MAFIOSA #1 (Rainwerks, currently available only through a Kickstarter campaign until July 18) Sunshine Barbito, writer. Debora carita, artist. Mariacristina Federico, colors. Clem Robins, letters. Go to this link to order: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rainwerks/mafiosa
If I didn’t look at the credits and just started reading MAFIOSA I would assume that Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips took a departure from the brilliant CRIMINAL series to write a crime tale set in the Roaring Twenties. This has a similar look and feel. That’s a high compliment to the quality of story and art in MAFIOSA and should be enough testimonial for fans of CRIMINAL to get on board and support this project.
MAFIOSA is the first part of a compelling tale of a single woman resisting the restrictions of gender discrimination set during a time when any form of female rebellion or independence was viewed by the general public as criminal and immoral. To make matters even harder for main character Nicoletta Marchesi, she’s part of a traditional Sicilian-American family steeped in the ways of the old country, and also tied to the rigid rules of the Cosa Nostra.
After a reckless incident Nicoletta’s mother reminds her of her expected place in the world, reciting the rules to her: “We are the homemakers. Beautiful support systems for the men of our family. The rules keep you safe. In this family everybody has a job.”
Nicoletta has her own interpretation which she expresses after taking matters into her own hands to finalize an unresolved issue from years prior: “This business . . . my family’s business . . . it’s all about doing whatever it takes to provide for the ones you love. If I have to break the rules to do that . . . then so be it.”
Issue #1 opens in 1929 when Nicoletta achieves that retribution in violent and bloody fashion in a hotel room, and then brazenly uses a public phone in the lobby where guests can see the visible evidence of her actions all over her blouse. There’s a clever montage of visuals detailing what’s occurring in some other hotel rooms (from normal to solid activities) while Nicoletta begins the business of cleaning up after the job.
The story then flashes back to 1923 when Nicoletta reveals her streak of independence by sneaking into the backseat while her older brothers drive to a dangerous mission per their father’s instructions. The story moves along at a fast pace but manages to give readers a clear picture of NIcoletta’s independent nature and her challenging the traditional roles within her family.
There are two more issues planned. Here’s hoping that Rainwerks is able to use the crowdfunding success as a launch pad to get the books into comic shops and make it available to a larger audience. MAFIOSA deserves more attention.
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