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theresidentbookworm's review
5.0
The Best Of: Mata Hari #1
1. "I have sinned. I do not deny it. I am a woman who has enjoyed herself a great deal. For that I make no apology. Perhaps I knew this was coming. I have heard it said more times and by more people than I would now wish to remember. Still I refuse to believe this is what I deserve." Wow, what an opening line. Beeby's writing is nothing short of incredible, but this sets the tone of the series and immediately brings us into Mata Hari's world.
2. "Life and death. They don't matter. They don't last. It is all illusion. When life and death are done with us... only the illusion remains..."
3. The way Beeby structures this issue and the subsequent issues is spectacular. She moves back and forth in time, beginning at the end and taking us back through Mata Hari's life as her trial occurs. Also, starting at the day of Mata Hari's execution makes what you learn throughout the series even more devastating.
4. Ariela Kristantina's art matches Emma Beeby's writing in excellence. It fits the time period and does not distract from the story being told, but at the same time Kristantina captures so much emotion in her character's faces. When Mata Hari is in pain, you can see it on her face. How often is art good enough in comic books that it communicates unspoken anguish? Not often enough.
5. Mata Hari is such a badass that she does not want to blindfolded when she is executed because she is not afraid to look her executioners in the eye. What a queen, what an icon.
6. It did not hit me until I had finished all five issues, but Monsieur Bouchardon letting her memoir pages fly off into the wind and the river killed me. It is a beautiful page of panels, but it is also absolutely brutal.
7. God, it is painful to read, but Beeby masterfully illustrates how incredibly biased and unfair Mata Hari's trial was. The government was looking for someone to blame, the court was incredibly biased against her, and her lawyer is not allowed access to evidence or the ability to cross-examine witnesses. Is it any surprise that she was found guilty in this circumstances?
8. Similarly, Pat Masioni's coloring is excellent. I particularly like how the tone of the color is linked to where we are in the story: the lighting was dim where it should be dim like the prison, and everything in the past is in sepia tones.
9. Monsieur Bouchardon's narration of his supposed case and evidence is mixed in with Mata Hari's own writing, which is a great way to show multiple sides of this story.
10. Speaking off, Mata Hari writing her memoirs is possibly the best framing device that a comic like this could come up with. It is the perfect way to get into her head and offer her perspective in a way that feels believable.
1. "I have sinned. I do not deny it. I am a woman who has enjoyed herself a great deal. For that I make no apology. Perhaps I knew this was coming. I have heard it said more times and by more people than I would now wish to remember. Still I refuse to believe this is what I deserve." Wow, what an opening line. Beeby's writing is nothing short of incredible, but this sets the tone of the series and immediately brings us into Mata Hari's world.
2. "Life and death. They don't matter. They don't last. It is all illusion. When life and death are done with us... only the illusion remains..."
3. The way Beeby structures this issue and the subsequent issues is spectacular. She moves back and forth in time, beginning at the end and taking us back through Mata Hari's life as her trial occurs. Also, starting at the day of Mata Hari's execution makes what you learn throughout the series even more devastating.
4. Ariela Kristantina's art matches Emma Beeby's writing in excellence. It fits the time period and does not distract from the story being told, but at the same time Kristantina captures so much emotion in her character's faces. When Mata Hari is in pain, you can see it on her face. How often is art good enough in comic books that it communicates unspoken anguish? Not often enough.
5. Mata Hari is such a badass that she does not want to blindfolded when she is executed because she is not afraid to look her executioners in the eye. What a queen, what an icon.
6. It did not hit me until I had finished all five issues, but
7. God, it is painful to read, but Beeby masterfully illustrates how incredibly biased and unfair Mata Hari's trial was. The government was looking for someone to blame, the court was incredibly biased against her, and her lawyer is not allowed access to evidence or the ability to cross-examine witnesses. Is it any surprise that she was found guilty in this circumstances?
8. Similarly, Pat Masioni's coloring is excellent. I particularly like how the tone of the color is linked to where we are in the story: the lighting was dim where it should be dim like the prison, and everything in the past is in sepia tones.
9. Monsieur Bouchardon's narration of his supposed case and evidence is mixed in with Mata Hari's own writing, which is a great way to show multiple sides of this story.
10. Speaking off, Mata Hari writing her memoirs is possibly the best framing device that a comic like this could come up with. It is the perfect way to get into her head and offer her perspective in a way that feels believable.
larakaa's review
4.0
Very good and very intriguing! How am I supposed to wait for the trade!? I mean it‘s just 5 issues I could make an exception...
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