It’s 1850 and Isiah, a Black-Seminole is still on the run from a crime he didn’t commit. With a massive bounty on his head he’s had to partner up with people who despise him. In issue eight of ‘The Maroon: Misled’ the blend of historical fiction and the supernatural brings out the best and worst of what it means to be human.
Isiah is still holding onto the gold Shorty stole. In doing so he’s biding his time in helping him find Matilda, who’s about to be sold to a slave-market. After helping a family and giving a vengeance spirit peace, both men seem to be running out of time. At least Isiah (or Isaac) has changed his clothes. Still a large black man, carrying a hammer in the antebellum south isn’t exactly keeping a low profile. Then there’s the amnesia Isiah is contending with. He does encounter a slave woman who’s able to tap into memories and like an explosion, patches of scenes come flooding into his mind.
This issue is intense as Shorty schemes to get his gold and the reward for Isaiah’s capture. It backfires and as Shorty fails spectacularly he finds out how the Maroon has gained his supernatural reputation. Isiah then goes from being a supernatural action hero to a conductor on an underground railroad. Meanwhile Matilda isn’t waiting around for a savior. She’s planning on escaping, but is being hampered by an unexpected situation. Every page of ‘The Maroon: Misled’ is rich with energy and a realism that brings history to life. Black people are correctly rendered in various shapes, sizes, and shades. The clothing down to the rips on Isaiah’s shirt is consistent and authentic looking. This comic-book for mature readers is a bit longer than average. It has to be since there needs to be room for to tell this story. Derek W. Lipscomb and Rose Coles have written a work that is unapologetic in its look at American history. Slavery happened, black people were not immigrants, but kidnapped, denied their language, had their children sold as chattel and were abused over a matter of centuries. With the weight of all that you would believe that this Isaiah’s journey is a depressing trod through the antebellum south. It’s not. This grim-fantasy tale is tempered with Isiah’s supernatural abilities which gives him the ability to protect himself when needed. But it doesn’t dampen the action and the suspense of what will happen to the characters. No one is safe. Someone who is saved in this issue can be eviscerated in the next. Then there’s the woman who untapped an important scene in Isiah’s life. Where did she get her powers? And is she connected to how Isiah lost most of his memories? Will Matilda escape, will Isaiah reach her in time? Shorty’s also lurking out there. Just what devilish deal is he going to make next? His greed may endanger everyone including himself.
‘The Maroon’ overall is a wild ride with an authentic sense of history. This isn’t some sort of revenge porn. Rather it’s a blend of folklore and mysticism that has survived in the Black-American culture for years. Will it restore your soul, maybe. More importantly, it will give you a sense of hope. And sometimes that has to be good enough.
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