BERGER BOOKS INTRODUCES THE ORIGINAL FEMME FATALE
Emma Beeby and Ariela Kristantina Pull Back the Curtain on the Controversial Historical Figure in “Mata Hari”
MILWAUKIE, Ore., (November 28, 2017)—Mata Hari, the infamous “stripper spy” lived a colorful life that came to a dark end. The woman who claimed she was born a Javanese princess died a figure of public hatred when she was executed by a French firing squad in 1917. A century after her death, questions are still raised about her conviction, her life, and the line between fact and fiction.
Now, breakout talent writer Emma Beeby (Judge Dredd), artist Ariela Kristantina (InSEXts), and colorist Pat Masioni (Unknown Soldier) tell the intriguing and often tragic tale of the original femme fatale in this carefully researched series, which includes information from original MI5 files.
The first issue of Mata Hari introduces us to the controversial figure on the eve of her execution as she writes her memoir, walking the line between the romantic tale of a Javanese princess who performed “sacred” nude dances for Europe’s elite, and a real-life saga of a disgraced wife and mother who lost everything in her fight for what she believed was right.
But, as she sits trial for treason and espionage, we hear another tale, of a flamboyant Dutch woman who became “the most dangerous spy France has ever captured”–a double agent who whored herself for secrets, lived a life of scandal, and loved only money. Leading us to ask . . . who was the real Mata Hari?
Mata Hari #1 (of five) is on sale February 21, 2018 and is available for preorder at your local comic shop.
Replies
I recently read up on Mata Hari for some reason or other, and feel like she actually had a rather sad life. Far from the exotic spy mistress of legend, she was just a woman with few options (like all of them at the time) who was cursed with lifelong syphillis (thanks to an abusive, philandering ex-husband) who rejected the status quo for women of her time (since it had served her so poorly). She tried to live her life her way, and was of course condemned for it. When war began, her non-traditional lifestyle (for a woman) immediately made her a suspect for every side, and she lost everything -- including her life.