Anna Mercury is a lone agent working to stop the fascist government of New Ataraxia from leveling the neighboring Sheol. Through alliances with Sheol resistance fighters, she has learned of New Ataraxia’s condition for its neighbor. Sheol must either submit to the other’s rule, or die in a great blaze fired by the Cutter, a super-weapon located on the supposedly neutral Mandrake Moon. After one demonstration, the Sheolins have balked at the offer by Ataraxia’s War Department, and prepared for annihilation. They prefer a quick death by the Cutter to a slow death under rule by New Ataraxia. Anna Mercury doesn’t see it that way. With the help of one of her sleeper agents, she breaks into a launch facility and prepares to stow away on a rocket bound for Mandrake Moon—if only she could get inside the bloody thing, while it’s in mid-launch and she’s hanging from the hull. Whether the Sheolins want Mercury’s help or not, they have no clue where she comes from, or why she wants to help them. Writer Warren Ellis throws an interesting hook at the end of this first issue of Anna Mercurcy, making it even more intriguing than the setting initially lets on.
The world of Anna Mercury looks like a combination of 1984 and 1950s B-movie science-fiction. Ellis may intend some allegory of American foreign policy in the relationships between New Ataraxia, Sheol, and Mandrake Moon. New Ataraxia is fueled by a ridiculous religion devoted to magnetism, and it uses its military might to intimidate Sheol. And, while Mandrake Moon supposedly maintains its neutrality, it still allows Ataraxia to build its death-dealing Cutter there. One can plug in all sorts of ideas about the United States’ ongoing issues with the Middle East, which may turn off some readers. But, such comparisons may be inevitable, whether Ellis intends them or not. And, overall, Anna Mercury seems a lot smarter than a run-of-the-mill pedantic tirade. The revelation at the conclusion of this issue hints at the nature and location of Mercury’s world, and makes this first issue much more interesting than a simple allegory by way of genre tribute. Spoiling the surprise would do the reader a fantastic disservice, so by all means, read it.
Newcomer artist Facundo Percio brings a rough, sketchy look to Anna Mercurcy. In some cases, it serves the material well, almost emphasizing the true nature of Ellis’s world. In others, it looks unpolished. But, his characters’ facial expressions are always charming and brimming with life however, making close-ups of Anna’s smile a joy to look at. His backgrounds also go a long way towards establishing the mixed-genre tone of the comic, mixing noir urban decay with a retro vision of the future. New Ataraxia doesn’t look like a fun place to live, but the reader gets to vividly experience it without having to go there.
This first issue of Anna Mercury begins a five-part miniseries. Warren Ellis’s creator-owned work through Avatar continues to show his best work, and this series looks to be no exception. Pick this one up.
LOGIN
REGISTER
RSS
HOME
