Name: Madame Mirage
ISBN: 9781582409597

Paul Dini

Kenneth Rocafort

A pair of sisters seek payback on a supervillain syndicate - but all is not as it seems! Combining action, engaging characters, and a unique concept involving high-tech illusions, noted writer Paul Dini has crafted a compelling tale of mystery, revenge, and deception. Madame Mirage features stunning artwork by Top Cow's latest find, Kenneth Rocafort.

Madame Mirage

Sarah Escorsa

① I saw Karly's updates for Madame Mirage. 

② I read Karly's review for Madame Mirage.

③ I bought Madame Mirage without even reading the blurb.

④ I received Madame Mirage.

⑤ I skimmed through Madame Mirage. 

⑥ I eyerolled myself to oblivion (whatever that means). 

⑦ I put Madame Mirage away without reading it and abandoned it on a desolated bookshelf for 5 months.

Why, you ask? Because this:



Huge boobs + wasp waist+ big butt + skin-tight, revealing clothes = the typical, clichéd bimbo as drawn by a man, right? Well that's what I thought when I first saw what Madame Mirage looked like. I also thought "hell no," assumed I'd hate the comic, put it away and never bothered to read it. Damn. I'm such a freaking idiot sometimes. But sometimes I also have short bouts of lucidity so I finally decided to pick this up the other day. I mean, I'd paid €15 for it so I figured I might as well read it. I'M SUCH A FREAKING IDIOT SOMETIMES. Why the hell didn't I read this sooner? Stupid, stupid, stupid, Sarah. Because you know what? This is pure awesomeness. And guess what? There is actually a reason why Madame Mirage looks the way she does. But I won't tell you about it. Because spoilers. Ha.

To be honest I probably wouldn't have read this comic, had I bothered to read the blurb before buying it. It's your typical vigilante story involving super heroes, which I've never been a fan of. Yes, I admit it: super heroes bore me to death {feel free to scream in total shock and utter dismay here}. Well guess what? Madame Mirage appears to be your average vigilante story, but it's not. The premise (two sisters looking for revenge) sounds unexciting, but it's not. The good super hero vs. bad super hero turned villain part of the plot sounds boring, but it's not. This is a world where bioengineering enabled all humans to obtain super powers. It all got out of hands. The government banned the tech that made it all possible. Threw the "good" super heroes in jail. Now the evil super heroes have formed evil corporations. Enter the Temple sisters. 



Their objective? Killing all the bad guys, obviously. As for their motivation, well I'm afraid you'll have to read the comic to find out (view spoiler)[muhahahaha (hide spoiler)]. But man, are these two trigger-happy, hahahaha! Gotta love two girls who aren't afraid to slaughter their way through the villainous crowd! Anyway, the story is pretty cool. There is a very unexpected twist that I should have seen coming from miles away, but didn't. And that in itself is very very cool. Because good, surprising plot twists are very hard to come by these days.



Characterization? Brilliant. The Temple sisters are as badass as they come. As much as I didn't like Madame Mirage at first, she really grew on me. Because reasons. And because spoilers. And stuff. But my favourite character is Mirage's sidekick, Harper. She's got the brains. She's a geek/scientist/engineer. She likes guns. She likes swords. She likes knives. I think I'm in love.





The cast of secondary characters? Fantastic. There isn't a single character I didn't like here. The villains are all awesome and deliciously nefarious. Too bad they keep on dropping dead at the hands of Mirage & Harper, haha! I really like this whole evil corporation thing these guys have going, they really deserve a comic of their own ← in case you were wondering, yes, this is a not-so-subliminal message aimed at Dini & Rocafort.

The art? OMG the art. I bloody love it. Rocafort's work is pure eye candy. His lines are kind of angular and sharp but smooth at the same time. It's a pretty amazing mix. I mean, look at this:



And this:



And this:



And this:



The lines, the colours, the layout, I love it all. I'm pretty new to the world of comics and graphic novels but Rocafort's graphics are some of the most amazing I've come across so far.

►► Mystery, suspense, action, great characters: Madame Mirage has it all. But there is a problem here. Yes, there is. There is no volume 2. No there isn't. Now watch me break down and cry. This story really deserved one ten more volumes. At least. So much potential here! So many questions left unanswered! Come back, Paul Dini! Come back, Kenneth Rocafort! Mirage and Harper need you! The world needs you! This is too cool to be left without a sequel!



PS: Madame Mirage has a lower rating than Pretty Deadly. Well let me tell you, this is Pretty Unfair. And Pretty Disgraceful. What are people thinking?! What is the world coming to?!