The Marked #10 // Review
The disappearance of cats all over a city might not be much of a concern for the police, but that doesn't mean that the string of missing felines isn't a very, very serious concern. Magical powers align, and a group of witches needs to take action in The Marked #10. Writer Brian Haberlin directs the narrative flow of traffic in a very busy issue brought to the page by artist Geirrod Van Dyke. Haberlin isn't framing all of the plot elements quite as deftly as he has in previous issues, but he's doing a good job of expanding the world of The Marked quite nicely in another enjoyable issue.
A young magic-user returns, but she's not the same. She's spent some time in another dimension. What was only a couple of days for everyone else was something like a year of sheer hell for her. She's damaged, but she can't be the only focus of a powerful witch's coven as there have been reports of missing cats that might be tied to dark forces. Meanwhile, the coven's leader's recent actions have brought her to the attention of larger authority. She's under investigation from a visiting authority named Eden. The witch known as Eden has an important decision to make as reports of missing cats continue to mount.
Haberlin's distinct mix of pop witch horror with X-Men-style superhero team dynamics continues to appeal as the series begins to reach the end of its first year. There's a pleasant diversity of characters in a diverse ensemble that has a great deal of narrative room to move around in. The demon looking to harvest cats' souls is a really interesting one that isn't allowed enough room to breathe. The entire plot is introduced and resolved in a single issue when it really should have been expanded to at least a couple of issues. Likewise, Eden's sudden appearance and her investigation really would have worked a lot better as an ongoing element that could have been resolved better throughout a series of issues.
Van Dyke coaxes some really beautiful imagery to the page. Anger and passion mix in an immersive, atmospheric setting that feels stylish and classy. Van Dyke still seems to be having difficulty making poise and posture seem natural. There are more than a few moments that feel strikingly organic, but postures seem awkward in places. Characters occasionally have the visual appearance of posed mannequins. As the substance of the world of The Marked continues to settle-in, however, more and more of the pages feel more and more graceful. Van Dyke's work on the series has really developed in a very promising direction over the year.
Haberlin is lurching through a hell of a lot of narrative in The Marked #10. There's doubtlessly a lot of ground to cover in what is a very, very large ensemble of characters. If Haberlin and Van Dyke would just spend just a few more panels on each of them, the dramatic elements of the story would gain resonance, and the pacing would come much closer to being perfect. The story of the missing cats is a compelling one. It would have been nice to see it expanded a bit more.
