COMIC BOOKS | FANTASY
The Mire is a moving example of a hero’s journey
Becky Cloonan’s self-published, Eisner winning graphic novel is truly emotionally poignant
If you’re looking for a story that crosses the gloom of George R.R.Martin with the chivalric world of Arthurian legend, this is it.
The Mire is a quest fantasy as seen through the eyes of a young squire named Aiden. On the eve of a great battle, Sir Oswain, his master, asks him to deliver a letter to a castle located across an uncanny swamp. Yet the simple errand leads to a singular reckoning for Aiden as he is forced to face up to the ghosts of his own past.
Saying anymore would be spoiling it. Cloonan’s intent of drawing readers into the small, yet life-changing moments that define one’s existence is well executed. In just 22 pages, she manages to evoke a dreamlike atmosphere of foreboding and tension with a revelation that practically begs one to double back and re-read the story. Anyone who loves puzzle box mysteries in miniature and who enjoyed the disorienting nature of David Lowry’s The Green Knight will find this an enthralling read.
Get ready to be mesmerized by this tale of love and redemption, honour and courage, one that lends itself to speculative intrigue as the scramble to understand what exactly transpires across the pages gradually takes hold of one’s mind.
