The Unchosen // Review
Aida is 13 years old. She’s punching someone in the face. There’s a perfectly logical reason why she would be doing this, but it’s not immediately clear as nothing is really immediately clear. Maybe it was the fact that the kid she punched was about to bring a tiny bird back to life. Maybe it’s because she wasn’t able to do so herself. Or maybe it’s something deeper altogether in The Unchosen. Writer/artist David Marquez opens a four-part series with colorist Marissa Louise. As it opens, it has all the indicators of a solidly entertaining coming-of-age fantasy story.
Aida was running through the forest looking for Daniel when she saw him crouched over in a clearing. There were tears streaming down his face. It was just a tine bird big enough to fit in his hands. Multicolored. Life had completely gone. She tried to conjure the force to save its life. That’s when Ezra showed-up. Started mocking Daniel and Aida. And then he started playing with the dead bird...bringing it back to life in what appeared to be a cruel symphony of pain. So she decided to punch him in the face. It was a simple act. No major consequences. But there’s so much more coming for Aida...
Marquez delivers the intensity of a supernatural drama with some sharp shocks which hit the page at various clever points from various intriguing angles. On the surface, it could be dismissed as another school of magic story, but Aida has a lot going on under the surface of the plot. Marquez leaves just enough on the page to suggest that there might be a more intense reality peering out of the edges of the central fantasy. There’s a real horror lurking around the edges of it all.
The art occasionally slams into the page with heavy impact between long stretches of solemn and ominous dramatic intensity. Beautifully radiant magic contrasts against a baser brutality in oscillations and alternations that give the whole thing a compelling visual pulse. Louise’s color brings impressive resonance to the page without overpowering the rest of the art. This is particularly notable with regard to the wider establishing shots with big, sprawling backgrounds that reveal the immensity of Aida’s world. It all seems to be hitting with just the right energy. Through it all, Aida remains a compelling character who is clearly in over her head.
The first quarter of the story is already over and it definitely feels like it’s moving in an appealing direction that could develop into something more than the typical supernatural school drama. It’s still a little bit early to say for certain, though. There is creeping suspicion that Aida might be the mystical “chosen one” caught-up in situations beyond her control, which would be a bit of a disappointment. That’s a trope that’s been worked to death in this sort of fantasy over the past several decades. Hopefully Marquez steers clear of it in future issues.
