The Marked #3 is published by Image Comics; written by David Hine and Brian Haberlin. Artwork by Brian Haberlin. Coloring is handled by Geirrod Van Dyke and lettering by Francis Takenaga. The Marked #3 continues the focus on Liza as she works with the United States government on Project Stargate and the usage of the glyphs to create “super soldiers” of sorts.
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Liza has been working on experiments for General Burman with the forced assistance of Benis. As the experiments carry forth, Liza starts to change for the worse as if she’s a totally different person. Readers will start to sense the change in Liza as they read more into the story, but honestly, Liza’s personality shift is quite dramatic, especially when compared to Issue #1. The question now remains as to what may be triggering this change, or is it all an act?
The story is starting to build up to what I hope is a dramatic finish. With Liza having her glyphs, Benis as an involuntary test subject, and the financial backing of Stargate, this can only lead towards a destructive world-class event, similar to the event spoken about in The Marked #1 by Kismet, such as World War II.
The pacing in this issue feels a bit rushed as it has to build up more of the climax and then plunge us into the resolution. There does happen to be a rather large plot hole that I hope is patched in a later issue involving people who seem to be even more powerful than “The Marked” themselves. Hopefully, they’ll be more pivotal in the coming issues and not just here in this issue and gone the next.
The Marked #3 has a thematic focus on the conquest of power and how it can change people if they’re not careful with it. Liza had seemed to always want to be powerful while a part of The Marked. This search led to Saskia losing her eyesight and as a result, Liza being banished for it. In The Marked #3, you see just how far Liza is willing to go as she aims to obtain all the power she can muster.
Three issues into The Marked series and I can finally say that the art style has grown on me and I actually am starting to see why it was chosen. The coloring, which is handled by Geirrod Van Dyke, is still top-notch work, and really sells the background and foreground scenes. Takenaga’s lettering has maintained its level of quality. Speech bubbles are well placed so as to not clutter the page. Emphasis is placed properly where needed and the dialogue is really easy to read.
In summary, The Marked #3 seems to have opened up and bare its dangerous side. The first two issues were good, but this issue seems ready to hijack its readers and take them into the chaotic world of magic. This series would be highly recommended for those who enjoy history, action, and magic.
This issue is available now at your local comic book store.
The Marked #3
TL;DR
In summary, The Marked #3 seems to have opened up and bare its dangerous side.
