Mystique is an unusual comic, not just because it features a female protagonist and is a strong seller from the Tsunami line, but because it is structured more like an old school comic. While Vaughan isn't doing single issue stories, he has constructed a story structure that is more action-oriented than concerned with soap opera subplots and characterization. This does make it harder to care about our lead character and it can make the book feel a little inconsequential in the scheme of things, but the upshot is that you can always count on Mystique for a great action read. Particularly noteworthy in this issue is the addition of Manuel Garcia, who improves on the already-impressive artwork that Michael Ryan had done on the book and gives the book a sexy edge without taking it into sleazy territory.
Vaughan's story detours from the globe-trotting spy missions that Mystique has been engaging in to give us something a little more local. In theory, it's also a character building issue, delving into the shaky relationship between Mystique and her former lover Forge, but the interaction between them is really nowhere near as important as the mystery plot that they get involved in. Vaughan does pair the two on a mission, however, and so much of the dialogue this issue is given over to exploring these two as characters. Forge's ability to whip up any gadget out of common parts and Mystique's abrasive anti-human sentiment are the two common denominators in the conversations, and Vaughan hammers those pretty hard. It's interesting, but not particularly deep, characterization.
Where Vaughan really excels, though, is when Mystique goes to work. I miss the ruthless edge that the character used to have, and when she's "on the job" she seems to regain a lot of it. Her smooth interrogation of a security guard shows just how clever and fast-adapting she is, and her switch over to the guard's identity is another example of how fast she moves. Mystique's shape-changing powers have been put to great use in this series, whether it's the more unusual uses like shifting her organs from earlier issues to more mundane uses like imitating people or messing with peoples' minds by way of tattoos. Though I'm not entirely sure I buy Vaughan's take on the character's personality, he's got her powers down cold.
By far the best part of this issue, however, is the artwork. I seem to remember Manuel Garcia mostly as a good, solid artist, but the work here, with inker Raul Fernandez and colorist Matt Milla, is some of the best work he's ever done. His characters look real and well-developed with a shadowy edge, reminiscent of Lee Bermejo or Tim Bradstreet, and he does fantastic detail on the clothes and ordinary backdrops, such that the world Mystique and Forge inhabit looks and feels real, which makes their unusual powers stand out more. In addition, he gives the lead character sex appeal and athletic ability without making her look like a typically over-endowed superheroine. Like the Mike Mayhew cover, Garcia's work feels sexy but not sleazy, and given that the feel of this book has always been similar to the TV show Alias, that's exactly the level of sex appeal the book needs.
Given that Vaughan has developed a reputation for unpredictability with books like Runaways and Y: The Last Man, Mystique remains his most predictable book. The twists are a little easier to see coming, and the plots much less intricate, but the book always provides a good jolt of action, some clever (bordering on the cheesy) dialogue and imaginative uses of a shapeshifting protagonist.
