The debut issue of The Unchosen wasn’t just an impressive exercise in world building, it was also proof that David Marquez is a great writer in addition to being a phenomenal artist. Yet, there were some elements that felt a little vague. What’s the source of the mysterious power that protagonist Aida wants to utilize? Where’s the mysterious realm where she’s been taken? Why can’t she access the same powers as her peers? The Unchosen #2 starts to answer some of these questions, and the end result will leave readers wanting more.
For starters, there’s “The Word”, the source of the power that Aida and others utilize. It turns out that a select few can harness the power of language itself to shape creation – or utterly destroy it. This is a genuinely cool concept that taps into some of the underlying hopes about communication. So many people are separated by the barriers of language and culture, but if they’d look closer they’d see that they have a lot in common. Marquez’s approach to magic also separates The Unchosen from other young adult stories like Percy Jackson or Harry Potter, especially where its protagonist is concerned.
Unlike the protagonists of most young adult stories, Aida isn’t all that enthused to be in a new world. She wants to save her mother at any cost, even outright defying her mentor Brother Alex. In a hilarious twist, Aida also might be one of the most foul-mouthed protagonists I’ve read in a young adult story, yet it makes her feel like an actual teenager. Marquez has a gift for zigging where readers might expect to zag, and I hope he brings this energy to future projects.
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It should go without saying that Marquez’s art is a major draw for The Unchosen #2. He puts a great level of detail into backgrounds, whether it’s a simple house or the ruins of an ancient temple, and he does a great job with facial expressions. Whenever Aida is shocked, angry, or excited, her eyes go anime-wide; the same is true for her friend Daniel. Marquez even makes the residents of the Novitiate, the fortress where Aida’s been spirited away, look otherworldly; its Headmistress looks less like a teacher and more like an avenging archangel.
Marissa Louise and DC Hopkins also deserve plenty of praise for how they bring Marquez’s world to life. Louise spills plenty of color across the page; bright sunsets fade to an almost blinding white, the Novitiate seems trapped in a perpetual sunset, and the use of the Word brings forth a rainbow of mystical energy. Speaking of words, Hopkins makes sure that certain ones stand out, slapping a harsh black blur on Aida’s various profanities.
Readers will also get a peek into Marquez’s process at the end, as he details the process from script to pencils to a fully colored comic page. In a way, The Unchosen #2 isn’t just peeling back the curtains on its fantasy world, but how its creator brought it to life. That’s a special kind of magic in and of itself.
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