<i><b>ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review! All the following opinions are my own! </b></i>

Doctor Mirage is something of a superhero Marvel-es que story that primarily deals with grief and how it can make you go to extremes that are not good for you. The main character, Shan, is a witch and she's someone who can see through the veil. She's lost her husband and she tries to bring him back to life. One day, however, soemthing happens and the dead, whom she's so accustomed to living with, in a way, all disappear. Lost in this new, familiar yet unfamiliar world, Shan tries to reopen the portal that kept her connected to the afterlife for so long. It doesn't go as planned but a young girl shows up at her door and tells her something that tilts the world she knew on its axis.

Now, on the surface, this is the kind of story that is 100% my jam, but there was just something about this book that didn't click. The art style was fine, but not my favourite, and the characters were only sort of okay. A lot of the plot was kind of overcomplicated and pointless and I really wish there had been a more linear and straightforward story there. Of course, this is the first volume in the collection so I'm excited to see how they take this forward! It wasn't too bad, but definitely not my favourite graphic novel reading experience!

Is this what being on lsd looks like?
I'm surprised this got published. It looks like they lost the colorist by issue 5.
This is a weird story about dealing with grief and moving on.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the cover and the title of this graphic novel, and I have to say it was not what I thought it would be about. That does that mean that I did not like it however. The themes explored were heavy; death, grief, love and family being the major ones, but we're written in a way that was not heavy handed or flippant.
The art was eye catching, with a dreamscape dynamic, which added to the story.

Doctor Mirage was capable of seeing the dead. But now, even her dead husband, who was always by her side, has disappeared. Mirage cannot live without him, so she will try her best to reunite with him, whatever she has to do.

"Doctor Mirage" is another of those supernatural comic/books with a simple story, and not a particular original development, that, however, surprises for different reasons, giving the reader a very entertaining and enjoyable time.

For starters the drawing style. Even if the drawings are not top-notch, the use of strips and color is amazing, and do suit perfectly the story, giving it a dreamy and kaleidoscopic atmosphere that feels like a trip to the underworld.

This use of color and strips is also mixed with some simple, but well used, storytelling techniques, perfectly combining the writing with the image, and making Mirage's story a seamless affair, with almost nothing that needs trimming.

Quite the contrary. It actually feels the story should be a little bit longer, because the ending feels a little bit rushed, and it's kind of a mess, as if it needed another chapter or two to better develop the story and its characters.

Minor quibbles, as "Doctor Mirage" is totally worth it.

I was really intrigued by the synopsis I read for this and the cover alone was probably enough to draw me in. I had no idea it was reboot, but knowing that now I can say that it would be great for someone who was new to the character or someone who was familiar. I loved the vibrant artwork and colors, though there was some text that was a little harder to read - I'm sure this would be different if it was actually in my hands and may have been because I was reading it on a screen.

The story itself was a crazy ride, as you would think when considering the characters may or may not be dead and if they are dead may have to get out of it, so there were tons of twists and turns to the story. Overall it was a really enjoyable read and I'm eager to see what comes next.

Valiant's non-comedy books generally have a faint whiff of 'we've got superheroes at home', with which the wider world is likely to become more familiar once Bloodshot finally squelches on to the cinema screens come March. But starting from that admittedly low bar, this one is definitely better than most, not least thanks to the fabulous, trippy visuals from Nick Robles and Jordie Bellaire*, who at times make this look almost like an art deco Brendan McCarthy. I know nothing about any previous version of the character, but here she's Shan, a woman who accessed magic powers by way of her connection with the ghost of her dead husband, Hwen – in other words, a bit Doctor Voodoo, though crossed with a touch of Zatarra and Zatanna (they hid in plain sight by posing as stage magicians; Mirage did it with a paranormal reality show). As this opens, though, she's lost her ability to see ghosts, and thus lost her husband again too. Nothing staggeringly original, in other words, and nor does it help that the first possible twist is straight out of The Sixth Sense (and it's not like nobody's used it in the interim). Visaggio keeps it all ticking along professionally enough, but one's still left wishing the same team had created something of their own, or at least worked on a proper company's occult hero.

*Although in the Netgalley ARC the last issue isn't coloured, which I initially mistook for a creative choice a la Thunderbolt. Still looks good, mind.

I received a copy from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a graphic novel about a woman who can see ghosts. Well she used to, until something went wrong after the death of her husband. She still has some pretty awesome magical powers though. There are 5 editions and through each Doctor Mirage must travel through the underworld with her companion to find her husband and overcome certain complications.
Interesting read, great artwork, just didn’t have me completely hooked. I’d read the upcoming issues though Because I’m curious as to where this series might go.

Ok, so this is technically a spinoff from a different series, and I have not read the original but I was still able to mostly follow what was going on.
It was alright until the weird sad-happy-but-also-cliffhangery ending, which also felt too abrupt. Comparatively speaking, I did prefer the author's Vagrant Queen (but only slightly preferred) to this, BUT it is nice to see a story by a woman, with a female POC protag that incorporates mythology from several cultures.

This is a cool graphic novel. I'll be looking forward to more from this author/illustrator. Will recommend.

I love a good graphic novel, then throw in one truly epic cover and one of the most wild descriptions I've heard in a long time... You've got me hooked! I also used to have a strong fondness for Valiant, so that made me want to read it even more.

Shan Fong Mirage is a famous paranormal investigator. She used to see the dead, and now she doesn't. She's finally alone for the first time in her life. Then a sixteen year old walks into her life and announces that she too can see the dead... Will she follow her down this road?

This little collection has a few comics in it, and thank goodness! I was hooked after the first few pages and there was no way I was going to be able to stop if there was a cliffhanger. This story is just so darn good! I need to pick more of these books up and pronto! I love the mix of paranormal fantasy, drama and the hint of romance. I also feel like it's a great introduction to the character. Since I haven't read any previous valiant issues in the past few years, it was nice to slowly work my way into this one. I didn't need to read every other comic to know what was going on (although, that could have helped!).

This graphic novel is full of colour - lots of blues and purples. I really like the style and tone of the art. It just looks so... good. When spectacular things happen, the rest of the rainbow are used to set it apart from the rest of the book. Seriously, the colours themselves pulled me in and kept me. They're used beautifully. It's truly impressive.

Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel! I definitely want to read more about Doctor Mirage and pick up some more graphic novels from Valiant.

An exploration of the mysteries inherent in both life and death as experienced by Dr Mirage—a paranormal detective with the unique ability to communicate with the deceased.

Nice to Have the Doctor Back

This was an engaging reboot of Doctor Mirage, set in a Dante's Inferno frame that suited her very well. This time around Mirage/Dante is guided by a snarky teenage girl instead of the Roman poet Virgil, and I thought that marked quite an improvement.

The set up is that Doctor Mirage can't see ghosts any more and can't communicate with her dead husband Hwen. Something is very much amiss. Our teen guide arrives to advise Mirage that she can't get into Hell because she's already dead and there, and the real challenge is getting back out again. This whole in and out, back and forth, dead or alive, thing was pretty fluid and a bit unraveled at the edges, but it was an interesting approach.

It also set up some deeper questions, and while there's certainly a fair amount of action and a lot of colorful wandering around, the heart of the tale turns mostly on Doctor Mirage's coming to grips with Hwen's death and deciding how and whether to move on. I've always enjoyed Doctor Mirage as a thoughtful and challenging series, and it was especially in this regard that I was pleased by how this reboot was handled.

In addition to the thoughtful bits and the often witty and snappy dialogue this is certainly interesting to look at. Smaller individual panels aren't necessarily all that interesting, but the characters are recognizable and expressive and the big scenes are, well, big. Colors are bright, sometimes psychedelic, but there are other scenes of restrained mood and deep atmosphere. The art approach is not one size fits all, but shifts dramatically to support where the story is. That made this volume a real looker.

So, welcome back Doctor Mirage. It's nice to have you back. This is a standalone with a hint of a cliff hanger reveal, so it appears we'll have more Mirage to look for. Fine by me.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Dr. Mirage is a take on how talking to ghosts and the boundaries between life and death are about love more than anything else. Death is a very uneasy thing to live with. For many it is a means of remembering everything about the people they love. For others it is a symptom of afflictions that can be treated or reversed. The problem is people don't know much about how and when people die. People can argue that because of this mesmeric state, it's not meant to be understood. But for Shan Mirage, death is supposed to be about closure, something she fails to do.

Ever close with the ghost of her husband, when she loses contact with him, Shan goes to drastic means to reestablish contact. But as the finale points out, holding onto a memory is like a one-sided relationship. So the ghosts have to take it upon themselves to get Shan to accept finales.

Unfortunately for all of them, the epilogue at the end shows that trying to preserve boundaries and punishing those who defy these rules is just as toxic. Hopefully it doesn't end up being a sequel hook.

Suddenly, Doctor Mirage can't see ghosts anymore. To fix this problem, she attempts a ritual that destroys parts of her house - and then a girl knocks, seeing her despite being heavily concealed with magic.

I don't know anything about this character or this series, and I think that this volume is a good introduction. You get to know who she is, what she can do, what her priorities are. The pacing is good, the colourful illustrations are beautiful. The hieroglyphs are real, but I am too tired to determine whether it's real Egyptian or just a jumble of symbols.

The last few pages open up a way to continue the series, and till then this volume felt like a closed story. I am sure that I will visit Doctor Mirage again in the future.

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I admit to requesting this book based solely on the cover alone. The name "Doctor Mirage" rang a small bell but I actually haven't read superhero comics, so I can't speak to how differently or how well her character is portrayed in this new comic compared to previous ones. I will say that I enjoyed the story though!

I loved the illustration style and the color palette of the comic. The artwork has a modernised vintage feel to it that reminds me of all the superhero comics that I never read but always see. The funky neon colors used to depict the landscape of this otherworld hell was like an acid trip and fit the surreal storyline perfectly. I also really loved the issue covers!

Shan Fong or as she's more famously known as Doctor Mirage used to be able to see and speak to the dead, until one day those powers disappeared and with it her ability to see and speak to her husband, Hwen. After another failed attempt to gain access to her powers, a young girl named Grace "lands" on her doorstep claiming that she's been sent by Hwen to tell Shan that she's dead. What follows is a wild adventure into hell, mixed with flashbacks of what led to Shan's death. While I enjoyed the storyline, I do wish that more of the backstory and the Egyptian lore, of which there was a lot, was more thoroughly explained. I know this is a comic and it can't go into as much detail compared to if this was a novel, but it felt kind of disjointed at times--especially when transitioning from the past to present. For example, there were some allusions to events that happened before when Shan faces "The Embalmer" in battle but we never really got into those details in the flashbacks either.

There's obviously going to be a continuation to the story because of the semi-cliffhanger of an ending, but reading this as a 'standalone' also works because the main storyline of Shan coming to terms with her inability to see or speak to Hwen and the other spirits. I'm curious to see more of the connection between the Embalmer and Shan's storylines, as well as how Grace became involved in the story, so I would definitely pick up the continuation of this series when it becomes available!

Thanks to NetGalley and Diamond Books Distributor/Valiant Entertainment for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. This comic is out on 18 February 2020.

Doctor Mirage is a new volume on the Valiant charavter collecting issues one to five of the mini-series soft-rebooting, in a self contained story, the character who already got a mini-series treatment in 2014 and other appearances.

Writer Magdalene Visaggio is at the helm with artist Nick Robles, colorist Jordie Bellaire (who worked on the acclaimed Vision mini).

Shan Fong Mirage has the power to communicate with the dead (including her late husband), and acts as a paranormal investigator. The series begins as her powers seemingly stop working, but the problem might be more serious than this, as we see a young girl come to her to reveal they’re both dead and trapped in hell. The goal for Doctor Mirage is then to find out how that happened (and eventually how to reverse it).

I found in this series some of the themes, and the allegorical and surrealist approach adopted in Eternity Girl by the same author. The artwork is beautiful, and the violation of some « classic » conventions of the comic medium serves the dreamlike quality of the story.

However, if the story itself picked my interest, I fail to see how it is going to change Doctor Mirage from the character she was in her previous iterations for further volumes. Some magic practitioners from competing publishers remain more interesting to me.

Thanks to Diamond Books, Valiant, and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

This comic was so cool! The art style was so gorgeous and colorful. I will say that the last issue that was in black and white was really difficult to read. I loved how it weaved Egyptian mythology into the lore, and all of the characters were well written. I am really glad I got to read this!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
***
Doctor Shan Fong Mirage is a woman that can see the dead, and has up to this point been able to see her departed husband, Hwen, who has always been with her. All of a sudden she can not only “not” see him, but any dead people, period. After a failed attempt to see the dead again, particularly Hwen, a strange girl shows up at her supposed to be impossible to see/find home and tells Shan that she can see her husband and she needs to pass on a message from him. Shan is dead.
What follows is a crazy, riotously colored landscape that looks like the start of a bad trip but makes for an interesting world and exploration of death. Especially it’s history and how people have or have not coped with it.
Shan is skeptical but determined to at least learn what she can, especially if she can see Hwen again, and Grace, the strange girl, seems to be holding back a lot from Shan. As you travel forward in the story you also get flashbacks to the moments that might have led to Shan’s “death” and everything culminates in an epic battle... that’s still not over. This is a mini series that’s one self contained story, but there will be more to it in the long run because Shan’s story and what she went through in the Deadside isn’t over. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of Doctor Mirage. I find her an intriguing character but I’m not sure this book really settled her character for me yet.

The copy I read was a larger version of the comic book. Including all five volumes (1-5) within the one graphic novels. May review is therefore covering the whole series but I have not recorded separately that I have read each individual volume-but I have indeed.
This is a clever representation of the beliefs and faith in an afterlife and the difficulty of living after someone close has passed away.
The protagonist here, Doctor Miracle has some strange powers to speak to the dead and through contact with them, to provide balm and comfort for those left behind.
She has more trouble when her own soul mate dies and sheer panic when her powers to see and speak to the dead leave her.
It is a story of letting go. Told in part as a TV programme it is almost an allegorical tale of concepts and religious thinking to bring fresh ideas to the subject. The illustrations are first rate and this world of crossing over, between life and death an intriguing construction of great imagination and drawing on ancient texts and religious beliefs.
While I found the fantasy took me away I could never get a real grasp of everything and I read all five episodes in one sitting. While each volume in this series is a story within itself with a tense ending at its close the whole doesn’t quite knit together.
This isn’t my natural genre so perhaps those more familiar with it will see things and marvel more where they have passed me by. Pleased I read it but not sure I will be able to faithfully recount the story at some future date. Perhaps I miss the purpose of that temporary thrill and I should just be accepting of the buzz reading it gave me.