Check out the GEN review of the first volume of writer extraordinaire Paul Dini’s comic, Madame Mirage, after the jump!

Madame Mirage Volume 1 TPB
Writer: Paul Dini
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Colors: Imaginary Friends Studios
Cover: Kenneth Rocafort

Summary: “From the magical mind of Paul Dini (Countdown, Detective Comics) comes a new, original femme fatale story that combines elements of film noir, tech and superhero comics. Superbly drawn by rising star Kenneth Rocafort (Hunter-Killer), this volume collects “Season 1″ of this amazing story, a cover gallery, and insightful behind-the-scenes material, plus an all-new cover by Rocafort!

When they are wronged by a group of super-villains, a pair of sisters uses their technological know-how to wreak revenge, but are they overmatched, or is it all a part of the plan? With more twists than a Chubby Checker dance marathon, Madame Mirage will keep you guessing until the very end!

By popular demand, a second series is in the works for 2009!”

Review: Priced at $15 and sporting 176 pages, for a first volume of a new series penned by such an acclaimed writer as Paul Dini, this one’s a no brainer. Madame Mirage is well worth the read and your money.

I’m glad that the ever-generous and wonderful Top Cow gave us the chance to catch up with this series. I remember reviewing the last issue in the first arc awhile back and I was totally out of the loop. So it’s refreshing and a pleasure to be able to get into yet another great Top Cow title—especially one written by such a fabulous and respected writer like Dini.

The trade begins with a short introduction by Jim McLauchlin, the former Editor-in-Chief of Top Cow Productions and now the current President of The Hero Initiative. There is some more bonus stuff after the end of this six-issue arc, but on to the issues!

The pilot comic is titled “Fade In.” The first thing that stands out is the awesome sketch-like art by Kenneth Rocafort, whose pencils are strengthened by the vivid colors. Like all first issues should, we are introduced to the overall premise of the comic: through bio-engineering and cybernetic enhancements, humans literally became the superheroes they idolized. The problem was, for every denizen with good intentions there were more than a handful of people who abused their new-found powers and turned to criminality. In order to quell a situation that was too out of control, an international law was passed that put a halt to these superior advancements.

But while the heroes were paid prison time in return for their good deeds, many of the criminals hid under the falsely legitimate disguise of an organization called the Aggressive Solutions International (ASI)—a place where they could use their skills for those who were willing to pay the right price.

Enter Angela Temple, aka Madame Mirage. With her sister Harper, this enigmatic femme fatale is determined to stop these criminals—one by one.

Issue two, “Snap,” shows us more of Madame Mirage’s abilities. Able to vanish like smoke or “magic,” she outsmarts the ASI rather easily and she definitely means business.

“Girl Talk” gives us Madame Mirage’s origin story—and I didn’t see it coming. This issue is my favorite of the six. Not only do we learn more about Angela, but we are given more pieces of the puzzle to ASI, the guy in charge (Mr. Coyle), mega-tech, the sisters themselves, and the villainous goons Madame Mirage is determined to take down. It’s twist after twist with this issue.

The gloves start to come off in “The Gauntlet.” We meet more villains as Madame Mirage infiltrates the ASI stronghold; a special individual steps into the comic. In the following issue, “Mirage at Bay,” we learn more about the details of Mirage’s plan, which takes her to a facility called Detention #108. I won’t spoil it and tell you why, though. Only that it’s GOOD.

“Fade Out” is the sixth and final issue of this arc, and fittingly the story reaches a new height. I love the side humor in this comic; #6 is a lot of fun. Mirage fights Coyle—aka Purge, ooohh—and we learn why ASI is, well, evil. And it just gets better as we get inside the mind of the Mirage, so to speak.

The trade finishes off with a letter “From the desk of Paul Dini” and a gorgeous cover gallery that includes variants and Comic-Con special covers. (I love the Baltimore Comic-Con variant for issue #2, whoa! And the Wizard World Texas variant for #3 is stellar.) Visually, the comic itself is amazing and fresh; the story and characters are original, interesting, and easy to fall in love with—even some of the baddies. Yeah, you heard me. And I think that if you read Madame Mirage you’ll agree with me.

Well, what are you waiting for? Definitely go pick this trade up. I can’t wait to see more next year!

Related Posts:

• Comic Book Review: Top Cow’s Madame Mirage #6
• DoubleDCoverage #26
• Comic Book Review: The Darkness/Pitt #1
• Comic Book Review: The Darkness #79
• Comic Book Review: The Darkness #78