Mara #3
If there was one word to summarize Mara currently, the word without a doubt is pretty. Mara (the character and the series that shares her name) is so very pretty, which is one of the few justifications of continuing to pick this up.
Writer: Brian Wood | Artists: Ming Doyle & Jordie Bellaire
Cover: Doyle & Bellaire | Publisher: Image
Mara essentially, is the perfect girl, it’s hard not to love her; she’s tall, dark, and gorgeous and it’s an endless stream of gratitude towards both Doyle and Bellaire for that. To have these two collaborate is a dream for feminists because here we witness the production of two immensely talented women in the industry, and the result of their collaboration is stunning. The faces are unique to each character— the Prince twins actually look like twins; and the colour! The colouring is stunning (as always, with Bellaire’s work). There’s always a gradation of colour that soaks on the pages to reflect the mood of the situation, blues and greys for tension and seriousness and this gorgeous yellow when Mara is shining in her true element and no longer holding back.
Then there’s Wood, who’s writing an interesting story, sure, but he’s being outdone by his artists. Normally a good series holds a balance of great art with strong writing—talents of equal skill, but unfortunately Wood seems to fall a touch short of the art counterpart. The story isn’t horrible, but it’s not the most riveting either. It’s hard to say how much should be said three issues in but so far it’s this constant tease. He’s stringing along the readers endlessly; which is likely the point of it all, but there’s only so much that can’t be said. Finally, finally, there’s a slight reveal of who Mara might be, which pretty much confirms any preconceived suspicions without actually answering any significant questions. Mara is a girl with an air of mystery constantly surrounding her though; even the media that have followed her since the beginning of her great career have questions that linger for years. Admittedly the subtle relationship between Mara and her teammate Ingrid is lovely because it isn’t explicitly stated, which makes Mara seem much more like a normal girl and that there’s this person who just exists in her life and there’s no large announcements because Ingrid is just a part of who Mara is. Ingrid isn’t solely a love interest, she’s a supporting character who may prove to add a lot more to the story than hapless girlfriend.
While the first two issues had a bit of a slow start, by issue three, there’s definitely a pick up in where this story may be going. Mara has potential to be a great presence in her world and the series has potential as well, but if anything, it’s worth a look just to see each page's artwork.
Writer: Brian Wood | Artists: Ming Doyle & Jordie Bellaire
Cover: Doyle & Bellaire | Publisher: Image
Mara essentially, is the perfect girl, it’s hard not to love her; she’s tall, dark, and gorgeous and it’s an endless stream of gratitude towards both Doyle and Bellaire for that. To have these two collaborate is a dream for feminists because here we witness the production of two immensely talented women in the industry, and the result of their collaboration is stunning. The faces are unique to each character— the Prince twins actually look like twins; and the colour! The colouring is stunning (as always, with Bellaire’s work). There’s always a gradation of colour that soaks on the pages to reflect the mood of the situation, blues and greys for tension and seriousness and this gorgeous yellow when Mara is shining in her true element and no longer holding back.
Then there’s Wood, who’s writing an interesting story, sure, but he’s being outdone by his artists. Normally a good series holds a balance of great art with strong writing—talents of equal skill, but unfortunately Wood seems to fall a touch short of the art counterpart. The story isn’t horrible, but it’s not the most riveting either. It’s hard to say how much should be said three issues in but so far it’s this constant tease. He’s stringing along the readers endlessly; which is likely the point of it all, but there’s only so much that can’t be said. Finally, finally, there’s a slight reveal of who Mara might be, which pretty much confirms any preconceived suspicions without actually answering any significant questions. Mara is a girl with an air of mystery constantly surrounding her though; even the media that have followed her since the beginning of her great career have questions that linger for years. Admittedly the subtle relationship between Mara and her teammate Ingrid is lovely because it isn’t explicitly stated, which makes Mara seem much more like a normal girl and that there’s this person who just exists in her life and there’s no large announcements because Ingrid is just a part of who Mara is. Ingrid isn’t solely a love interest, she’s a supporting character who may prove to add a lot more to the story than hapless girlfriend.
While the first two issues had a bit of a slow start, by issue three, there’s definitely a pick up in where this story may be going. Mara has potential to be a great presence in her world and the series has potential as well, but if anything, it’s worth a look just to see each page's artwork.
A Look Inside
