I've never heard of this, so let's see how it goes...
I've never heard of this character. I don't read much Top Cow. I was pretty skeptical going into this book. What is this about? Am I going to like it? I was a blank slate when it came to Magdalena, and the first issue of a new series, especially when it's an already established character, can be a hard thing to judge. Will this book be able to please a person who has never heard of it before? Will I be utterly confused as to what is going on?
The Good
I want to high five Ron Marz for the writing on this book. As stated previously, I have no clue what is going on with this character, yet Ron does a great job at not only describing what The Magdalena is and who they are, but he does it in a way that won't take up too much space in the book and turn off readers that are "in the know." At the end of the book is two pages that flat-out spells out what the "Mantle of Magdalene" is about. Again, I applaud that because now I'm hooked. I also loved the art on this book: it's clear, crisp, and it is never confusing. The colors on the book really caught my attention also. The reds really popped on the book, and it would draw your eye to some of the more important characters. This book has a lot going for it: solid writing, beautiful art, and a story that was very interesting for a first issue and not confusing at all.
The Bad
It's hard to find the bad in a book I read twice through and became completely enamored with. However, occasionally backgrounds would drop out to a flat color, which is a pet peeve of mine. I'd like to see at least a little bit of background, and not just "gray" or "blue." Also, I do wish I would have noticed the two pages on "The Mantle of Magdalene" before I started reading the book, so I could have known a little bit more about what was going on.
The Verdict
This book surprised me more than anything else I've read in a long time. I'm usually not one for the Christian religion-lore book, but this book was completely engrossing, which surprised me for a first issue of a series. It doesn't happen often that a random book I reviewed makes my weekly pull list, even if I really enjoyed it, but Magdalena is now a part of my weekly pull list, and I'm excited to see what happens next. If you like comics, and you are interested in starting a new series, I'd highly recommend this book.
