The Marked #1 is written by David Hine and Brian Haberlin, illustrated by Brian Haberlin, colored by Geirrod Van Dyke, and lettered by Francis Takenaga. The Marked is published by Image Comics.
The Marked #1 takes an interesting twist on how magic works. The characters in this tale have tattoos that enable their powers. This type of magic has been around for centuries. Only a select few are chosen. The story follows a young girl named Saskia that has her own unique artistic talent.
Saskia wants to be a professional artist, and is confident in her natural talents. So, when one of those “draw this” fliers shows up of a woman with some very big 60’s hair she submits her own interpretation. Her art gets noticed and it allows her into an exclusive club. But, not the kind of club you’re expecting. Her art leads her to The Marked ones.
Saskia is welcomed with open arms by this group of people with mystical powers. Before long Saskia gets a mark of her own. Of course this means powers of her own. Life seems perfect clear up until we learn about someone abusing the powers of the marked. This person selfishly decides to use hybrid powers and Saskia is thrown into the middle of it all.
The concept behind The Marked is what drew me in, and made me want to read this title. I find it very interesting that a tattoo could be the source of magic. Hine and Haberlin did well to make a cohesive story by throwing in historic events to the mix. I haven’t seen a story of this type. The Marked #1 is unique, beautiful, and dark all at the same time.
8/10 Stars.
