Death holds no dominion over Mary Medina … or should that be the other way around?
Creative Staff:
Writer: Dawn P. Marquez
Artwork: Allan Otero
Colors: Erick Arciniega
Letters: Kurt Hathaway
What They Say:
Death holds no power over Mary Medina!
Fresh out of Arcane Acre, Mary is on her own again. After receiving a mysterious note from a stranger named Talisman, she heads to New Orleans during Mardi Gras and finds herself pulled into the middle of a plot conspired by a long forgotten secret order. Can Mary stay one step ahead of them, or is this the day she joins the very dead she controls?
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
(For details on how Mary started this adventure, take a look at Grimm Fairy Tales: Genesis: Heroes Rising.)
Mardi Gras is starting, but some people just don’t know when to stop having a good time, namely Voodoo and the High Priestess Marie. The two individuals from the Order of Tarot have begun to prepare for the coming of someone they are expecting … even if she herself doesn’t know. That person in reference is Mary Medina, a student from Arcane Acre, school for Falsebloods and Highborns; after she started having nightmares of her abilities going our of control, Mary received a mysterious message to meet someone calling themselves Talisman on the Day of the Dead. So, here she is in New Orleans, two days into her search, without a clue of who or what this person looks like or if he even exists. As the confused girl wanders through the drunk filled streets of party goers, she begins to remember how much trouble her powers over death caused for herself and her parents. That conflict was magnified until she was finally found by Sela and Shang, allowing her to find contentment in the school.
But even as Mary recalls her troubled past, it is the events of the present which she should have been paying attention. While she meandered through the crowded alleyways, a group of men dressed as skeletons began to isolate the poor woman. Even as she tried her best to fend against these vicious hoodlums, their numbers prove too much and she is forced to retreat, running through the mayhem with no help to be grasped from the bedlam of the crowds. However, the odds are soon to be turned as Mary finds one of the city’s famous graveyards, hoping to lose her pursuers within the maze of stone monuments. The musky smell of decay rises from the ground as she hopes to hide among the statuary ornamenting the markers, but that hope is soon lost as they quickly find their goal. Although she may attempt to valiantly fight them off, that thought of the potential army lying beneath Mary’s feet gnaws for release, even though she may not wish to use them. But the urge becomes too great as faux bony hands pummel a frail body, causing her to surrender to the plight of the dead. Is it too late to resist or does Mary even wish to try anymore?
In Summary:
Ever since we were introduced to Mary Medina back in Grimm Fairy Tales #114, she has always been seen as a background character, never amounting too much since her ability was so gruesome. The power to raise the dead and use them as her own ghoulish army might not have seemed to attract to much attention before, but now first time Zenescope writer Dawn P. Marquez brings her to the forefront. The Order of Tarot, the shadowy organization who have been lurking behind the scenes recently in Zenescope’s title line now have their eye on this poor girl, and for what nefarious reasons, we still do not know. There have been hints dropped in various books, but perhaps now we will finally be able to flesh out the real meaning behind those cryptic messages. Mary is the publisher’s first Latina character and to be able to see her in a whole new light really brings that heritage up front. Of course, Marquez reminds us of her tortured past, of how much her curse caused the rift to form between herself and her family; but even now, after being taken in by Shang and Sela, she still has trepidations of using her abilities, not wanting to give in to temptation. But of course, for now, we are still confused as to why Marie and Voodoo want her, but hopefully, the next issue will enlighten us as to those deeds.
I have always loved Allan Otero’s artwork, ever since I first saw it in Satan’s Daughter The Haunting and of course more recently in the beautifully haunting title Satan’s Hollow. His ability to draw the reader into the story with breath taking detail of backgrounds, nuances for making his characters stand out with both elegance and an almost imperceivable darkness, plus a depth in their faces which make you care or despise them – perhaps even at the same time. All of these elements combine to give us a narrative which draws you along, almost as if in a dream, then to add Erick Arciniega’s amazing colors to breath life into his illustrations, it makes it all the more engrossing. The opening scene of Marie and Voodoo in the graveyard, the ritual itself seems to suck us in even deeper with the richness of ethereal wisps of energy, the electric tension is almost too much to contain within those pages. It was a simply marvelous way to start the issue.
However, if I did have a critique for this issue, it would be as to the depiction of this character. As I have stated before, Mary Medina is supposed to be Zenescope’s first Latina character, born of Mexican parents, but now something seems missing. In previous depictions, we have witnessed her flowing black mane, the flourish of the white calavera makeup and sometimes even her feisty attitude. But now all of what made Mary herself is gone … replaced by someone who is so sullen that it is depressing to even watch her. The individuality which made her Hispanic has been muted into a person who no longer stands out, she blends into the rest of the cast which has populated the publisher’s titles; in fact, if you compare this Mary now, she almost looks like a toned down version of blonde Sandy from Otero’s last book, Satan’s Hollow. Gone is what made Medina herself: black hair is now brown thanks to Arciniega, European facial details have replace the defiant girl from Grimm Fairy Tales and the only thing which remains is that stylized skull mask which could be worn by anyone. What happened to that flamboyant red and black flamenco inspired costume we saw in the beginning? For now, it just seems that this shift in character definition has Mary replaced with someone else, with no nod to the character’s Hispanic origins. Which is ironic since most of the staff for this book are themselves Latina/Latinos too!
Grimm Fairy Tales: Day of the Dead brings to light one of the lesser characters from the signature series, Mary Medina. While we have started with an enticing story of her resisting to use her powers due to painful memories from the past, thanks to Dawn P. Marquez’s tale, she is come to the forefront, whether she wants to nor not. However, due to a watered down portrayal of the woman, this first issue is a bit disappointing. Hopefully, the next issue will take care of those problems and help to flesh her out more faithfully.
Grade: B+
Rating: T (for Teen)
Released By: Zenescope
Release Date: February 1st, 2017
MSRP: $3.99
