that the Lady’s sister-in-law is mixed in all this. However the why’s and the what for’s not so much but that changes here. I’m totally impressed with the way this story is progressing.
I do wonder though about Mariah more so than ever. Is her power really reliant upon the sex and the energies that come from it or is this a ploy to keep her under her spell. The dialogue and the scenario intrigue me as the more we see the more I wonder. This is what Marguerite does extremely well she gets you involved in the story in great and unexpected ways. So not only do the circumstances continue to keep us spellbound but then there’s also the characterization that calls things into question.
Ariela continues to impress me with her work on the interiors. I love seeing her imagination on display with these new dog-like creatures, the Hag is wonderfully portrayed and all in all there’s that romantic sense of the age wrapped in horror. She really does have this wonderful eye for how the story needs to flow through the pages.
Seriously innovative and incredibly mesmerizing this is one of those series that will find a way into your soul and never leave.