Writers: Jody Houser, Steve Orlando / Artist: Jamal Campbell / DC Comics
You talking ’bout me I don’t see the shade
Switch up my style I take any lane”- The Weeknd[/quote_simple]
I saw that Vixen was getting a rebirth issue and said to myself, okay. Then I saw Jamal Campbell was doing the art and Steve Orlando was doing part of the writing on the track with Jody Houser and said, Oh we in this muh fucka. We get introduced to Mari McCabe on her Black girl fly shit off the got damn strength and from the first page I’m doing the Birdman hand rub because that’s how you introduce Mari.
We see her set up not only on her catwalk fashion game shit but also getting it in with philanthropy and building orphanages on her uplifting the communities (not singular) shit. Mari came up as an orphan and built these establishments because she went through that so these kids wouldn’t have to, knaw mean? However we see how her busy schedule has caused a child with a missing parent to slip through the system even though she was constantly reaching out to Mari. This is where our adventure with Vixen begins.
Houser and Orlando take us on a flashback to Mari’s youth and how she acquired the totem that allows her to take on the attributes of animals as well as the cost of her receiving it as a birthright. There is a lot of backstory to try to fit into one issue which we gotta give the writers credit for her. It appears to the reader that this is the first time Mari is using the totem (perhaps she hasn’t for a while) but she’s a natural at knowing what to use in order to track – and some forms of combat, but we aren’t made aware of the type of combat training she had if any.
The reader comes across having to believe that this philanthropic supermodel just transitions to sleuth asskicker with the flip of a switch. That’s the only critique there is to have with this issue. It’s hard to come down on it when we’re seeing Mari get much needed shine writing-wise and the soon to be G.O.A.T. Jamal Campbell making ya girl glow up look immaculate. Campbell is a fucking problem, man. Such a serious (non-problematic) problem with the fashion designs for Marie that got us needing to step our own dress game up in real life.
The colors are bright and popping in the background and the display of Mari connecting with the animal kingdom (via the world wide red web) is a great look. Plus ya mans and dem can draw natural hair great, too. You’d be surprised how many artist are failing that test.
Seeing Mari back in the swing of things in this special was great. They got ya girl looking fresh to afterlife for 2017 and apparently a spot with the JLA. This was definitely a great gateway addiction to get us fiending for the future of Mari.
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