Stephanie Kay
Jun 6, 2005, 12:09 am
<a href ="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/image/0605/Mora03.jpg"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/image/0605/Mora03t.jpg" hspace=10 align=left alt="Mora #3"></a>Reviewer: Stephanie Kay, Children_Of_Paradise@hotmail.co.uk
Story Title: III: Dying Amongst The Shadows
The city has lain dormet for some time now, but the creatures of the night have begun to call and beckon the city to its feet.
Written & Illustrated by: Paul Harmon
Cover: Paul Harmon
Publisher: Erik Larson
Presented by: Image Comics
Image have received a blaze of acclaimed glory recently, with the release of several highly praised titles, many of which are still in an early stage but have developed an eager individual following anyway. One of them, which perhaps has received a little less hype, is Mora, a comic fully created by newcomer Paul Harmon. Mora follows the title character as she develops into being the most powerful witch in the world (or rather the world being presented here, which at any rate seems a far more impressive achievement). As seen in issue #1, Mora seems to have come to an unfortunate demise - and the subsequent issues have followed her younger years (younger being the imperative word) Issue #3 features a Mora not exhibiting any particular 'witch-like' abilities, and is simply better described as a precarious, at times mischievous but none-the-less adorable child. It also begins to mark the inevitable collision of various plot-lines, specifically relating to Mora, her best friend Anandra, a lion, various witches and a child murdering goblin. Yes, it’s C.S. Lewis gone mad, but Mora easily avoids ‘simple’ classification, even for a fantasy laden comic. It does on the surface take many structural points (and obvious content) from Fairytales or fables (in general, not from the so named Vertigo title - where incidentally, Willingham's comic chooses to take famous fable-derived characters and use 'modern' formats) Harmon creates a world entirely and stylishly ‘magical’ in temperament - it's almost verging on a dark visual Aesop, written in the style of Salman Rushdie.
All of Mora, down to even the voice-over narrative, is poetic - every panel is used to the fullest - such is the intended style that everything feels wonderfully dreamlike, with the added occasional brooding ‘evil’. Anything can happen, and quite often does - the story is literally being presented to us in an opinionated and personal manner by the tortoise and hare - resembling something out of the famous Aesop tale, only coming across as their distorted parallel universe twins. Mora plays on many 'post-structuralism' ideas of literature - an extremely rare achievement in a partly art form such as comics. There is a collision of binary opposites in Mora; good/evil, dark/light, innocence/corruption, animal/human - Harmon's artwork is able to emphasise those qualities to form the key ocular form; beauty/repulsion. Characters are often designed to be physically faultful - initially and seemingly attractive, they then emerge as something comparatively ugly. Cleverly Harmon adds human characteristics to the goblins and animals, a method most effectively used with the lion of the story. His anthropological nature does question the key difference between ‘human’ and ‘humane’ - because he is not simply a primeval creature, there is an undoubtedly sinister aspect to him - one which is increasing with the duration of the story. Not that he is the only ominous presence; added to this are the numerous macabre elements - Frazer Irving style - the undead, serial murders via slashing and inhuman brutality.
The description of this being about 'the adventures of a young witch' feels immensely general - Harmon's comic is far more suitable for the 'mature' readership if only for the breadth of themes it covers. However it is also relatively complex in composition; the irony is of course the devices it uses are all deceptively simplistic - with the entire thing being ‘told’ as though it were a bedtime story. But perhaps that is an illusion of what we expect 'Fairytales' to contain - Harmon's comic returns everything to its edgiest form - there is no glorifying or ‘Disneyised’ version here - we might well be given the ‘real’ version instead. Mora herself is a refreshing sort of protagonist, as a child she literally personifies ‘purity of heart’. Her naiveté and perspective of those around her, make her future task seems disturbingly daunting. As mentioned, a central story-line follows the conduct of various multifarious witches and comrades, in particular Lord Quaffine and her attendant Ezmel, both having already developed into excellent supporting characters. Harmon has remarked on the quantity of female characters in Mora - we aren’t at Y: The Last Man standards yet, but there is definitely an increased amount, especially in regards to the power dominion (female Lords, Queens, Ladies and the such) An aspect that garners much appreciation is Harmon’s obvious artistic reference to the film maker Federico Fellini (who this reviewer is a sentimental fan of) - especially in the designs of the female witch-characters in Mora - I’m sensing everything from Eight And A Half, Satyricon to Roma in here. With such influences, the comic does have its rambunctious and neo-surrealist moments - it’s not a case of big is better but big is big - trenchcoats, sunglasses, capes, wigs, crowns, horns, fangs, cigars, masks, glass eyes - they all appear for costumes alone. Harmon’s unique artistic style is able to fully utilise the freedom available here. Some panels might feel a little muddled but overall, the detail is truly excellent - the inking equally as good. Two superb highlights from #3 are the oceanic spear-heads/Grogg double spread - and the silent lion as he awaits his moment of attack.
Mora will no doubt take some time to fully develop the ideas and themes (heck even motifs) that it has introduced. Issue #3 appears to be still in an introductory stage - which I feel is no problem whatsoever when considering the amount of characters it has featured up to this point. The lack of ‘linear’ does mean it can be hard to deduce or conclude the over-riding direction each issue brings - it all progresses, but often in an unpredictable manner. The uniqueness of Mora though lies in that ambiguity and consequent intrigue - it will appeal to those with an ‘enquiring’ mind, rather than those who prefer the answers to be laid open. It could be seen as unfortunate that Mora is published bimonthly. I'm not pushing Harmon to work at rates exceeding his own 'comfortable zone' (honestly, I'm not) - but it does feel quite a length of time between each issue - so much so, that it’s wise to reread previous issues to familiarise with the unusual format and plots. But that small grumble bears no real negative to the joy this comic reads for me. Mora is an excellently (and meticulously) crafted comic, created by someone who has an obvious love for the various artforms. It really comes recommended to anyone looking for a new self-contained comic full of originality. And really, who isn’t? Those enjoying the other recent Image releases should definitely not forget Mora - it may develop into one of Image’s best.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ihalf.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ihalf.jpg
'Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save!' (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1691&cat=MORA)
Story Title: III: Dying Amongst The Shadows
The city has lain dormet for some time now, but the creatures of the night have begun to call and beckon the city to its feet.
Written & Illustrated by: Paul Harmon
Cover: Paul Harmon
Publisher: Erik Larson
Presented by: Image Comics
Image have received a blaze of acclaimed glory recently, with the release of several highly praised titles, many of which are still in an early stage but have developed an eager individual following anyway. One of them, which perhaps has received a little less hype, is Mora, a comic fully created by newcomer Paul Harmon. Mora follows the title character as she develops into being the most powerful witch in the world (or rather the world being presented here, which at any rate seems a far more impressive achievement). As seen in issue #1, Mora seems to have come to an unfortunate demise - and the subsequent issues have followed her younger years (younger being the imperative word) Issue #3 features a Mora not exhibiting any particular 'witch-like' abilities, and is simply better described as a precarious, at times mischievous but none-the-less adorable child. It also begins to mark the inevitable collision of various plot-lines, specifically relating to Mora, her best friend Anandra, a lion, various witches and a child murdering goblin. Yes, it’s C.S. Lewis gone mad, but Mora easily avoids ‘simple’ classification, even for a fantasy laden comic. It does on the surface take many structural points (and obvious content) from Fairytales or fables (in general, not from the so named Vertigo title - where incidentally, Willingham's comic chooses to take famous fable-derived characters and use 'modern' formats) Harmon creates a world entirely and stylishly ‘magical’ in temperament - it's almost verging on a dark visual Aesop, written in the style of Salman Rushdie.
All of Mora, down to even the voice-over narrative, is poetic - every panel is used to the fullest - such is the intended style that everything feels wonderfully dreamlike, with the added occasional brooding ‘evil’. Anything can happen, and quite often does - the story is literally being presented to us in an opinionated and personal manner by the tortoise and hare - resembling something out of the famous Aesop tale, only coming across as their distorted parallel universe twins. Mora plays on many 'post-structuralism' ideas of literature - an extremely rare achievement in a partly art form such as comics. There is a collision of binary opposites in Mora; good/evil, dark/light, innocence/corruption, animal/human - Harmon's artwork is able to emphasise those qualities to form the key ocular form; beauty/repulsion. Characters are often designed to be physically faultful - initially and seemingly attractive, they then emerge as something comparatively ugly. Cleverly Harmon adds human characteristics to the goblins and animals, a method most effectively used with the lion of the story. His anthropological nature does question the key difference between ‘human’ and ‘humane’ - because he is not simply a primeval creature, there is an undoubtedly sinister aspect to him - one which is increasing with the duration of the story. Not that he is the only ominous presence; added to this are the numerous macabre elements - Frazer Irving style - the undead, serial murders via slashing and inhuman brutality.
The description of this being about 'the adventures of a young witch' feels immensely general - Harmon's comic is far more suitable for the 'mature' readership if only for the breadth of themes it covers. However it is also relatively complex in composition; the irony is of course the devices it uses are all deceptively simplistic - with the entire thing being ‘told’ as though it were a bedtime story. But perhaps that is an illusion of what we expect 'Fairytales' to contain - Harmon's comic returns everything to its edgiest form - there is no glorifying or ‘Disneyised’ version here - we might well be given the ‘real’ version instead. Mora herself is a refreshing sort of protagonist, as a child she literally personifies ‘purity of heart’. Her naiveté and perspective of those around her, make her future task seems disturbingly daunting. As mentioned, a central story-line follows the conduct of various multifarious witches and comrades, in particular Lord Quaffine and her attendant Ezmel, both having already developed into excellent supporting characters. Harmon has remarked on the quantity of female characters in Mora - we aren’t at Y: The Last Man standards yet, but there is definitely an increased amount, especially in regards to the power dominion (female Lords, Queens, Ladies and the such) An aspect that garners much appreciation is Harmon’s obvious artistic reference to the film maker Federico Fellini (who this reviewer is a sentimental fan of) - especially in the designs of the female witch-characters in Mora - I’m sensing everything from Eight And A Half, Satyricon to Roma in here. With such influences, the comic does have its rambunctious and neo-surrealist moments - it’s not a case of big is better but big is big - trenchcoats, sunglasses, capes, wigs, crowns, horns, fangs, cigars, masks, glass eyes - they all appear for costumes alone. Harmon’s unique artistic style is able to fully utilise the freedom available here. Some panels might feel a little muddled but overall, the detail is truly excellent - the inking equally as good. Two superb highlights from #3 are the oceanic spear-heads/Grogg double spread - and the silent lion as he awaits his moment of attack.
Mora will no doubt take some time to fully develop the ideas and themes (heck even motifs) that it has introduced. Issue #3 appears to be still in an introductory stage - which I feel is no problem whatsoever when considering the amount of characters it has featured up to this point. The lack of ‘linear’ does mean it can be hard to deduce or conclude the over-riding direction each issue brings - it all progresses, but often in an unpredictable manner. The uniqueness of Mora though lies in that ambiguity and consequent intrigue - it will appeal to those with an ‘enquiring’ mind, rather than those who prefer the answers to be laid open. It could be seen as unfortunate that Mora is published bimonthly. I'm not pushing Harmon to work at rates exceeding his own 'comfortable zone' (honestly, I'm not) - but it does feel quite a length of time between each issue - so much so, that it’s wise to reread previous issues to familiarise with the unusual format and plots. But that small grumble bears no real negative to the joy this comic reads for me. Mora is an excellently (and meticulously) crafted comic, created by someone who has an obvious love for the various artforms. It really comes recommended to anyone looking for a new self-contained comic full of originality. And really, who isn’t? Those enjoying the other recent Image releases should definitely not forget Mora - it may develop into one of Image’s best.
ART:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ihalf.jpg
STORY:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg
OVERALL:
http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ifull.jpg http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/reviews/ihalf.jpg
'Buy this issue online now from X-WORLD and save!' (http://x-worldcomics.com/yourvirtualstore/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=1691&cat=MORA)