Post by Crom-Cruach on Sept 13, 2011 15:45:46 GMT -5
Taking a departure from my usual articles on European Comics and hopefully maybe inspiring to do more in the future. I've decided to review a series I picked up recently.
So without further ado"
Description: A six issue mini-series published by Top Cow. Madame Mirage was written by Paul Dini (Of Batman:the animated series fame) and drawn by Kenneth Rocafort (famous for his work on Cyber-Force and Hunter-Killer). Set in a near future where after the discovery of advanced cybernetic and genetic enhancement technology, things went wrong and the government declared such technology illegal. Problem is, actual super-heroes were deemed criminal and arrested. While criminals simply went underground and became "legitimate" business men. The story follow a mysterious woman on a quest for vengeance against such super-criminals. Seeking to bring down a group called Agressive Solutions International. Which is basically a company run by an evil Tony Stark. Eventually the girl gets her vengeance, saves her father and cue credits.
Thoughts on story and characters: My thought on the story are mixed. On the one hand, it's a classic story: the vengeance plot. That follows an adequately natural progression. It uses flashbacks and internal narratives and personal scenes to set up the tale pretty well. On another hand, the main character really isn't special. She's a tech genius who's sister was murdered and dad was imprisoned (a former super-hero). Also there are some definite problems with the core concepts of the universe and sometimes the stories deviate into personal and spiritual discussions that boggle down the fun and seem at odds with the overall tone of the story. Furthermore, when it comes to the villains. They are bland as hell. The corrupt CEO main villain (evil Tony Stark), is your basic cardboard corrupt CEO who wants more money. The last monologue about how murder stains the soul is just so cliche I rolled my eyes.
Really, the coolest character in the comic was a character that did relatively little, but every time he opened his mouth it was funny because he always speaks in the third person referring to himself as "The dude" and using high grammar and language for kicks. Which made him fun because he's basically a giant muscle bound goon in a Hawaiian shirt.
Really, it seemed that Dini had a pile of ideas but not enough of a serious plan on this because there are too many loose concepts that seem at odds with the whole
Art: Rocafort is a talented artist. I loved his work on hunter-killer and Cyber-Force. His drawings were nice all the way, but sometimes movement and general progression of panels was a little strange and didn't feel natural. You get a distinct feeling that Rocafort is much better at drawing covers and poses rather then dynamic movement... or he wasn't trying really hard on this one.
Madame mirage herself wasn't always consistent in proportions and seemed off compared to the rest of the characters sometimes
Still his drawing are unique and distinct. Appealing to the eye, it's still pretty good. Just nothing I'd heap high praise. Rocafort can do better and he should have.
Final Thoughts: I got Madame Mirage cheap at my comic book store. It wasn't bad, just generic and at some points simply not tightly enough handled, going places and taking time on things that could have been left out entirely, to the benefit of the narrative. The art is good but nothing spectacular in my opinion. If you're interested in jumping into Top Cow. There are many much better stuff out there to begin with. And if you base Top Cow's quality on this alone, you'll get a skewed and negative image. That said. It wasn't all bad, but I'd be lying if I said the 15$ I put in that trade couldn't have been used better. If this strikes you interest and you want something light and easy on the eyes. It might be for you but don't expect something that will leave you clamoring for more.
Final Verdict:
Story and Characters: 2.5 out 5
Art: 3.5 out of 5
So without further ado"
Description: A six issue mini-series published by Top Cow. Madame Mirage was written by Paul Dini (Of Batman:the animated series fame) and drawn by Kenneth Rocafort (famous for his work on Cyber-Force and Hunter-Killer). Set in a near future where after the discovery of advanced cybernetic and genetic enhancement technology, things went wrong and the government declared such technology illegal. Problem is, actual super-heroes were deemed criminal and arrested. While criminals simply went underground and became "legitimate" business men. The story follow a mysterious woman on a quest for vengeance against such super-criminals. Seeking to bring down a group called Agressive Solutions International. Which is basically a company run by an evil Tony Stark. Eventually the girl gets her vengeance, saves her father and cue credits.
Thoughts on story and characters: My thought on the story are mixed. On the one hand, it's a classic story: the vengeance plot. That follows an adequately natural progression. It uses flashbacks and internal narratives and personal scenes to set up the tale pretty well. On another hand, the main character really isn't special. She's a tech genius who's sister was murdered and dad was imprisoned (a former super-hero). Also there are some definite problems with the core concepts of the universe and sometimes the stories deviate into personal and spiritual discussions that boggle down the fun and seem at odds with the overall tone of the story. Furthermore, when it comes to the villains. They are bland as hell. The corrupt CEO main villain (evil Tony Stark), is your basic cardboard corrupt CEO who wants more money. The last monologue about how murder stains the soul is just so cliche I rolled my eyes.
Really, the coolest character in the comic was a character that did relatively little, but every time he opened his mouth it was funny because he always speaks in the third person referring to himself as "The dude" and using high grammar and language for kicks. Which made him fun because he's basically a giant muscle bound goon in a Hawaiian shirt.
Really, it seemed that Dini had a pile of ideas but not enough of a serious plan on this because there are too many loose concepts that seem at odds with the whole
Art: Rocafort is a talented artist. I loved his work on hunter-killer and Cyber-Force. His drawings were nice all the way, but sometimes movement and general progression of panels was a little strange and didn't feel natural. You get a distinct feeling that Rocafort is much better at drawing covers and poses rather then dynamic movement... or he wasn't trying really hard on this one.
Madame mirage herself wasn't always consistent in proportions and seemed off compared to the rest of the characters sometimes
Still his drawing are unique and distinct. Appealing to the eye, it's still pretty good. Just nothing I'd heap high praise. Rocafort can do better and he should have.
Final Thoughts: I got Madame Mirage cheap at my comic book store. It wasn't bad, just generic and at some points simply not tightly enough handled, going places and taking time on things that could have been left out entirely, to the benefit of the narrative. The art is good but nothing spectacular in my opinion. If you're interested in jumping into Top Cow. There are many much better stuff out there to begin with. And if you base Top Cow's quality on this alone, you'll get a skewed and negative image. That said. It wasn't all bad, but I'd be lying if I said the 15$ I put in that trade couldn't have been used better. If this strikes you interest and you want something light and easy on the eyes. It might be for you but don't expect something that will leave you clamoring for more.
Final Verdict:
Story and Characters: 2.5 out 5
Art: 3.5 out of 5
