Writer David Hine and artist/writer Brian Haberlin continue to explore a world somewhere between Harry Potter, The X-Men, and something altogether darker in the second issue of their supernatural drama The Marked. A young outcast of a special school for wielders of tattoo-based magic is given an opportunity in the form of a consultation with a classified government agency. They seem impressed with her skills, but she's going to find out that their intentions aren't as pure as she might have hoped for as Liza becomes the center of the second issue of a very promising, new series from the people behind Image Comics' Sonata.

Liza never really NEEDED to prove anything to anyone but after being cast out. It clearly feels good for her to have someone to impress. It's a top-secret paranormal investigations wing of the US government known as "Stargate." The group has spent years in search of the genuinely useful paranormal. It was only a matter of time before they found it, but desperation coming from possible funding cuts causes caution to be thrown to the wind in a very sinister way. Liza is beginning to realize that human life isn't as important as the survival of the organization. 

Hine and Haberlin's mixture of drama and action play-out in a very close look at the outcast, Liza. Hine has a solid grasp of a very natural sense of dialogue with her. As badass as she is, she's in a frigid and unforgiving place that isn't telling her everything that's going on, but she can clearly guess that things are NOT well as she gives-up some of her secrets to the government. Hine's clever execution of this has the forebodingly dark actions of Stargate are left elegantly vague. The reader is left to assume the worst about Stargate's actions. Involving an interrogation from the beginning of the story and an innocent-looking dog near the end of the issue. 

Most of what is shown in Liza's inner personality plays across her face. Her inner emotions are written there quite well with a very nuanced rendering of Haberlin's visuals. It's all a bit dark and shadowy. The fantastic nature of the magic being wielded is defined by the dull grays of the shadowy institution that Liza finds herself in. Liza seems positively radiant in contrast, which allows her a more compassionate human side to start to reveal itself in a very well-rendered issue visually.

Having firmly set-up the heroic side of the story in the first issue, Hine and Haberlin deliver the darker end of the villains in a very engaging second issue. The story could go in so many exciting directions from here. The challenge for the creators is going to lie in keeping it interesting and novel enough that it doesn't feel too derivative without diving so far into the novelty that it feels like a gimmick. Hine and Haberlin do a good job of moving things forward in this second issue.

Grade:  B