I'm not a huge fan of Top Cow's dark fantasy universe, and even when they've brought on creators that I like, I haven't generally been able to get into The Darkness or Witchblade. So I was quite surprised to be drawn into The Magdalena, which features a likable and interesting lead character, some good supporting characters and a neat take on the "chosen one" premise. In addition, though there are some "Top Cow house style" elements to the art, I had the chance to see Basaldua's pencils on Magdalena and the finished product looks almost as nice, even though the inks and colors often overpower his detailed style.
Given the popularity of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the notion of a female action heroine who is chosen to defeat the darkness seems a pretty safe bet for a comic-book franchise. Holguin hits on some of the things that made Buffy successful, including a couple of good supporting cast members with human foibles around the chosen one and some ominous tidings of villainy that the hero needs to defeat. This is anything but a Buffy clone, though... the Magdalena has a religious element and a deeper organization behind her, and there's also a much harsher history to the character, and the implication is that the life of the Magdalena is often very short.
One of the things I really liked about this first issue was the main character. Sure, she's put together from the book of selfless heroine cliches, with a naivete that comes from living in a different society and a martial ability that seems incongruous with her personality, but Holguin makes her both nice and dangerous, an interesting and effective combination. In addition, having a heroine with a deeply religious background is something unusual, and given how rarely religion is really tackled in comics, I think Holguin could take on some untouched territory with that aspect of the character.
A common complaint about Top Cow's comics, and one that I often find justified, is their cheesecake tendencies and a sort of house style that is reminiscent of the early Image days. While the latter can be found in the pages of Magdalena, with deeply over-rendered faces and bodies that look like they've been cross-hatched to within an inch of their life, Basaldua's work is remarkably restrained on the cheesecake factor. Rowan's outfit is a little more sexy, homeless chic than actual homeless, but it's not overly exploitative, and Patience, despite her occasional porn star pouty lips, looks pretty much like a reasonable athletic woman instead of a blow-up doll. Certainly Basaldua should be commended for his detailed backgrounds, with some beautiful work on the interiors of the church or the spooky, horrific sacrifices in the woods.
In the end, Magdalena still exists in a universe that I'm not very interested in, and I suspect that it will fall prey to either the crossover with other Top Cow books or the inevitable loss of interest that left readers of series like Inferno hanging. However, if it can steer clear of the pitfalls that put me off of other Top Cow books, the creative team and concept here is reasonably strong, and could make for an interesting action books with unusual religious undertones.
