Mora is a very difficult comic to describe, which is usually the mark of either a very good comic or a very bad one. It's too early to tell whether Mora's lyrical style will wind up being spellbinding or pretentious, if the mysterious portents in Harmon's scripts will pay off or wind up going nowhere. What can be judged is how effectively Harmon sets the mood, how amazing his black and white artwork looks and how haunting and intriguing his characters are. Mora #1 is narrated by a battle-scarred tortoise and hare, as they tell a tale of witches, evil lions and other magical creatures, and it's an interesting (if somewhat vague) introduction to a new world.
Mora is an unusual comic, reminiscent more than anything else of the dark style of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Harmon's world is filled with fanciful elements, from our furry narrators to common witches to strange, fairy-like creatures that lurk on the edge of perception, noticeable only to special children. But Harmon makes it clear that the fantastic can also become, very easily, the terrifying, and so Mora has a feel that can best be described as haunting. The narration, from a point-of-view where the story has already finished, gives every pronouncement a slight touch of dread, and though we really don't know much about these characters and their destinies yet beyond vague proclamations of ill portent, there is a tantalizing nature to the unanswered questions.
It's always dicey to do a first issue where a lot of things are left unexplained, and if I had to describe Mora to someone quickly, I don't know that I could do it. If I were to give someone a quick rundown of Mora and why they should buy it, though, I would say "It's got beautiful artwork." Harmon's style is very captivating, reminiscent to some extent of Tim Sale's black and white work, with some of the surreal aspects of Sam Kieth's Maxx and a dark, gothic look that will appeal to fans of Jhonen Vasquez. The strange mix of man and myth also reminds me to some extent of Sandman, although there are more differences than similarities between Mora and Sandman.
The story of Mora follows the lives of three children, one of whom is the title character, one is another young girl and one is a lion cub. It's easy to tell that Harmon knows this story in his head already, because when he describes the town, or moments in the lives of these new children, you get the sense that you're getting snapshots into fully formed places and lives. Formative events, distinctive elements that make the town what it is, there's a definite sense that the world of Mora is a living and breathing place in Harmon's head. That kind of vision goes a long way with me when it comes to a new creator. Especially when it gives way to memorable scenes like the scarring of the lion cub or the creepy and suddenly very dangerous encounter between Mora and Owlen-Man at the end.
So Mora is off to a great start, with moody storytelling, interesting characters, a distinctive plot and amazing artwork. My largest complaint is ne that I wouldn't have known about from the book itself, but one that I was clued in to by the latest Previews: Mora #2 isn't scheduled to be out until the first week of April. That's a long time between issues of a new book, especially one as full of questions and intriguing notions as Mora. Of course, I've waited as long or longer for many issues of indy books and other Image books, so the wait may well become a non-issue, but it's an unfortunate scheduling flaw in an otherwise well-crafted debut. 8/10
