Zenescope Entertainment 2017
Written by Dawn P. Marquez
Illustrated by Allan Otero
Coloured by Erick Arciniega
Lettered by Kurt Hathaway
Mary escapes the Page of Swords and decides to trust her mysterious savior. After he reveals more information about the girls going missing, they decide to investigate and find themselves drawn into a trap, with someone from Mary’s past—Voodoo!
I like this story focusing on Mary, what she can do and exploring more of her. Though I do have a few questions about what’s in this issue, for starters Talisman seems to be giving her a history lesson on the realms and the order of power which should have been something she learned at Arcane Acres that’s pretty much 101 stuff right there so was this more for the reader’s benefit or for hers? It seems a little sloppy to be putting that in here. More so since with her power and where she comes from that would’ve or should’ve been something already covered.
Well I will say this the origin of Talisman wasn’t something I was expecting to get a peek at. I like what is revealed here and how it’s done. There’s a nice smartness in how we see that being brought to us and how it needs to be integrated into the story because of what it means for him and Mary down the road a bit, like the next couple of issues. Seeing where he comes from and that his own destiny was thwarted in a sense makes the two more unlikely likely allies and that’s something I can really get behind.
So while I’m there let’s talk about the interior artwork. What Allan and Erick do here is really nice to see! I loved seeing Talisman’s mother doing her magic and seeing how that affected him in the present. The use of page layouts through their angles, perspective and even the use of the backgrounds really help us feel the moment the characters are in. though I will say that there’s no reason this woman needs to be more than half-naked while the men are in coats I mean c’mon this is 2017 so men and women can wear as much or as little as each other stop making it feel so sexist.
I’m actually really impressed with the overall tone, feel and mood of this series so far. The setting of New Orleans has been exceedingly well as a character in its own right and for the backdrop of this more than little drama it really has made things much more believable. With the introduction of the characters out of the way the real meat of this story now comes as Mary tries to discover the truth. By that it’s more who wants what from her and why not to mention how the string of dead girls comes into play throughout all this. By taking that route it looks like Mary herself will be fleshed out even more as a person by giving her that ability of deduction and detective work.
That Zenescope continues to surprise me with the direction they take some of the characters in is why I keep coming back time and again. I mean Mary’s ability to raise the dead and command them seems a tad limited but this story is well on its way to demonstrate how small I’ve been thinking in regards to her power. There’s a maturity that will come to Mary when this is all said and done or at least start her on the road to it which makes her one of the ones to watch.
This is just the beginning of what looks to be a long and storied life for the young woman and I personally cannot wait to see not only what happens next but in the future as well.