Just in time for the Thanksgiving season is the concept book by Naoki Serizawa, Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Vol. 1. For those familiar with the Resident Evil video game series, The Marhawa Desire series takes place before the events of Resident Evil 6. After a female student endures a shocking transformation, Professor Doug Wright and his nephew Ricky Tozawa are brought in to investigate. They are called in by one of Wrights former acquaintances, Mother Gracia.
True to the Resident Evil feel, not every character is who they seem to be. Intentions are revealed and conspiracies are unraveled with each beautifully drawn page. Mother Gracia, Wright’s former girlfriend, is not the same woman he used to know. She is obsessed with keeping the integrity of school by not informing the student body of a potential bio-hazard. She urges the uncle and nephew duo of Wright and Tozawa to find a cure for the virus before the school knows. She is willing to go such lengths as blowing up buildings of the infected to insure evidence of a virus is present. She is recreating her own version of the Racoon City incident found in earlier Resident Evil stories.
Resident Evil has always stood out as a different kind of zombie story and the Marhawa Desire does not stray. The behavior found in many of the human antagonists has been often just as scary if not scarier than some of the monsters in the Resident Evil lore. Through Mother Gracia, even a woman of God can not be trusted in this case. She is determined to leave behind a perfect legacy at Marhawa after the opportunity to lead was passed down to her. Though she believes she is righteous and doing God’s work, she is actually serving just her own interests. You could say other popular zombie stories such as Walking Dead, 28 Days Later, and most recently, The Last Of Us took a cue or two from the Resident Evil franchise. If the zombies don’t kill you, the remaining survivors will.
What I’ve enjoyed so far in the Marhawa Desire, is the character development by Naoki Serizawa. He has done a fine job in giving a decent back story for the central characters without taking too long to do it. You know exactly why the character’s are behaving the way they are from the beginning without having to read a back story later that explains their actions. There is a secret to Ricky which is a nod to the Resident Evil movies, but I won’t give that away.
Overall I would say to go check out Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire, if you are a fan of the series or just a good zombie tale in general. The book appeals to both fans of the video game and movie franchises. I wouldn’t say reading Marhawa Desire is crucial to understanding Resident Evil 6, but it is nice to see familiar characters such as Chris Redfield. On November 18th be sure to pick up your copy of Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Vol. 1 at Amazon and stores everywhere!
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Resident Evil: The Marhawa Desire Vol. 1 5 out of 5 outbreaks.
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