Gene Ha
MAE Vol. 2
(Roar/Lion Forge, October 2019)
Mae has followed her long-lost sister Abbie through a gate and into another world: Cimrterén, a world full of dangerous creatures, strange science, and warring nobles. Their father has gone missing at the hands of these malicious dukes, and Mae and Abbie must fight their way to the heart of Ebenhrad to find their father. Along their journey, they’ll come across old friends, plus some new adversaries determined to stand in their way. In the second volume of the series, Mae and Abbie face some of their biggest challenges yet. Even fantasy-locked sisters can have their differences. After a big blow-up fight, Mae sets out on her own, leaving Abbie behind. When Mae learns that navigating her own way through Cimrterén isn’t as easy as she thought, she calls on her old friend Dahlia for backup. Together they begin to uncover sinister secrets and piece together a much darker history to the Fortell family than they’d ever thought possible.
Also available: MAE Volume 1
Praise for the MAE series:
“Mae is a treasure. A wonder.”
–DoomRocket
“A beautiful and riveting work of comics art that I would recommend to anyone.”
—Mark Waid
“Well worth a read for anyone who enjoys seeing fantasy and reality clash.”
—IGN
“The art is jaw-droppingly good.”
—Adventures in Good Taste
“The actual reading of the story was pure joy…[Gene Ha] is an expert storyteller.”
—Bill Willingham
“Ambitious and remarkable.”
—AV Club
“Gene Ha has nothing but magic to offer his readers.”
—Comicosity
“Ha has obviously been paying attention and honing his skills while working alongside comics luminaries like Moore, Meltzer, and Morrison, enough so that Mae, his first foray into solo long-form story construction, reads like anything but. Timing and pacing is excellent throughout, and the Fortell sisters’ characterization and their wonderfully (frustratingly) complex relationship serves as the comic’s cornerstone… Ha’s exuberance for the material is barely contained in these beautiful pages. This glorious positivity makes for a comic that wears its heart on its sleeve, which, fittingly enough, makes it Midwestern as heck. Warm-hearted and immersive, Mae already feels like a comic series I’ve been reading, voraciously, for years and years.”
—DoomRocket
“The artwork is vibrant, with colors as bright as the main characters. It looks like a great all-ages cartoon at times and also brings weight, because this is a story about consequences and adjusting to unforeseen events.”
—The Mary Sue
“Could very well be today’s comic book form of The Wizard of Oz. Highly recommended.”
—Fanboy Nation
“Fantastic…Visually it’s a feast for your eyes, plus the story carries the art with a wonderful grace. Gene Ha has the start of something wonderful that can appeal to all ages…It reminds me of a time in my childhood when I believed anything was possible and like Alice; a simple looking glass could lead you down the rabbit hole into a glorious new world.”
—TM Stash
Read DoomRocket‘s review and interview with Gene Ha
Listen to Gene Ha’s interview with on the Wayne’s Comics Podcast
Gene Ha has worked since 1992 on books such as Fables, Justice League, Cyclops & Phoenix, and Oktane. He won three Eisner awards for his collaboration with Alan Moore on Top 10 and one Eisner with Brad Meltzer for JLA #11.