Dynamite Entertainment 2016
Written by Corinna Bechko
Illustrated by Jonathan Lau
Coloured by Vinicius Andrade
Lettered by Simon Bowland
New York, 1942. Every able-bodied male is enlisting to fight the greatest war the world has ever seen, leaving the city vulnerable as it empties of its traditional protectors. Fortunately, Marla Drake is not traditional and as Miss Fury she uses her agility, strength, bravado and an ability to be unnoticed while blending into shadows to go up against foes, both human...and supernatural.
Thanks to Dynamite i’ve become a huge fan of Miss Fury. I love that she breaks stereotypes and proves that a strong, powerful and intelligent woman can hold her own in an age when they were largely overlooked. With Corinna at the helm here there’s no better person to demonstrate all the nuances of that in this story.
Socialite, business woman and thief make Marla Drake a very interesting character to write. This issue focuses on her work as her current project becomes the subject of a break-in where the blueprints are stolen. It’s beautifully done as an introduction to this story as it gives us a chance to not only see what Marla is doing at this time but a chance to get the mystery involved in the story and by proxy giving her cause to don her Miss Fury persona.
Throughout the process of this story we see not only how Marla is treated by the police, as a woman reporting a theft, her co-worker and the introduction of her client. Who as fate would have it met Marla a year earlier in Rio De Janeiro. I do like how Corinna incorporates her past and the person she was with who she is and has become. There’s a lot of character development in the conversation and flashback these two characters have. Not surprisingly it’s also one of the highlights of this issue for me.
There are a few things that happen when Marla and Mr. Corey as they begin the search for the missing blueprints. I like both the verbally said speculation and the unspoken ones that occur here. It makes the writing much more interesting and complex and gives a nice insight into both characters. The use of detective skills, sheer luck and pure tenacity make Marla one woman you do not want to cross and I love that about her and how it’s presented here.
Jonathan and Vinicius do such incredible work on the interiors here. I love the look, feel and stylized 1940’s they bring to the page in the characters and backgrounds. The use of all that with a slightly old photograph colouring makes things even more nostalgic in nature which really helps with that important throwback ambience. The use of pages, panels and composition of the book and the action portrayed really brings a modern feel to this “old time” story. It’s a nice juxtaposition of old and new that Jonathan seems to have mastered.
Miss Fury and Dynamite need to be in any discussion when it comes to showcasing strong female lead characters. This issue, character and story only go to spotlight everything that’s right about that.