“What man of you does not go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? Harken to my words, and I will tell you the tale of The Marked, chapters 7 & 8, verses 1-32!
Witness ye, the sad droning of Brian Haberlin and David Hine.
Drink in the visual blandness of Brian Haberlin and Geirrod Van Dyke (except the cover…that rocks).
The official plot:
“For Pope and Klara to save Lovecraft, they must sacrifice their own ambitions. Will The Marked superstars give up fame for the sake of one miserable, half-mad writer?”
Image Comics
The mere mention of Lovecraft appearing in a comic should pique your interest. Unfortunately, this issue just won’t live up to expectations. Lovecraft is a whiney little bitch and the cavalry, which arrives too late, turns out to be unnecessary.
My Impressions:
- Full Disclosure: I’ve already read issue #8…(Yes, I’m a little behind on my reviews)
- The story was quite disappointing. (Especially when combined with issue #8, which just drops this entire storyline for something new.)
- This series has some of the best cover art I’ve seen. It’s too bad that this issue’s internal artwork is so bland.
- Major overarching story blunder: The start to this arc made perfect sense…a funeral for those that were lost in the previous battle exposes that Pope’s soul is missing! Cool! A new arc to figure out what happened to his soul and put it right! PSYCHE! The reader finds out what’s up, but Pope’s “friends” start looking into it, only to drop the unresolved storyline cold for something new and unrelated in issue #8. (Yeah, I know this was intended to set up something in the future and create suspense, but it didn’t work.) The whole thing is unrealistic and disjointed. I demand better segues for my money.
Notable Appearances/Events:
- Spoiler: Pope’s soul is stuck inside of Lovecraft’s body
- Revelation: The Lurch-like butler is the real H.P. Lovecraft
- Conclusion: This is a classic example of how a single issue can kill a reader’s interest in a promising series
Bottom Line: 1 Star
The first story arc for The Marked, was something I highly recommend. Sadly, the writers seem to have spent all of there creative energy there, and left nothing in reserve. Issues #6 and #7 were just not up to par. With so many creative offerings out there right now, both mainstream and indie, there is just no reason to waste time and money on boring content. I’m out.