Reviews»Comic Books»The Death-Defying…
DRMIRAGE_003_COVER_FOREMAN
Kareem Ali 4.5

The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #3

 

  • The good

    Great story progression in the spirit realm. Ingenious use of one of the rules. Back story at start of issue.

  • The bad

    Very few answers regarding the events in the physical realm including the different motives

  • The ugly

    • The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #3 continues with Shan Fong-Mirage making her way through the spirit realm in search of her husband’s location. It’s a long journey and on the way she reminisces about the last time they were on a mission together. It involved a B’tim Shap, a huge inter-dimensional monster, attacking a ship at sea. This was due to a cult bringing it into this dimension, and Shan and Hwen were attempting to lure it back to another dimension before it reached the shore and only grew while destroying cities. The key was using their amulet to guide the creature away, and they decided to do it together, leading it to a portal deep underwater. They successfully led the monster through the portal but they both ended up dying at that time with their spirits united. However Shan was rescued and brought back with CPR after drowning. Ever since then she’s been unable to locate her husband anywhere in the spirit realm. She tells the kids she’s currently traveling with in the spirit realm that now she has a location she has to visit, and that’s why she’s heading to the Oldway. But her trip to the spirit realm has had so many unforeseen consequences due to the lies and deceit that led her there. And the most dangerous one, Lord Ivros, is on her trail pursuing her because of the damage her trip is doing to the spirit realm’s barriers. Even if she’s ultimately able to locate her husband, is her trip only aiding those who are now seeking to destroy her?

    DRMIRAGE_003_002
    I’ve been fascinated with Doctor Mirage since the start of this series, and the subject matter with the overarching conspiracy behind Linton March first contacting her has been intriguing. However I found the initial sequence of events once she reached the spirit realm a little cumbersome with the explanation of the rules of the spirit realm overlapping with the events taking place. This issue wouldn’t have that same problem because there would be only one new rule that would be described this time, and it was amusing how this rule would be used to Mirage’s advantage. She would make more progress on her journey this issue while making new allies. And since her last mission with her husband was shown at the beginning, it clarified what happened exactly that caused them to be separated from one another. And there would be tremendous story progression, which I enjoyed a lot, providing huge answers at the end of her journey here. However, the overall story arc still wouldn’t connect fully but this time it would be due to the events in the physical realm. This was due partly to zero answers being given about anyone’s true motives, and they would all have different motives. It would also be due to the artwork not distinguishing between the spirit realm and the physical realm so the spirit realm ended up looking more “real” than the physical realm. The conspiracy would still be intriguing and the events that unfolded really has me interested in seeing how all of this will be rectified. And after 3 issues in I can say that I’m glad I started reading Doctor Mirage because it’s been a fun ride.

     

    SUMMARY

     

    The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #3 wonderfully answers the question of what became of Hwen Mirage through Shan’s interesting journey in the spirit realm and her discoveries. Even the initial back story at the start of the issue pays dividends in the form of connecting it to current events in more than one way. The chain of events triggered by Mirage’s journey has been fascinating and it becomes more intriguing but a lack of answers in the physical realm prevents the overall conspiracy that started everything from being clearer. However, I’m looking forward to the next issue especially since the conclusion of this one all but guarantees that the overall picture will be clearer soon.

     

    Release Date: 11/5/14

    Writer: Jen Van Meter

    Artist: Roberto de la Torre

  • Rating ( 8.6 )
  • Total score 8.6

Leave a Reply

%d bloggers like this: