Doctor Mirage talks to the dead…but the only spirit Shan Fong can’t find is that of her late husband, Hwen. Instead, America’s favorite semi-retired paranormal investigator is haunted and raw, using her gift to solve homicides and bring peace to the recently bereaved. But when a big-time occultist with a classified military past hires her for a special job, Shan discovers a lead that might close the greatest mystery she’s ever tackled – how to get Hwen back. Now, Doctor Mirage must enter the undiscovered country and cross all the realms of the underworld, if she has any hope of rescuing the man she loves…or be forever lost beyond the earthly plane.

I don’t remember much about previous incarnations of Dr. Mirage in comic-dom, and have only a little bit of familiarity of this new one in the rebooted Valiant universe, but after reading this first issue it’s clear I didn’t need either to enjoy reading the first of the five issue mini-series.

Writer Jen Van Meter drops us into Mirage’s life allowing us to quickly figure out her abilities, and her personality, and it’s all done so in such a way that you want to find out more. Mirage is a bit of a curmudgeon, cursed with the ability to speak to the dead. But, that grumpiness is not without reason, for all her gifts she’s unable to speak to the one she wants to, her dead husband. I’d be a bit irritated too if that were the case. She comes off as that grizzled cop, coming back for one more case, and that coming back is very grudgingly. It’s entertaining throughout, and gives Mirage depth and personality, instead of focusing just on her abilities.

Artist Roberto De La Torre adds some solid art that fits a paranormal noir story well. There’s something about it that just fits the setting and subject matter.

If you’ve never read a Valiant book, the publisher has one of the best universes out there, and make it a point to be able to dive into their series without the knowledge of tons of continuity. Here that succeed with that again, providing a perfect jumping on point for new readers. I’m sure once you’re done with the first issue, you’ll not only want to complete the next four issues, but also see what else Valiant has to offer. To provide such ease for new readers is a feather in Valiant’s and Van Meter’s hat, and to be able to do so with such an entertaining first issue is even more impressive. I can’t wait to see where the series goes, and hopefully we’ll be seeing more of the death-defying Doctor Mirage from here on out.

Story: Jen Van Meter Art: Roberto De La Torre
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy

Valiant Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review