Madame Mirage has kind of a reputation as being a pretty good comic, but I haven't taken any notice of it, mainly because I'm put off by those exploitative covers. Honestly, it just looked like it was going to be Witchblade in a long-but-skimpy dress. So imagine my surprise when I started reading the first season in the new trade paperback, and it turned out to be not so much a pretty good comic as a really great comic. I'll say right up front that the ONLY things that bothered me about it were those covers, and a few shots here and there that were a little too reminiscent of them.
It's worth discussing the art in the book simply because it looks really good. Kenneth Rocafort draws some pretty pictures. Unfortunately, some of those pictures are close-ups of Madame Mirage's ridiculously endowed, er, endowments. Is that necessary? Could we not receive the information that she's super-sexy (and granted, her super-sexiness is sort of quasi-logically explained within the story) without having her reduced to a sex object? Thankfully it never descends to the level of Witchblade and to be fair it's no worse than most super hero comics. But in a story where the protagonist is an ass-kicking, resourceful, hyper-intelligent woman, making her into eye candy is just disrespectful.
The story, though, is really where it's at. As lovely as Rocafort's images are, it's Paul Dini's supreme command of his craft that brings this story alive and draws you in. The story follows Madame Mirage, as she attempts to take down an organization of mercenary ex-super-villains in a world where using super powers is illegal. That may sound like a black and white moral situation, but Dini has created a very believable world-- which means one in which there is no good and no bad, just people behaving more and less altruistically.
The science fiction in this story works well; there are no inconsistencies and the future he imagines is believable. But what really makes everything work is the lovely depth of character he provides. Aside from the moral ambiguity (but very clear motivations), Dini has given his characters real personalities. Proving beyond a doubt that you can write characters who fit super hero tropes while still having unique and consistent personas, he creates a host of minor villains who are more interesting than anything Marvel or DC is likely to dish out. Probably the best of the bunch is 'Dude,' a Malibu beach type with long blonde locks and an outrageously huge upper body. He's kind of a lovable oaf whose penchant for convolutedly sophisticated surf-talk is completely real and totally charming.
The story arc in season one comes to a nice conclusion and is well-paced. Nothing is rushed or drawn out, and back story is provided logically and without intrusive exposition. When season two starts up, I'll be picking up the issues, however trashy the covers may be.
