Magic and Betrayal Twine Together in The Marked #2
They say that power corrupts. ‘They’ usually refer to political and monetary power, but The Marked has proven that magic can corrupt just as easily. Liza is a woman unafraid to experiment with her magic, as evidenced by The Marked #2.
The last issue introduced us to a world that contains magic – albeit it is all run by an organization that does its best to keep it a secret. Now, we get to dive into the depths and see how far one outcast is willing to go to get what she wants.
Magic is a powerful force, one to be reckoned with. But there’s a reason that The Marked exists as a secret society and why they’ve done so much to keep it out of the hands of the government. And that means we’re on a collision course for something violent.
Writing
The Marked #2 is all the proof we needed that magic should never fall into the wrong hands. In this case, that means Liza, a woman so obsessed with her magic that she’s willing to go to dangerous lengths.
David Hine and Brian Haberlin have done an excellent job of laying out why Shadowgate should never have gotten their hands on magic. And how horrible it is that Liza turned to them so easily.
This was a dark and disturbing issue for a variety of reasons. Magic has so much potential, but so far, the world these two have written seems more inclined to use the darker side of it all. At the very least, it paints a very dark picture. It explains the whole reason why The Marked exist in the first place.
Normally, I avoid details, but I would like to mention that animal lovers should prepare themselves for one of the pages in this issue. Nothing graphic is shown, but what is implied is bad enough. Trust me.
Art
The Marked #2 is full of some stellar artwork. First, there are the character designs. There’s something so striking and elegant about all the magical tattoos we’ve seen so far, and this issue is no exception. And then there’s the magic itself. I adore the way they’ve decided to portray magic in this series. There’s something so ephemeral about it.
Brian Haberlin may have been one of the authors of this issue, but they were also the lead artist. That means they’re responsible for the tattoo designs I was just gushing about, along with so much more.
Geirrod Van Dyke provided the coloring for this issue, which was tastefully full of darker tones, giving the magic a chance to shine (literally). And last but certainly not least, Francis Takenaga provided the lettering for this issue. And they did an exceptional job.
Conclusion
The Marked #2 was a dark and deeply concerning issue for various reasons. Readers will now have a full understanding of how dangerous magic can be. And why it should never be allowed to get into the wrong hands.
I’m looking forward to the next issue of this series. All signs point towards repercussions for what was done in this issue. And that will be satisfying to see.
This review was originally written for Word of the Nerd, but has been ported over to Quirky Cat’s Fat Stacks now that the site has shut down.
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