Nothing like a good old Catholic conspiracy story, especially one that involves Devil worship and sinister cover-ups. Here's a twist on the ol' Holy Blood and the Holy Grail/Da Vinci Code/Rex Mundi idea that Jesus and Mary Magdalene had children before he died. In this book, the child was a daughter and the daughters of the bloodline persist to this day with special powers against evil. Special powers that the Church has used over the years to fulfill its own ends. The latest incarnation is Patience, a Magdalena who spurns what the church has become. She is manipulated by Cardinal Innocent and her Knights of Malta trainer Kristof to return to the fold to investigate an Anti-Christ. The church is depicted as corrupt and self-serving, though the source of the Magdalena's power is never questioned. ( )

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The Magdalena, a reoccurring guest star in the Witchblade series, finally got her own series in 2010. The history of the character and the role of The Magdalena has been revealed in other books, mini-series, and one shots, they do not need to be read in order to understand the current story line.

Mary Magdalen was married to Jesus and pregnant when he was crucified. She gave birth to a daughter and the bloodline of Christ survived a thousand years before being discovered by the Catholic Church. Their existence threatened the Church, but they were of a holy bloodline and had some cool powers. Instead of destroying them, the Church turned them into warrior nuns. (Yes, that sounds a bit silly, but bear with me.) The women would be trained to take on the mantle of The Magdalena when needed. Only one woman at a time can fill the position and she can only be replaced upon her death. While these women were powerful they had very short life spans as the church never really protected them but sent them out alone on the most dangerous of missions. Patience, the current Magdalena, ran away from the convent as a young woman. She had felt trapped by a destiny she never wanted. Her entire life was devoted to training and being a tool for the Church. Kristof, a Knight of Malta, is sent to find the runaway, bring her back, and train her. She trusts him, returns to the Church, and accepts the role of Magdalena. Unfortunately for those who know about and control The Magdalena, Patience is not content to be a tool, an unthinking servant, or cannon fodder. She accepts her destiny and her faith, she understands that she is needed to protect mankind; she doesn't accept that every aspect of her life needs to be controlled, that she's disposable, or that she should follow blindly where led. Past Magdalenas have been murdered for following the truths their gifts showed them instead of following the Church's orders. She breaks with the church again as she believes she should actually protect the world from evil instead of protecting the Church's place in the world.

The Magdalena, Volume 1 contains the first six issues of the new series. We see Kristof once again trying to get Patience to return to the church. They both understand that if she refuses, the church will have her killed an another female relative will take her place as The Magdalena. They have strong evidence that the Antichrist has been born and is being protected by a cult called Lucifer's Children. They need Patience to kill the boy before he comes into power. She agrees to investigate but refuses to kill the boy. She believes that they are both in similar situations, raised/brainwashed into accepting a life that they didn't want. As she gets closer to her target they are beset by demons and begin to suspect that their is a traitor in the Church who is helping the Children of Lucifer.

I have long associated Image Comics with great art, more adult story lines, and scantily clad kick-butt heroines. The Magdalena, Volume 1 gives us the first two and fully clothed heroine. Patience is secure in her faith and her abilities, but she does not trust her handlers in the Church. She constantly butts heads against their expectation to serve them and her need to actually do the right thing. Marz has created an action packed story that addresses the differences between faith, destiny, service, and sacrifice and blind obedience, control, slavery, and disposable lives. While the bad guys are starkly slimy and awful, our good guys, Patience and Kristof, are more complex and well rounded. So far I'm hooked and hope to learn more about the history of Patience's family.

The story reads quickly, has lots of action, and gives you situations and ideas to really think about. This is a good start to a new series and I look forward to reading more.

Read full review HERE ( )

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this one. I like the action but not so keen on the characters.
The Magdalena has served as the Catholic Church's weapon for 2000 years. Patience is the most recent in the line and doesn't care for how the church is ran. Called back to stop the son of Satan, Patience finds that there's more to the battle than meets the eye.
I'm interested in more of her story but probably not enough to seek it out. The art is well constructed and the plot is engaging. As I said I just couldn't connect to the characters. I liked Patience but her wishy washy feelings about her calling was less than desirable. I don't think she needed to be fully invested in the church and she could question the church's role but I don't think it came across well.
Her companion Kristoff had a lot of potential but it just feel flat.
I know we're supposed to hate Innocence but I really didn't like him. Not even as a villian. He just came across as mealy. I, also, didn't care for his name. Cardinal Innocence just sounded cartoony especially with her name, Patience. At least they had enough sense to give Kristoff a more human sounding name.
The rumor is there's a Magdalena movie - I'm interested but will have to see how it plays out. ( )