Who is the true Medina: Mary or Mystere?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Ben Meares
Artwork: Eman Casallos
Colors: Ceci de la Cruz
Letters: Carlos M. Mangual
What They Say:
Mary has been betrayed and imprisoned in the Woman in Black’s underground lair, and have been given a choice: use Mystere’s powers of necromancy to do the Woman in Black’s bidding, or face the Blacksmith’s soul-sucking hammer. Will Mary find a way to destroy this evil – and immortal – woman, or will she succumb to the grave circumstances she’s found herself in? Find out in this pulse-pounding finale!
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
Now trapped underground with an unconscious John lying helplessly chained to a table and the lifeless corpse of Adam splayed before her, Mary can do nothing but listen to the insane cackling of the woman once known as Beatrice Black, an urban legend now called the Woman in Black. And while these inane ravings may be bothersome for most, this distraction is enough for their prisoner to divert her attention elsewhere – such as picking the lock on her own bindings. And with a final click of the pick, Mystere is free to exact her revenge upon this twisted trio by allowing her otherworldly friends to arise from the surrounding ground, and not just a few but an army of the undead. However as the Blacksmith engages himself against this relentless assault, former friend Abigail has a more rational method to stop this attack even as her elderly companion wails against what seems impending doom – to threaten the life of the person who is most innocent within all of this chaos: John. A curved dagger placed against tender skin and a twist of the same blade within a helpless form is all it takes to end the standoff, knowing this gentle gatekeeper will not sacrifice the mute to stop whatever vile machinations they may ultimately have in store for their prisoners.
Now resigned to follow their demands, Medina has no other choice than to listen to the Woman in Black and summon forth the one she longs for most in this world or the next, the man who was the impetus for her dark searches into the forbidden magics, her murdered husband Johnathan. While Mystere will not sequester his essence within the silent vessel, this does not stop the powerful girl from opening a shimmering portal and allowing the once gallant man from stepping forward from beyond to stand before a mourning crone. As Abigail and Mary witness this painful reunion, the heavily muscular spirit stands before his mate and asks how the woman he loved has turned into such a withered and frail shadow of her former self, with words lacking the grace to explain the misery she has put herself through to find a way to reconnect with him. Even as Beatrice stumbles over her explanation, the unobtainable phantom denies the person standing before him can be the woman he once loved, for this shell lacks what he cherished most … and all that is left is a lifeless echo of the woman he once took as his wife.
In Summary:
When this series first began, to be quite honest I thought the story was a bit slow to develop and it would not evoke such a powerful resonance which was suggested as Mary came to terms with separating herself from the trauma of her past, and yet writer Ben Meares has created a warm and provocative narrative which balances her struggles with facing what the future has set forth for this troubled girl. What helped to establish such a moving tale was expansion upon the scare background which served as Medina’s past, rejection from a family would could not came to terms with her position as a gatekeeper, and how they essentially did everything needed to drive their daughter away from a home which lacked any sympathy. It is this period of childhood homelessness that forges Mary into a caring woman, which now will do anything to care for the less fortunate, not wishing for others to suffer like she once did. This kindhearted nature is also what makes her and the residents of New Dawn so vulnerable to the callousness of predators known as the Blacksmith, plus Abigail’s position allows scouting for new victims. But what made this title such a pleasure to unravel were the varying viewpoints which Meares created within the same story: multiple variations of nurturing women wishing to care for the ones they loved, but with polar opposites fostering what was most important within those relationships – Mary wanting to cherish each person she came in contact with an attempt to bury a morbid past, Beatrice needing to rekindle and bring back the one man who meant more to her than her own son and Abigail who straddled either side all to feed her own selfish desires; the kindly owner desired to portray a false front so as to lure more needy people within her web, but the shelter also allowed Mary to draw closer so as to utilize her history and unique powers which served a dual purpose – permitting the girl a place to feel welcomed but also disarm what should have been a suspicious nature given her prior encounters with mystical creatures, but then banished as being hearsay, wild imaginings from weakened minds and urban legend surrounding recent disappearances. All of these clever initiatives allow Meares to weave an intricate tapestry of mistrust and paranoia, fed by the residents first hand knowledge being discredited by a crafty caretaker, Mary not wanting to be dragged into another supernatural adventure which probably amounts to nothing and the vulnerability of all of not wishing for the worst to occur … then succumbing to the hatred, ignorance of and cruel disregard for the unwanted. This fascinating prospective of suffering, disdain for the pain of the unfortunate and not desiring to face what one is meant to become allows Mary Medina to embrace Mystere as a mirror image of herself, not as a burden but as a savior of those who need her protection the most – allowing this woman to finally fulfill her truest mission in life and perhaps what she was always meant to be when she was born with not a curse but the aspiration of becoming a true hero.
Within all of this unexpected literary compassion, one cannot overlook the most obvious technique which compels the reader to become hypnotized by a story unfolding upon the page – visual elements that create a captivating atmosphere of emotional nuances and scintillating imagery which compel us to watch as Mary becomes is drawn deeper into this world which she initially wants no part of, but is given no choice in the matter if she wishes to save those in need. And while artists may have been changed midway into the series, illustrator Eman Casallos concludes this series with an outstanding flourish of graphic excellence, which humanizes the epic struggle that we find ourselves thrust into with such a wondrous attention to detail. And if his symphonic display of melodramatic exposition was not enough, this panoramic display could not be as phenomenally enthralling without a scintillating palette, and for lack of a better term, it breathes life into the title and by falling into the capably talented hands Ceci de la Cruz, giving Mystere both a sense of grounded attitude and a richly colorful ambiance which makes one forget this is a flat medium. The synergy of their artistic skills manipulates the audience to fully accept the chilling beauty of the story: a gloriously ghoulish balance of haunting displays which allows us to accept in the slightest inkling what we see before us might a fundamental exception from reality, with all of the consequences of recognizing the depth of their cooperation. One cannot but gasp from breathless shock as to the grotesqueness but at the same time, be taken aback by the sheer majesty from the amount of detail expressed through finely detailed panels and then magnified to infinite supremacy thanks to clever manipulation of muted tones, inspired gradations of greys and blacks for unbelievable shadow effects plus a limited amount of more vivid colors to allow us to become fully submerged within this subterranean world of horrors. The numerous facets flow so fluidly one forgets this is two dimensional medium, permitting the audience to be washed away within a torrent of emotional duress, fully realizing the struggles of all sides: Mary finally releasing her anger against those who selfishly desire to sacrifice an innocent versus the pain of losing someone you hold most dear so as to do anything for one last moment of comfort, all monumentally materializing as we witness Mystere surrendering so as to save John. This ethereally breathtaking moment is mesmerizing – giving all what we desire … a moving answer to what may exist on the other side, tinged with a sense of mystical wonder and luminous beauty, all as we know the miserable crone once named Beatrice will not be rewarded for her cruelty with a happy ending, even though we as readers cannot but stare in awe as to how Casallos and de la Cruz have visually expressed such a memorable, if but tragically fitting climax for a dazzling series.
Mystere is a tale which has lures the reader into a menacing world of apprehension, with the hope of fulfillment to help those less fortunate, but resulting in being held captive within the depravity of human greed and a desire of not letting go, but ends with a warm feeling which we all desire. And yet as Mary accepts the duality of her persona, she cannot but accept she wants to care for those who need a welcoming hand at their most vulnerable moments and also become a savior to those same people who cannot protect themselves from the harshness of a cruel world. With wondrous artistry and a breathtaking array of emotionally moving colors, one cannot but become lost in this land of uncertainty, only to find their way back to the accepting arms of someone like Mary Medina.
Grade: A+
Series Grade: A+
Age Rating: T (for Teens)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: January 8th, 2020
MSRP: $3.99
