Anna Mercury #1

Warren Ellis may be one of the hardest working writers in Comics. Off the top of my head, I would say only Bendis has more titles on the go than Ellis, The beauty of it is that much like Bendis, most of the books Ellis pens are keepers. He has the occasional flop, but for the most part, very solid writing with intriguing characters and situations. This month’s Anna Mercury is no different.

The Avatar Press website breaks it down like this:

“Dancing amid the spires of a city called New Ataraxia, there is a woman who can cloud men’s minds, leap across buildings as if weightless, unerringly fire twin automatic pistols in the most insane conditions, and disappear in a crowded room. She fights against the political repression of an insane technocratic society, and she comes from a place that no-one in New Ataraxia has ever heard of.”

Basically, if you take 2 parts Daredevil, one part Tomb Raider, and a healthy smattering of James Bond, you will have Anna Mercury. A secret agent with hair as big Ellis’ body of work, this buxom redhead is a bit of an urban legend in her world, but that just makes her that much cooler. As a female lead character, Anna is a breath of fresh air. She is strong, smart and tougher than most of her male counterparts, but Ellis manages to write her in a way that isn’t condescending or patronizing.

Anna Mercury is also riddled with action. The book begins with a Spider-Man like leap from a tall skyscraper, a ride on a train (and I mean ON a train), and ends with Anna hurtling skyward on what appears to be a giant rocket ship. Very ably penciled by Facundo Percio, the book has a sleek, exciting tone that matches Ellis’s writing perfectly. Percio also manages to stay away from drawing Anna as your typically over exaggerated female comic character. Yes, she fills out her leather suit, but not in an overbearing way. The only thing overly huge about her is her hair, which is a giant red mop that Percio draws so well, you can actually feel the breeze blow through it.

Ellis has long be known for writing the Anti-heroes, but he can handle his heroes just as well. His usual adventurous-yet-sarcastic tone is all over this book, and makes it even more fun to read. Knowing his work as I do, I can only expect that things will continue to pick up for Anna, and I imagine the settings will be seedier, the battles bloodier, and the twists even more unpredictable.

Over all, an excellent book, and with Anna on the case, Mr. Bond better watch his Golden Gun.