When I first heard about Raul Faria’s The Mark of Gabriel, I was terrified it was going to be another cookie-cutter supernatural thriller/detective story. I’m delighted to say that Raul Faria proved me wrong! The Mark of Gabriel reads more like a television pilot than a comic book. The story felt more like watching an episode of Buffy or Angel than reading a comic book. Faria opens the story with a very Whedon-esque teaser that seems superfluous at first, but quickly sets the main storyline in motion.

The backstory of the series is set in the same foundation as great television dramas. Detective Joseph Souza and his boyfriend Kyle were killed in a robbery attempt five years ago. The Archangel Gabriel resurrects Souza and makes him the bearer of his mark so that he can fight for justice on Gabriel’s behalf. But, Souza himself still has a pretty big axe to grind with humanity over his lover’s death. The recipe doesn’t make for a very happy savior/victim relationship. The conflict is highlighted by the fact that those marked for vengeance usually wind up in the morgue.

The story begins with Souza receiving a plea for help from the mother of the gang-banger that shot him. Immediately he’s torn between his duty and his own desire for vengeance. There’s also the twist that if Souza murders an innocent, he’ll lose his powers and return to his death. In just a few panels, Faria does a great job presenting the dichotomy between whether a young boy who took someone else’s life to save his own is truly an innocent or not.

Faria also does a great introducing the supporting cast: Sandra Hale, his former police partner and ally, Gabriel, the archangel himself, and the cute and hapless Dr. Troy Mitchell who ends up in world way over his head. What makes their introductions so perfect is that the characters are woven naturally into place and their appearances are perfectly timed with events of the story.

Oh, another nice Buffy homage: in the middle of Souza’s quest to find his murderer there’s an impending apocalypse going on. Guns, gangbangers, demons, and a gay anti-hero with social issues are just a few of this book’s highlights. The real strength of the comic lies in The Mark of Gabriel’s intriguing characters and the fast-paced, intricate plotting that makes time and space disappear as you’re reading.

Issue number one sets the stage for what looks to be a very promising new series. If you’re a fan of supernatural thrillers, this is a comic book you should definitely check out. Faria starts off with a fairly comfortable plot and spins it into unexpected directions. I give The Mark of Gabriel a solid B for now, but as more issues hit the stands, I fully expect it will earn an A+.

The Mark of Gabriel is published by Faria Graphics and is available online at IndyPlanet.com.

Former Queerbait editor and creator of Queeroes.com, Tony Smith, is still sending Joss Whedon letters written in crayon to adopt him, but now he’s sending copies to Raul Faria too.

The Mark of Gabriel © 2008 Raul Faria. Review © 2008 Tony Smith

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