The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #5
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The good
Satisfying conclusion to the various story threads. The Scry enters into the action. Amazing set up for new story arcs
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The bad
The activities and damaged caused by Linton March's group over this period of time not addressed further
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The ugly
- Total score
The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #5 is the conclusion to the mini-series, and has Shan and Hwen attempting to repair the barrier between the spirit and physical realms before catastrophe strikes. The group once consisting of Linton March is completing the ritual to sacrifice him and Shan to fully open the barrier, not knowing the disaster it would bring. Nor are they aware that there’s an army being led by Ivros on the other side waiting to pour through. But the Mirages are, and the plan is for Shan to run for the breach so she can re-enter her physical body while Hwen distracts Ivros’s forces. And they could reseal the breach from both sides. She makes her way halfway past Ivros’s forces with a sharp stick she intends on bringing back to the physical world but Ivros sees her and attacks. But Hwen jumps in, which allows Shan to return to her body just in time to stop the ritual and defend herself. The cult instead turns to Linton to kill him despite Shan warning them that an army is ready to come through and destroy everything. The idea of this power in the form of this army is only enticing to them, and doesn’t stop them from wanting to kill Linton and overwhelm Shan. Meanwhile, Hwen is the only thing standing between Ivros, his forces, and the breach. And he doesn’t even have his staff. Are their enemies too much for them or will they receive some unexpected help in order to defeat Ivros and the cult?
It’s really good when you get to the final issue in a series and you’re not feeling as if the issue has so much to cover or answer because the story was lacking in the previous issues. And even if the previous issues were part of building up the mystery or suspense, the build up was enjoyable and not frustrating. All of this was the case with the Death-Defying Doctor Mirage, which laid out clearly everything that was at stake including the touch choice Shan and Hwen had to make. When I read the first issue in this series I was hooked and felt Shan was a very interesting protagonist, and the storyline was entertaining. And it’s been enjoyable watching it transition from that to being about a married couple working excellently together, and it feeling organic. And despite being a powerful couple they stood in stark contrast to Linton March’s group, which would kill each other just for power without even completely knowing the rituals. So the start of this issue would show that perfectly as they would set their plan in motion and share the only stick they had so both could use or modify. And the action would start immediately as Hwen would take on Ivros and Shan would take on the cult in the physical world. The battles would be pretty intense, and Roberto de la Torre’s artwork would fulfill the difficult requirements of capturing and exciting the imagination with many different mystical and physical elements. The Mirages would unleash some of their powers but the Scry would also be able to enter the fray in an impressive manner. And there wouldn’t just be action in this episode as pretty much everything would be resolved with the stage set for a new beginning. And with the series of events that took place I’m now more fascinated by everything related to Doctor Mirage, and I thoroughly appreciate Jen Van Meter’s writing and setup. I am curious as to how much damage Linton March and his group did over this long period of time but that wasn’t really answered here. However, the future is bright for Doctor Mirage and I can’t wait to see it.
SUMMARY
The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage #5 is a very satisfying conclusion to the series with great action, character and story development, and sets up a potentially exciting new story arc. I appreciate how much was resolved this issue as all the original story threads from the beginning of the series were answered in some way. Even the Scry, which I felt was underdeveloped to this point became a much more intriguing character and didn’t just stand by idly. I didn’t know anything about Doctor Mirage prior to this series, and now both of them are among my top characters. And I’m looking forward to seeing more.
Release Date: 1/14/15
Writer: Jen Van Meter
Artist: Roberto de la Torre
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