Writer: M.E. WilliamsIllustrators: SirIsrael Azariah King and Stajah Curry
Purchase Price: $0.99 via IndyPlanet
Mark of The Beast is a comic set in the distant future, a common trend in comics since the beginning of comics. Setting out to show us a unique twist on this we're treated with some changes to the usual trope. Usually we see before or after some event happens when individuals with super powers now roam the Earth. Instead the story chooses to focus on the rise of these individuals to differentiate itself from the crowd of others. With that we pick up after the Earth has begun changing itself to combat atmospheric changes due to global warming. The animals and plant life were the first to change followed by the downfall of major civilizations with people preferring to operate as tribes now.
The story follows Aloïsia, a woman who has become known as one of the best if not the best hunter in her group. One day on an outing to find food she stumbles across a young girl with a baby being attacked by mutant wolves. She rescues the girl and brings them home where she learns they're being tracked by both The Control and The Resistance. Aloïsia is forced to flee, during this she learns that the sister she thought was dead is alive and stronger than she ever thought, working for The Control.
Story wise it's a classic tale that should provide for simple enjoyment. I think the biggest problem for me in the story is that I just didn't connect with anyone. Nobody really stood out as all that exciting. I'd like to know more about Aloïsia's sister but it didn't seem like we would get a lot of information on her. She was treated somewhat like a generic antagonist when she should have been the big prize.
There's a lot of groundwork for the future laid here, but that's all. There's plenty of groundwork but no roots to plant you in. As soon as you get interested in one topic it moves you on to the next one and you're left with questions. It's why The Walking Dead TV show is starting to lose fans, too many questions not enough answers. Maybe 16 pages is just too short for stories of this type. Every time I would try to get invested it would be as if I just got cheated out of some foul calls in the NBA Finals. We can't even get simple answers like "why do and Aloïsia and her sister both love baths so much."
Artistically the book doesn't exactly blow your mind. There's no reinventing of the wheel here. That's okay, because there are still moments that feature some amazing illustration. There are other parts where faces don't exactly look like faces or the panels are formatted strange. It's something that has a ton of potential both story and art wise for doesn't quite make it over the hurdle. All the makings for something great are there artistically and in a few moments it all comes together for some great scenes but other parts just seem rushed. One thing I did really enjoy is that while the comic is mostly black and white there are very small hints of color such as eyes. It's a washed color and if you're not really paying attention you'll miss it. it's a small detail but one that adds a level of uniqueness to the art.
I'm not sure what to make of this comic overall. The story is interesting, and the art has promise. But, for some reason it just doesn't click with me the way that it should. I often find myself thinking certain things are predictable such as random children being wanted by multiple organizations. I keep expecting a major twist but it just never comes. It's entirely possible that that could all happen in future issues. But issue number one just wasn't doing anything for me despite all the pieces for it to be great sitting right there.
You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet. You can also check out his playthrough of Sleeping Dogs or Skyrim
