Waited for the Trade: DARK MISTS

by Chris

Dark Mists was a four issue mini series that started out at APC, but finished up at Markosia after the company transitioned. Written by Annika Eade with art by Lee Garbett and Yishan Yi, it takes place in Japan in 1936 and centers on an attempt to turn geishas into spies for the government. The purpose is to fight the growing power of the yakuza. The story is quite engaging, the artwork is beautiful, and the writing, while not spectacular, is quite good. Unfortunately, four issues just weren't enough space to do the story justice. The geishas were recruited and trained over the first three issues and then their activities began in the fourth issue. The end, therefore, seemed extremely rushed. What seems to be the climax of the story comes on the last page, so we really get no resolution or sense of closure with the characters. Maybe this was done on purpose with the intent of doing a sequel series, but if that never happens, we're left with a gaping hole in the tale. This brought my enjoyment of the series down significantly. All build up, a big payoff, but no emotional closure. Grade: C+