The story of “Mara” has now come to the penultimate chapter of the series, and the tension is moving rapidly up the scale. The most famous athlete in the world is just beginning to realize how much power she truly has…just at the time the world seems to be rejecting her. The idea of a world suddenly afraid of her makes perfect sense, but how will they react? And, what will Mara do in return?

MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

Once Mara’s powers became known, the immediate suspicion went to inaccurate accusations of cheating, and Mara has decided to be above it all…literally. She begins this issue just outside our atmosphere in outer space, which seems to have no effect on her at all! As she re-enters the atmosphere, she is tracked by people and nations everywhere, all of whom still want a piece of the most famous now-former athlete in the world, but for completely different reasons than before.

Meanwhile, Mara’s brother is being “interrogated” by the military, in an attempt to see if Mara’s powers belong to more than one member of the family. This interrogation does not end well…at all, leading to a frightening choice by Mara in return. To tell much more would be way too spoilerish, but I will simply say that this chapter of “Mara” is riveting, and I’m very much looking forward to next issue’s resolution to this cliffhanger.

“Mara” is brought to us by Brian Wood, Ming Doyle and Jordie Bellaire. It is a terrific story that explores the ideas of fame and power…and what that does to an individual and a society…in a way few stories have done. This is a great title, one well worth reading and re-reading. I wouldn’t try to make Mara angry at this point…but I would recommend putting “Mara” into your buy pile right away!