Ma'Ari #1 // Review
Ever wish you could read more comic series with LGBTQIA characters of color at the center of their own stories? Well, look no further than this new indie comic book written by Elisa Bisignano who is also the letterer and art by Iolanda Zanfardino called "Ma'Ari." When the evil entity known as “The Darkness” returns it's up to Janaan and her best friend Simone, known as the Ma'Ari Witches, to band together to stop it.
At the jump, you are introduced to Janaan and Simone as they are practicing magick. You quickly learn Janaan is asexual and Simone is gay, and the two of them are pretty close. The book follows the two as they are going through their normal day. Unlike most stories, the people in their town have a vague idea that they are in fact, witches and no one seems to care. Which is interesting and different from most paranormal stories.
The first thing you notice when you read through the pages is the art by Zanfardino. The combination of purples and the bright yellows feels like you are entering into a new world filled with magick and mysticism.
The problem with first issues is, you have to both establish the characters, and the hook of the book. And the problem with this first issue, although intriguing, is you don't really get a sense of who Janaan and Simone are as people. Yes, you learn Simone is gay and is a witch, but what else? Things are just thrown at you with very little exposition. Overall though the premise is interesting and the story seems promising. The creators just ended their Kickstarter campaign to fund this series, so hopefully, the answers to those questions will get answered in future books.
