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Doctor Mirage #2
The Death-Defying Dr. Mirage Vol. 2: Second Lives (The Death-Defying Dr. Mirage
In time, even the dead may die...
Occult investigators Shan and Hwen Mirage lived their lives in the thrall of an epic love that few will ever have...until Hwen died tragically before his time. Now, after a perilous trip through the underworld, Shan and Hwen are reunited...but Hwen is still an intangible spirit of the dead – incapable of opening a spellbook or even touching his wife.
Their options exhausted, the death-defying Doctors Mirage are about to enact a dangerous spell to restore Hwen's solid form...and grant his ghost a second life. But, in the wrong hands, their ancient rite will become a tool of terror – and unleash a force of pure, homicidal evil that lusts for the murder of the living and the dead alike... a torturous death that obliterates not just everything a person ever had in this world, but everything their ghost will be in the next!
After multiple 2015 Harvey Award nominations, the most sought-after couple in comics returns with an all-new adventure from Eisner Award-nominated writer Jen Van Meter (Hopeless Savages) and acclaimed artist Roberto de la Torre (Daredevil)!
Collecting THE DEATH-DEFYING DOCTOR MIRAGE: SECOND LIVES #1-4.
Occult investigators Shan and Hwen Mirage lived their lives in the thrall of an epic love that few will ever have...until Hwen died tragically before his time. Now, after a perilous trip through the underworld, Shan and Hwen are reunited...but Hwen is still an intangible spirit of the dead – incapable of opening a spellbook or even touching his wife.
Their options exhausted, the death-defying Doctors Mirage are about to enact a dangerous spell to restore Hwen's solid form...and grant his ghost a second life. But, in the wrong hands, their ancient rite will become a tool of terror – and unleash a force of pure, homicidal evil that lusts for the murder of the living and the dead alike... a torturous death that obliterates not just everything a person ever had in this world, but everything their ghost will be in the next!
After multiple 2015 Harvey Award nominations, the most sought-after couple in comics returns with an all-new adventure from Eisner Award-nominated writer Jen Van Meter (Hopeless Savages) and acclaimed artist Roberto de la Torre (Daredevil)!
Collecting THE DEATH-DEFYING DOCTOR MIRAGE: SECOND LIVES #1-4.
111 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
June 4, 2021
I absolutely loved this second volume of Jen Van Meter's Doctor Mirage!
I didn't realize that Doctor Mirage used to be a dude called Hwen Fong. I think it's cool that they rebooted Mirage as a woman named Shan Fong who can see ghosts, including her dead husband Hwen. They were paranormal investigators who had their own reality show before his death, and still are if her manager and an actor he has found to play Hwen on tv have anything to say about it.
Shan, however, is more focused on finding a way to bring Hwen back. Or at least give him some sort of physical presence. She thinks she may have found a scroll that can do the trick, but shit slides sideways when an evil spirit escapes and starts absorbing ghosts.
Shan and Hwen have to figure out how to stop this powerful entity before he destroys the world and whatnot.
The art is that scritchy-scratchy stuff that I don't usually care for, but it sort of seemed to fit with the story well here.
I'd love to read more about these characters if I get the chance.
I didn't realize that Doctor Mirage used to be a dude called Hwen Fong. I think it's cool that they rebooted Mirage as a woman named Shan Fong who can see ghosts, including her dead husband Hwen. They were paranormal investigators who had their own reality show before his death, and still are if her manager and an actor he has found to play Hwen on tv have anything to say about it.
Shan, however, is more focused on finding a way to bring Hwen back. Or at least give him some sort of physical presence. She thinks she may have found a scroll that can do the trick, but shit slides sideways when an evil spirit escapes and starts absorbing ghosts.
Shan and Hwen have to figure out how to stop this powerful entity before he destroys the world and whatnot.
The art is that scritchy-scratchy stuff that I don't usually care for, but it sort of seemed to fit with the story well here.
I'd love to read more about these characters if I get the chance.
June 16, 2017
Liked it a little less than the first volume, but it's still a solid plot with lots of supernatural happenings to keep things rolling.
May 16, 2018
Shan Fong-Mirage is back in her second mini-series, and she's bringing her ghost of a husband with her. Reunited after the events of the first volume, Doctor Mirage finds herself battling a centuries old spirit trapped inside the one scroll that she could potentially use to bring her husband back to the land of the living.
It feels like almost no time has passed since the first volume of Doctor Mirage; this could easily be the second arc in an ongoing series, especially given the cliffhanger ending teasing more further down the line. Despite the fact that you'd think the series would hit its groove, this arc isn't quite as impressive as the first. The villain is mostly faceless, and while Jen Van Meter introduces a few new characters to flesh out Doctor Mirage's world, it takes the focus off of Shan and Hwen. In fact, bringing Hwen back sometimes just makes Shan look incompetant - there are far too many times where she says that she doesn't know something but her husband does. I assume this is supposed to highlight the strength of their cooperation, but it seems to belittle Shan in favour of Hwen instead.
The artwork is by returning artist Roberto De La Torre, so for the most part it fits the same aesthetic as the first volume. His moody Alex Maleev-esque art fits the world of darkness and shadows, but when the spotlight shines and we get scenes set in well-lit areas, it all kind of crumbles a bit despite David Baron's valiant (see what I did there) colouring effort. There are also fill-in pages by Diego Bernard and Al Barrieunovo, but the pair are too disparate with De La Torre's style to really fit in properly.
Despite a few lacklustre choices, this is still a solid story. I'd love to see more of Shan in the future.
It feels like almost no time has passed since the first volume of Doctor Mirage; this could easily be the second arc in an ongoing series, especially given the cliffhanger ending teasing more further down the line. Despite the fact that you'd think the series would hit its groove, this arc isn't quite as impressive as the first. The villain is mostly faceless, and while Jen Van Meter introduces a few new characters to flesh out Doctor Mirage's world, it takes the focus off of Shan and Hwen. In fact, bringing Hwen back sometimes just makes Shan look incompetant - there are far too many times where she says that she doesn't know something but her husband does. I assume this is supposed to highlight the strength of their cooperation, but it seems to belittle Shan in favour of Hwen instead.
The artwork is by returning artist Roberto De La Torre, so for the most part it fits the same aesthetic as the first volume. His moody Alex Maleev-esque art fits the world of darkness and shadows, but when the spotlight shines and we get scenes set in well-lit areas, it all kind of crumbles a bit despite David Baron's valiant (see what I did there) colouring effort. There are also fill-in pages by Diego Bernard and Al Barrieunovo, but the pair are too disparate with De La Torre's style to really fit in properly.
Despite a few lacklustre choices, this is still a solid story. I'd love to see more of Shan in the future.
January 11, 2022
Continuación del anterior pero leíble de forma independiente. Entretenido. Me gusta la historia, el estilo de los dibujos y el coloreado. Si lo encuentras barato merece una lectura.
August 1, 2018
Jen Van Meter's Dr. Mirage and her ghost husband Hwen actually work more cohesively in this outing because Van Meter has limited the scope. This leads to a story that is markedly less confusing than the first. However, I still found many of the secondary characters to be far too genetic. Shan's ability to interact with Hwen gives her more to work with, and the storyline here is more of an occult mystery than epic world-building and far, far less reliant on flashbacks. The color is actually used creatively here to make ghost-and-human interactions clearer, but the over-washes still make the book feel bland. Roberto De La Torre and Diego Bernard are sketchy and frenetic like in the first volume, but some of the other characters are still hard to tell apart. I can't tell if this is because of the coloring schemes or artwork itself entirely. That said, I found the limiting of ambition despite the forbidden magic angles, and a consistent couple dynamic actually aiding the book.
August 14, 2016
I enjoyed the first volume of this a lot. This second volume didn't tickle me as much.
The plot ideas are pretty cool, and it's still got it's own feel, but the use of supernatural "techno-babble" was too common and unconvincing.
The artist is Roberto De La Torre and his style is scratchy, life-like and has bags of authentic character. Two of the issues contained in here have pages drawn by three other folk, for some reason. They are OK but don't really fit and this destroys the atmosphere.
I really like the love story / ghostly premise - they're trying to do something that is very tough here. The setting is completely fantastical but they managed to make it human and relatable last time out.
2 1/2 stars. I'll pick up another volume if they do it but no more if it's not improved.
The plot ideas are pretty cool, and it's still got it's own feel, but the use of supernatural "techno-babble" was too common and unconvincing.
The artist is Roberto De La Torre and his style is scratchy, life-like and has bags of authentic character. Two of the issues contained in here have pages drawn by three other folk, for some reason. They are OK but don't really fit and this destroys the atmosphere.
I really like the love story / ghostly premise - they're trying to do something that is very tough here. The setting is completely fantastical but they managed to make it human and relatable last time out.
2 1/2 stars. I'll pick up another volume if they do it but no more if it's not improved.
March 28, 2021
I didn't love this volume as much as the first.
I thought there could have been some more clever ways to tell the story that would have made it drag less. One of the instances being that the main character's dead husband is working with her, but she's the only one who can communicate with him, so we occasionally get fed the same information twice as we see the original conversation, and then her reiterating it to someone else. It would be way better if we couldn't understand what her husband said, either. As the reader, we could see him, and maybe read his gestures and facial expressions, but we wouldn't know exactly what he said until his wife translated it for another character.
I feel that a few more quirks like that would have made this a four or five star book for me. As it is, I occasionally found myself wanting to skip ahead a few pages to see where the story was going, rather than savoring moments with the characters.
I also didn't really get a feel for anyone in this book except the main character and her dead husband. Everyone else just felt like devices designed to move the plot forward.
I thought there could have been some more clever ways to tell the story that would have made it drag less. One of the instances being that the main character's dead husband is working with her, but she's the only one who can communicate with him, so we occasionally get fed the same information twice as we see the original conversation, and then her reiterating it to someone else. It would be way better if we couldn't understand what her husband said, either. As the reader, we could see him, and maybe read his gestures and facial expressions, but we wouldn't know exactly what he said until his wife translated it for another character.
I feel that a few more quirks like that would have made this a four or five star book for me. As it is, I occasionally found myself wanting to skip ahead a few pages to see where the story was going, rather than savoring moments with the characters.
I also didn't really get a feel for anyone in this book except the main character and her dead husband. Everyone else just felt like devices designed to move the plot forward.
July 3, 2020
A solid second installment. Hope there’s more of this story to come!
August 19, 2016
Apparently, when things go bad for Shan Fong-Mirage, they go bad fast. Really fast.
Never mind the shapeshifting beast on the Other Side and the warmth-feasting demons eager to escape said realm. Never mind all that. Just in general, whenever Shan screws up while trying to do herself right by others, things tend to go bad. Fast.
In DOCTOR MIRAGE: SECOND LIVES, it's Shan's effort to bring her ghost husband Hwen to a more corporeal form that lands both Mirages in a bit of a bind. Not to say that unearthing a centuries-old scroll, filled with countless curses and incantations, is a particularly bright idea . . . however, both Shan and Hwen, however long they were separated, remain head-over-heels in love with one another.
SECOND LIVES is more straightforward than the previous volume. Previously, readers were forced to acclimate to Shan's exploration of a time and place that possessed no physical boundaries and no temporal points of reference. Here in SECOND LIVES, the story's events take place in the land of the living. And as an added benefit, Hwen provides smart and informative commentary on the magical goings-on of Shan's spellcasting.
Of limited intrigue then, is how this volume centers around a rogue wizard, long-contained in a scroll, now set free to pursue his quest for immortality -- a notion not particularly original. The fact that Shan and Hwen are the reason for his release means that SECOND LIVES, overall, is plot driven. This is not necessarily a harbinger of an unenjoyable comic book; however, it does mean that characters have little or no power to change the projected course of events.
On the plus side, Van Meter writes Shan and Hwen with very distinct voices. The dialogue is plentiful but rarely gets in the way of the narrative. It is a curious skill, of this writer, to weave conversation as nimbly as she does, with characters as diversely in conflict, as is so often the case in dimension-spanning fantasy adventure titles.
Perhaps this is what makes the book enjoyable from the get-go: it can be read with the jittery, flickering pace of a film or television program, or pursued with the wary, cautious pontification of a literary novel.
Shan is knowledgeable and is conscientious of the boundaries she must cross so as to evince a truth, however minute, worthy of being held in advantage against her adversary. She isn't always successful and sometimes she's a little greedy, but that's okay, because she's always doing what needs to be done and she's doing her best; because she's a flesh-and-blood human. At least, for now.
Never mind the shapeshifting beast on the Other Side and the warmth-feasting demons eager to escape said realm. Never mind all that. Just in general, whenever Shan screws up while trying to do herself right by others, things tend to go bad. Fast.
In DOCTOR MIRAGE: SECOND LIVES, it's Shan's effort to bring her ghost husband Hwen to a more corporeal form that lands both Mirages in a bit of a bind. Not to say that unearthing a centuries-old scroll, filled with countless curses and incantations, is a particularly bright idea . . . however, both Shan and Hwen, however long they were separated, remain head-over-heels in love with one another.
SECOND LIVES is more straightforward than the previous volume. Previously, readers were forced to acclimate to Shan's exploration of a time and place that possessed no physical boundaries and no temporal points of reference. Here in SECOND LIVES, the story's events take place in the land of the living. And as an added benefit, Hwen provides smart and informative commentary on the magical goings-on of Shan's spellcasting.
Of limited intrigue then, is how this volume centers around a rogue wizard, long-contained in a scroll, now set free to pursue his quest for immortality -- a notion not particularly original. The fact that Shan and Hwen are the reason for his release means that SECOND LIVES, overall, is plot driven. This is not necessarily a harbinger of an unenjoyable comic book; however, it does mean that characters have little or no power to change the projected course of events.
On the plus side, Van Meter writes Shan and Hwen with very distinct voices. The dialogue is plentiful but rarely gets in the way of the narrative. It is a curious skill, of this writer, to weave conversation as nimbly as she does, with characters as diversely in conflict, as is so often the case in dimension-spanning fantasy adventure titles.
Perhaps this is what makes the book enjoyable from the get-go: it can be read with the jittery, flickering pace of a film or television program, or pursued with the wary, cautious pontification of a literary novel.
Shan is knowledgeable and is conscientious of the boundaries she must cross so as to evince a truth, however minute, worthy of being held in advantage against her adversary. She isn't always successful and sometimes she's a little greedy, but that's okay, because she's always doing what needs to be done and she's doing her best; because she's a flesh-and-blood human. At least, for now.
January 4, 2017
Shan Mirage is a medium (she can talk to ghosts as well as see them) experienced in magic. Her husband used to be skilled magic-user before his death during one of their adventures. After Shan literaly went to the afterlife to bring his spirit back to our plane, they've done their best to maintain life as they knew it. But being a happily married couple isn't so great when you can't touch, share physical experiences or be intimate. But they thought they found a way to give Hwen physical form, through a rare and ancient scroll. But things to south when a ghost that's been trapped in the scroll for decades escapes with desires to become tangible himself!
I really liked the structure of this story - a murder mystery (the ghost kills someone as he escapes the scroll) with supernatural ties to old Hollywood and a scramble to outwit and out-magic the evil spirit to preserve the lives of humans and the existence of over 100 ghosts. It has a flair of an old pulp type novel or movie, but played out in a modern, magical setting. A lot of people would like to compare it to Constantine over at DC or maybe even Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books, and those are fair comparisons, but what sets this one apart is the fantastic relationship between Shan and Hwen.
Despite their difficult situation, they really love each other. That's apparent in every scene and page. And it's not a goofy style love with witty barbs and silly confrontations, nor is it all sickly sweet. It's a nice, loving relationship between two people who enjoy and respect each other. Its this love that's the true motivating factor behind the story, and the very glue that holds it together. Really one of my favorite parts about this series!
The art by Roberto De Le Torre takes a bit to get used to - at least for me. But it really is quite fitting in that feel of indistinctness representing beings of one plane existing on another. It doesn't lack in emotion or character and feels very natural as you get into the story.
This volume wraps up nicely, but leaves us a little something for the future. I can't wait to see more of Shan and Hwen down the road in another supernatural adventure!
I really liked the structure of this story - a murder mystery (the ghost kills someone as he escapes the scroll) with supernatural ties to old Hollywood and a scramble to outwit and out-magic the evil spirit to preserve the lives of humans and the existence of over 100 ghosts. It has a flair of an old pulp type novel or movie, but played out in a modern, magical setting. A lot of people would like to compare it to Constantine over at DC or maybe even Jim Butcher's Dresden Files books, and those are fair comparisons, but what sets this one apart is the fantastic relationship between Shan and Hwen.
Despite their difficult situation, they really love each other. That's apparent in every scene and page. And it's not a goofy style love with witty barbs and silly confrontations, nor is it all sickly sweet. It's a nice, loving relationship between two people who enjoy and respect each other. Its this love that's the true motivating factor behind the story, and the very glue that holds it together. Really one of my favorite parts about this series!
The art by Roberto De Le Torre takes a bit to get used to - at least for me. But it really is quite fitting in that feel of indistinctness representing beings of one plane existing on another. It doesn't lack in emotion or character and feels very natural as you get into the story.
This volume wraps up nicely, but leaves us a little something for the future. I can't wait to see more of Shan and Hwen down the road in another supernatural adventure!
November 18, 2016
I really like Doctor Mirage. She's one of my favorites in the Valiant U by far, and I loved her debut graphic novel deeply. I was stoked to hear we would be getting a second entry with the same creative team, though by this entry's end, that excitement had been deflated. This volume was simple. It was just another beat in the usual string of super-heroism, but managed to make Doctor Mirage and her world less interesting than it was before. The magic never stuck with me, and the presence of ghosts became more of a hindrance to the story telling than a real hook to get you on the line. Shan spends way too much time repeating her dead dead husbands words for everyone else to hear, or otherwise summarizing his musings, in what amounts to a wordy, cluttered waste of page space. The story accomplishes little, and status-quos us harder than Valiant titles usually do by the end. The stinger after the action is over does little to motivate you to wait around for the third entry, and I hate to say it but I'll be anticipating a reboot for the character more than another volume by Van Meter. I'd like to be proven wrong, but this one left me bored and disappointed, like too many other Valiant books these days. It's worth noting that Roberto De La Torre still delivers amazing artwork on this title, but he is occasionally replaced by the heinously mismatched David Baron for a few pages at a time towards the back end of this thing, and that really salted the wound.
Second Lives isn't a bad book. But it is a disappointment for fans of Doctor Mirage.
Second Lives isn't a bad book. But it is a disappointment for fans of Doctor Mirage.
August 1, 2018
Jen Van Meter's Dr. Mirage and her ghost husband Hwen actually work more cohesively in this outing because Van Meter has limited the scope. This leads to a story that is markedly less confusing than the first. However, I still found many of the secondary characters to be far too genetic. Shan's ability to interact with Hwen gives her more to work with, and the storyline here is more of an occult mystery than epic world-building and far, far less reliant on flashbacks. The color is actually used creatively here to make ghost-and-human interactions clearer, but the over-washes still make the book feel bland. Roberto De La Torre and Diego Bernard are sketchy and frenetic like in the first volume, but some of the other characters are still hard to tell apart. I can't tell if this is because of the coloring schemes or artwork itself entirely. That said, I found the limiting of ambition despite the forbidden magic angles, and a consistent couple dynamic actually aiding the book.
March 26, 2016
Make no mistake: even though this is a star lower than the first Doctor Mirage story, "Second Lives" still contains much of the magic that enchanted me the first time around. I would compare this to Ghostbusters 2, not in terms of disappointing in any way, but just not being as novel. The first Mirage story used each chapter to extend suspension of disbelief a little more and build toward a fantastic climax. This story, just as beautifully rendered by its team as before, plays within those rules and therefore does not deliver the same ecstasy. Still a great read, though, and a top-shelf Valiant series.
July 6, 2016
Not sure why issue 4 doesn't show up on goodreads. I read this story via single issues, so i'm using the collection for my issue 4 review:
great intertwining of noir sensibilities with the Eldritch. Wonderful interpersonal relationship writing. interesting ideas regarding the Hollywood portions. covers are stunning. interior artwork is nice, but they switch artists a good deal and that's a bit jarring.Roberto de la torre's style best fits the narrative in my opinion. a bit wordy(telling, not showing) in places, but overall a wonderful little series.
great intertwining of noir sensibilities with the Eldritch. Wonderful interpersonal relationship writing. interesting ideas regarding the Hollywood portions. covers are stunning. interior artwork is nice, but they switch artists a good deal and that's a bit jarring.Roberto de la torre's style best fits the narrative in my opinion. a bit wordy(telling, not showing) in places, but overall a wonderful little series.
December 11, 2016
Second Chances. Unfortunately, the second volume starts off just as slowly as the first, and is additionally troubled by muddiness. Worse, it never catches on like the first volume did. There's still a great ghost-hunting feel to this book that's quite unique, but much of the four issues seem to be spent preparing and conducting rituals, which just doesn't have the excitement and interest of the magical mystery tour of the first volume. So, perhaps it's just as well that there's not more of this Doctor Mirage [5/10].
August 18, 2016
Massive disappointment. To bring her husband back to flesh, Dr. Mirage studies an ancient spell... and an accident releases an evil ghost into the world. Predictable battles and happy end ensues.
Way too verbose, way too little of the charm of the first volume.
Way too verbose, way too little of the charm of the first volume.
August 23, 2016
Just as fun as the first volume.
September 20, 2016
My favorite of the Valiant spiritual books. But the Valiant spirit world just doesn't do it for me.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews