The Magdalena #12
Written by Ron Marz
Pencils by Nelson Blake II and David Marquez
Inks by Sal Regla and David Marquez
Colors by Dave McCaig
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Nelson Blake II, Sal Regla and Dave McCaig
Top Cow Productions
Release Date: May 23, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

I’m a sucker for a strong, badass heroine. I’m not talking some woman that is half-dressed and somehow managing to pose with her boobs and bum in full effect (though, as a pre-teen, that might have been the case, just sayin’). I’m talking about a well written, driven character that shows purpose in her actions and is in it for the long haul. Well, The Magdalena #12 gives us just such a person.

Patience is, for all intents and purposes, not a big fan of the church with which she is so deeply affiliated. They have lied and betrayed her and her friends many times over. But as she is the official bearer of the Spear of Destiny, she is sort of stuck with them to some extent. She is also discovering that not everyone in the church follows blindly, there are others that continue to work for the greater good regardless of the intent behind the orders they are given. Kristof is one such person and one that she finds herself trusting in spite of her fears.

Together, the two of them have teamed up with Sara Pezzini, possessor of the Witchblade, to track down a piece of The One, True Cross. Discovering it has been sold to a wealthy Chinese merchant, they track him down to try to recover the artifact. What they discover, however, is almost beyond their comprehension. Without spoiling it, let me say that this story involves a bit of personal introspection and compassion from Patience. It makes for an anti-climatic finish, but really does end this story arc very well.

Since this is part four of a story, new readers might be a bit lost. The our-story-so-far page is decidedly lacking in data, leaving a newcomer without context for the vast majority of the issue. Disregarding that one gripe, this was another great piece in the story. Not a lot of action, but good dialogue…and a perfect segue into a new direction, if they so choose. Ron Marz weaves a fun, exciting story as always. The art is clean, as it is with all Top Cow comics, but lacks the vibrance that some former issues had. Definitely worth buying if you need closure to the story, but if you haven’t read the last three issues then you will want to pick them up or wait for the next one. That said, I enjoyed it immensely.