Eye on Comics
  • About/Submissions

Paranormal Activities

  • Reviews - Valiant

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #1
Writer: Jen van Meter
Artist: Roberto de la Torre
Colors: David Baron
Letters: Dave Lanphear
Cover artist: Travel Foreman
Editor: Alejandro Arbona
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Price: $3.99 US (regular)/$4.99 US (plus edition)

I haven’t delved into the recent revival of the Valiant/Acclaim super-hero line, which offers new, fresh spins (I assume) on a variety of unconventional concepts that enjoyed a surprisingly level of popularity in the 1990s, driven in part by the speculator boom of that era. I never had much of an attachment to those characters, though I certainly tried checked out of a few of those comics. I was a major fan of Quantum & Woody, but it was the creators on that book, not the Valiant brand, that drew me in. However, I did have some fondness for one of Acclaim’s lesser-known titles: The Second Life of Dr. Mirage, featuring the adventures of a spectral hero and his still-living wife, though much of my appreciation of that comic stemmed from the work of artist Bernard Chang. Nevertheless, the name “Dr. Mirage” was enough of a nostalgia trigger to get me to delve into this latest iteration of the Valiant Universe of the first time. I liked the intensity and emotion that come out quite effectively in the script, but when I reached the end of the issue, I wasn’t all that driven to find out what happens next in the story, and that hook is a rather vital component in serial comics.

Dr. Shan Mirage is cursed — not so much by her gift of being able to talking to the recently departed who loom imperceptibly all around us, but rather by irony. She earns money is enabling those mourning their loved ones a chance to talk with them one last time, to achieve closure, but Shan herself is recently widowed, and she has no idea where her husband’s spirit has gone. She can’t make the connection she’s able to grant others, and the loss of her husband and not knowing his fate in the afterlife haunt her. Dr. Mirage has been reticent to accept new clients, but the promise of a big payday, a startling encounter with something not at all human and the promise for a clue as to her husband’s ultimate destination prompt her to undertake what will likely be her most dangerous mission/adventure to date.

Roberto de la Torre’s art helps to reinforce the sense of intrigue and enforcement in this comic. His style seems more like it would be paired with a crime comic; his efforts here remind me of the styles of such comics artists as John Paul Leon, Alex Maleev and Sean Gordon Murphy. He and colorist David Baron do a good job of conveying the ghostly figures earlier in the issue, but it’s the rough, loose quality of the linework that goes so far to convey the ethically mercenary tone of the title character and her activities. The one aspect the art didn’t quite click for me was in rendering Shan Mirage’s race. That element of diversity is a relevant factor in the story, given the character’s client’s attitudes about such things. But more importantly, this character of color isn’t consistently presented as such.

The greatest strength of this inaugural issue is the powerfully admirable and relatable character that writer Jen van Meter has crafted in Dr. Shan Mirage. She’s savvy, confident and acutely skilled, but she’s also portrayed as somewhat broken, emotionally fragile and held together at this point seemingly by sheer force of will. She’s no doubt seen horrors in her life, but what haunts her (figuratively rather than literally) is the loss of her husband. Van Meter offers us with a portrait of a determined hero and a believable, vulnerable human being. The dialogue also does an excellent job of establishing an atmosphere of danger and intrigue. Mirage comes off as something of a soldier who’s seen combat on an astral battlefield rather than an academic.

Van Meter’s script is, as I noted, incredibly effective in establishing mood, conveying emotion and challenging the reader. But in the end, I wasn’t champing at the bit to find out what comes next for the title character, and I think I know why. For all of the strengths I found in this book — not the least of which is the introduction of a new, compelling and strong female protagonist — there are weaknesses, and those weaknesses take the form of clichés. the old man trying to atone for something, cure something that happened years ago in times of war. The notion of Nazis and the occult. A client the heroine can’t quite trust. The prize she can’t quite resist despite all the warning signs she perceives. These elements — the core components of the plot driving this character forward — feel far too familiar me to get caught up in them, in the mystery. While the plotting leaves a little to be desired, the scripting is undeniably well done. In the end, I’m glad I read this comic, but I’m not convinced yet to take on the five-part series as a whole. 7/10

Follow Eye on Comics on Twitter.

September 3, 2014 Don MacPherson

Post navigation

Exit Wounds → ← Flea Market Finds: Superman v.2 #35

Recent posts

  • The End of the World As He Knows It
  • Burnt-out Ends of Smoky Days
  • They Do Need Those Stinkin’ Badges
  • Future Tense
  • Teed Off
  • Scar Issue
  • Of Gods and Monsters
  • Genre Splicing
  • A Mouthful of Dollars
  • Striking the Wrong Chord

Categories

Archives

Categories

  • Announcements
  • Editorials
  • Features
  • Original Comic Art
  • Reviews – Action Lab
  • Reviews – AfterShock
  • Reviews – AiT/PlanetLar
  • Reviews – Archie
  • Reviews – Black Mask
  • Reviews – Boom! Studios
  • Reviews – Dark Horse
  • Reviews – DC
  • Reviews – DC/Vertigo
  • Reviews – DC/Wildstorm
  • Reviews – Devil's Due
  • Reviews – Drawn & Quarterly
  • Reviews – Dynamite
  • Reviews – Fantagraphics
  • Reviews – IDW
  • Reviews – Image
  • Reviews – Indy/Small Press
  • Reviews – Legendary
  • Reviews – Lion Forge
  • Reviews – Marvel
  • Reviews – Miscellaneous
  • Reviews – NBM
  • Reviews – Oni Press
  • Reviews – Other Media
  • Reviews – Quick Critiques
  • Reviews – Radical
  • Reviews – Slave Labor
  • Reviews – Titan
  • Reviews – Tokyopop
  • Reviews – Valiant
  • Reviews – Zenescope
  • Reviews- Humanoids
  • The New 52 Review Project

Search

Recent Posts

  • The End of the World As He Knows It
  • Burnt-out Ends of Smoky Days
  • They Do Need Those Stinkin’ Badges
  • Future Tense
  • Teed Off

Recent Comments

  • Marcelo Soares on Coming Clean
  • Perry on Scoop
  • R Phillips on “Fixed… With Tape”
  • Leslie on Avengers… Disassemble Those Guys
  • Perry Beider on 2018 Glass Eye Awards – Creators
April 2021
S M T W T F S
« Mar    
 123
45678910
11121314151617
18192021222324
252627282930  

Archives

  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • January 2021
  • November 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • April 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008
  • April 2008
  • March 2008
  • February 2008
  • January 2008
  • December 2007
  • November 2007
  • October 2007
  • September 2007
  • August 2007
  • July 2007
  • June 2007
  • May 2007
  • April 2007
  • March 2007
  • February 2007
  • January 2007
  • December 2006
  • November 2006
  • October 2006
  • September 2006
Powered by WordPress | theme cats456