This issue we get to see what Miranda’s double life is and it’s working as a stage actress! Coincidently our second issue takes place at the play Miranda is working on and it’s a fun setting. I’ve never been a part of a stage production, but I’m a fan and it’s always comes across as a classic setting for mystery and hijinks. The issue opens on a dress rehearsal that is cut short when the lead actor Archie’s hands aren’t painted white. The director calls in makeup, a man named Moon, and yells at him for not taking care of his hands. After the director leaves Archie tells him that he washed his hands after the bathroom. Miranda yells at him and Archie just says that he was looking out for himself. Miranda calls it good for the day and talks to her dead ghost sister who Moon apparently worked with at one point. Miranda heads down to catering and suddenly Archie charges up behind her screaming the equivalent of “Mine” and eating all the food he can get his hands on. The next day the understudy is introduced because Archie’s “Mine” rampage didn’t end with just food.
The catch to this story is that bad things are happening to people on set. That being said I just gave you big clue, but it’s fairly obvious just from the few opening pages I summed up for you. The real questions you’ll be asking is how and not so much why. The “why’s” are fairly obvious to the audience, but not Miranda. A great moment occurs when she talks to one of the victims and her ghost sister tells her exactly what to ask, but instead of saying it verbatim she adds her own flair. The question gets muddled in translation, but it’s a great scene because it shows the difference between the two sisters and how they handle things.
I’m digging this story. I do wish that they were investigating the sister's death some more, but it’s also part of the charm that they’re not. It’s almost like it’s never going to happen. That aspect, along with the fact that Miranda seems fine with the knowledge that her sister is dead and haunting her, makes this story like a cartoon. Honestly if it wasn’t like a cartoon I don’t know if it would work as well. The carefree nature of everything is wholesome and entertaining and something that’s rare and rarer in the world of comics.
The other aspect of the story that makes it cartoonish (I mean that in a good way, by the way) is the artwork. This issue isn’t as bright as the first issue, but it still has the look and feel of the world. The characters in the play are all classic stereotypes: the director with a barrette and goatee, the Vincent Prince inspired scarf wearing character and other such stereotypes. Also I liked the fact that Miranda wasn’t instantly recognizable. We’ve only seen her in costume so even just without the mask she actually looks different. It was a nice touch and made the secret identity all the more believable.
This is a fun series and this issue is at least a two-parter which is nice. One and done stories like the first issue are a great mix-up to the storytelling, but it’s nice to spend more time with the main character in a consistent setting. I’m looking forward to the next issue for sure and will be following this series for sure.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Jamie S. Rich Artist: George Kambadais Publisher: Monkey Brain Comics Price: $.99 Release Date: 12/11/13