by Randy Lander

ALISON DARE AND THE HEART OF THE MAIDEN #1 Recommended (7/10) Oni Press Writer: J. Torres Artist: J. Bone Additional Inks: Darwyn Cooke Editor: James Lucas Jones Price: $2.95 US/$4.50 CAN Alison Dare has always shown influences from Indiana Jones and pulp super-heroes, but with this issue, Torres and Bone add another influence, that of Frank Miller and ninjas, with a smattering of warrior nuns as well. The result is, as usual, fun and unusual, and Bone's artwork is better than ever, particularly on the ninja sequences. Torres does manage to hit one of my pet peeves by using the "repeat the day" storytelling method, something that always gets on my nerves, but in general I found this to be an enjoyable read. One of the interesting parts of the Alison Dare books for me has been the expansive cast, including Alison's mom, dad and brother, but their absence this issue didn't bother me. That's largely down to an intriguing plot, centering on a mysterious secret society at Alison's school, which felt like the perfect story for Alison to get involved in. It's one part Indiana Jones, featuring archaeological items of power, and one part Nancy Drew, with Alison and her friends investigating a mystery. The interplay between Alison and her three friends is also great, and I particularly enjoy the nervous Wendy, whose play-it-safe tendencies run so counter to Alison's personality. Her nervousness also leads to one of the more hysterical lines of the issue, referring to nude nuns. Given that every aspect of Alison's life involves some strangeness, it makes absolute sense that her school would have some as well. There is something mystical and strange about nuns and monks and that kind of thing, so taking it one step further and making them a protective order is an easy transition, and the most entertaining aspect of that change is when the nuns, dressed for battle, take on an order of ninjas. It's ridiculous, but it just fits right in with a girl whose dad is a super-hero, mom is an adventuring archaeologist and brother is a secret agent. While J. Bone's art is always impressive, it's his work on this ninja vs. nun sequence that really stands out. Unless I miss my guess, this was the sequence with inks from Darwyn Cooke, and I can only assume that the art is meant to evoke Miller's work with ninjas on Daredevil. The combat sequences are great, and the use of white outlines makes the ninjas blend right into the black background, an impressive trick. Though quite different from the rest of their fare, Alison Dare continues to be an enjoyable action-adventure/humor series from Oni Press. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.