Marian Heretic #1
Creative Team
writers: TINI HOWARD
artist: JOE JARO
colorist: WALTER BAIAMONTE
letterer: JIM CAMPBELL
publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
Reviewed by Xenia “Xenon” Honchar
Their demand for her dignity, dismissal of her Goddess and damning of her sisters will require retribution.
Marian Heretic, written by Tini Howard and illustrated by Joe Jaro, is a comic that executes a theme so obviously badass in concept alone, and surpasses expectations.
On the first page as seen above, Howard spares no time in giving the reader the clearest and most succinct encapsulation of Marian’s internal turmoil with her opening line. In order to protect her sisters, Marian bows to the very church that cast her out in heresy for worship of the one true Goddess. She acts as a hand for the church to infiltrate a coven of witches that the church’s army of male crusaders are unable to go near, to ensure her order’s continued safety. The value of their “protection” is called into question though, when the witches offer her respect while the church challenges her dignity. Marian must decide who is truly the greater threat.
Her greatest crime, her heresy, her namesake, is all surrounding a central theme of refusing the Church’s demand for complete female submission. Women seen as the “gentler sex” saved her from immediate execution for her heresy, but as the leader of the witch coven Ravenna calls her, Marian has become their “pet Heretic” rather than any form of religious equal. Howard is a genius, using the Eucharist as a humiliation ritual for Marian. The symbolic body of a male deity forced upon her by the Holy Father Hierophant.
The dynamism of the art in Marian Heretic cannot be understated. Jaro’s character design alone is such an incredible piece of storytelling, but each panel is rich with motion, unique composition, and emotion. Biamonte’s vivid color work complements each page perfectly, enhancing the flow of each page’s layout with hyper-intentionality in his color direction.
Final Verdict
Marian Heretic has in one issue captured such a strong and compelling storyline. Conflict is touching every corner of Marian’s life right now, and readers can only wait with bated breath for more issues of this “must read.”
| Criteria | Score |
|---|---|
| Writing | 10.0 |
| Story/Plot | 10.0 |
| Art/Line Work | 10.0 |
| Colors | 10.0 |
| Final Score | 10/10 |