The Marked #4 // Review
There’s a teenaged girl who has taken over a top-secret military installation. Theoretically, this would be fine. The fact that she’s not entirely in control of herself is a bit of a cause for concern in the fourth issue of The Marked. Writer David Hine and artist Brian Haberlin take the story of tattooed magic to a deeper level of peril with a chapter that increases tensions between The Marked and those who mix magic with science. Colorist Geirrod Van Dyke brings a rich sense of power to the story. However, the action still feels a bit stiff in places, but there IS a surprising amount of dramatic complexity rendered into the faces of the lead characters.
Liza is in over her head. The young magic outcast has gotten her hands on a mighty artifact that seems to have amplified her powers significantly. Now she’s taken over the whole military base where she came into contact with the artifact, and she’s mobilizing recruits to attack her former mentors. The military’s exploration of the occult gets out of control as the responsible guardians of magic are forced to defend themselves. Tensions explode in a conflict between the military, Liza, and the old school practitioners of classic magic.
Hine juggles conflicts on both sides of the issue. The general is now no longer in charge of his own military base. He and those loyal to him are scrambling around as Liza and her allies take control. Meanwhile, The Marked try to figure out what’s going on with Liza only to be attacked by her allies. The balance of tensions is maintained throughout the issue. There’s dramatic complexity in Liza’s lack of total control over her power that mirror’s the general’s lack of control of his authority that is further mirrored in the lack of control that The Marked are fumbling through as they defend their home. It’s a solidly well-constructed issue.
A script this balanced is brought to the page quite capably by artist Brian Haberlin. The physical aggression in the action sequences feels stiff this issue. The brutality of physical action doesn’t have the kind of impact that would make it feel powerful. The radiance in Van Dyke’s colors continues to dazzle, allowing the magic to feel truly magical. Still, the overall direction of it doesn’t feel nuanced enough to bring out any of the complexity of the narrative. At one point, the Marked bring the magic of love and euphoria to a battle with techno-magic hybrid invaders from Liza’s command. The contrast between love and aggression would have been beautiful to see cascade across the page, but Haberlin doesn’t give it much room to work visually. Haberlin’a command of psychological drama continues to impress, though. The play of emotions of internal conflict across Liza’s face is beautiful enough to be breathtaking.
Hine and Haberlin are bringing a distinctly unique urban fantasy to the page with The Marked. It looks and moves with a style that is unique and refreshing. Simple action mechanics sometimes falter. Action feels flat on the page without any sense of movement, which is odd as the overall momentum of the plot from one page to the next is directed quite well in script and art.
