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Marian Heretic #1
Marian Heretic #1
Experience a bold new series where divine conviction meets dark compromise.
Sister Marian is a witch hunter, a Mother Superior and a heretic—guided by a Goddess the Church refuses to acknowledge. When the Holy Father Church brands her order blasphemers, Marian strikes a dark bargain to become their personal enforcer. As she delivers murderous judgment night after night in the city of Vespers, she can feel her soul fracture…but what can she do with the lives of her sisters at stake?
Acclaimed writer Tini Howard (Catwoman, Excalibur) and artist Joe Jaro (Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer), launches a provocative new take on nunsploitation, religious horror, and rebellion!
Sister Marian is a witch hunter, a Mother Superior and a heretic—guided by a Goddess the Church refuses to acknowledge. When the Holy Father Church brands her order blasphemers, Marian strikes a dark bargain to become their personal enforcer. As she delivers murderous judgment night after night in the city of Vespers, she can feel her soul fracture…but what can she do with the lives of her sisters at stake?
Acclaimed writer Tini Howard (Catwoman, Excalibur) and artist Joe Jaro (Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer), launches a provocative new take on nunsploitation, religious horror, and rebellion!
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Published October 15, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
March 20, 2026
Marian has been branded a heretic by the Church for worshipping the Mother of God. Beholden to three men she now is forced to kill witches, those women who worship pagan goddesses in order to keep her sister nuns safe. One evening she comes across Raveena, a witch she is meant to kill, instead she lets her go and discovers that maybe she's been fighting the wrong people.
Alright, so I am going to be completely honest, lately with comics or graphic novels I feel like I have been coming up a bit short. The stories are good but they aren't great, I don't really feel compelled to read anymore, so I didn't have the highest of hopes for this, even though it's an assassin nun. Pleasantly surprised that I really loved this. Is it a pretty stereotypical story in terms of men convinced of their superiority, especially men of the cloth but where I was surprised is it is not some sort of medieval story (there are women in jeans!) but it's also not super white either. Two of the "witches" Marian meet are Black women, her sisters are diverse, the only people that are strictly white are the oppressive men. Super, duper important distinction to make. White men (and women yes) have oppressed women especially who worship, differently (this is obvious) but also and especially any "religious practice" (I don't necessarily want to say religion here because you have practices that may be of faith but not religion if that makes sense so I have the "") that may see women have some sort of authority in that practice. I think this gets missed a lot when we are having conversations about how Christianity oppressed current beliefs in areas they colonized, a conversation specifically how this oppression affected women. And no this isn't a super in-depth conversation regarding this topic but the representation is there which allows for a conversation to start. Plus, it's only volume one, maybe we'll see more of this conversation down the road.
I also loved, loved that this was modern. I am sick to death of something that literally happens today being consistently regulated to a "really long time ago". Religious oppression of women especially in the U.S. and especially in red states (which usually have high populations of Evangelical Christians) is so absolutely a today thing. Look at how many laws that have either been passed or are trying to be passed regarding abortion for example that 100% have some sort of religious basis to them. We already have statements that Muslim women are oppressed due to their wearing head scarfs (thanks to our current war that no one wanted), I could go on. Point is that by putting these characters in modern dress while it feeling like this world is a few centuries old is a very loud statement about the state of our world and the place many women find themselves in it. He never comes out and says that "The Son" agrees with him by turning on the women that worship his Mother, but, even if he doesn't it's pretty clear that Mary can speak with Marian so if she can than I am guessing The Son can and if he's silent throughout his representatives actions, well he's just turned on his own mother. It is a powerful statement.
Finally, I love that the one man who looked like he was a good guy absolutely ends up being not. Since this character (and look I didn't pay attention to the men's names or the name of their little tribunal or whatever) is supposed portrayed as being young and naive but also the representative of Jesus (the son of Mary whom Marian worships) as a mom this says a freaking lot.
I will definitely be continuing this series; it is a well thought out, action packed, absolutely brutal look at the role religion plays in the oppression of women and I am here for it!
As always thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for the eArc!
Alright, so I am going to be completely honest, lately with comics or graphic novels I feel like I have been coming up a bit short. The stories are good but they aren't great, I don't really feel compelled to read anymore, so I didn't have the highest of hopes for this, even though it's an assassin nun. Pleasantly surprised that I really loved this. Is it a pretty stereotypical story in terms of men convinced of their superiority, especially men of the cloth but where I was surprised is it is not some sort of medieval story (there are women in jeans!) but it's also not super white either. Two of the "witches" Marian meet are Black women, her sisters are diverse, the only people that are strictly white are the oppressive men. Super, duper important distinction to make. White men (and women yes) have oppressed women especially who worship, differently (this is obvious) but also and especially any "religious practice" (I don't necessarily want to say religion here because you have practices that may be of faith but not religion if that makes sense so I have the "") that may see women have some sort of authority in that practice. I think this gets missed a lot when we are having conversations about how Christianity oppressed current beliefs in areas they colonized, a conversation specifically how this oppression affected women. And no this isn't a super in-depth conversation regarding this topic but the representation is there which allows for a conversation to start. Plus, it's only volume one, maybe we'll see more of this conversation down the road.
I also loved, loved that this was modern. I am sick to death of something that literally happens today being consistently regulated to a "really long time ago". Religious oppression of women especially in the U.S. and especially in red states (which usually have high populations of Evangelical Christians) is so absolutely a today thing. Look at how many laws that have either been passed or are trying to be passed regarding abortion for example that 100% have some sort of religious basis to them. We already have statements that Muslim women are oppressed due to their wearing head scarfs (thanks to our current war that no one wanted), I could go on. Point is that by putting these characters in modern dress while it feeling like this world is a few centuries old is a very loud statement about the state of our world and the place many women find themselves in it. He never comes out and says that "The Son" agrees with him by turning on the women that worship his Mother, but, even if he doesn't it's pretty clear that Mary can speak with Marian so if she can than I am guessing The Son can and if he's silent throughout his representatives actions, well he's just turned on his own mother. It is a powerful statement.
Finally, I love that the one man who looked like he was a good guy absolutely ends up being not. Since this character (and look I didn't pay attention to the men's names or the name of their little tribunal or whatever) is supposed portrayed as being young and naive but also the representative of Jesus (the son of Mary whom Marian worships) as a mom this says a freaking lot.
I will definitely be continuing this series; it is a well thought out, action packed, absolutely brutal look at the role religion plays in the oppression of women and I am here for it!
As always thanks to NetGalley and BOOM! Studios for the eArc!
March 8, 2026
The art is sick!!
The storyline was very fast paced, but each page sucked me in. The only complaint would be, I wanted more of a tug of war on certain moments?
Certain scenes seemed too simple.
But I enjoyed and love the storyline that was built overall. When she saw another 3, and left?
I cackled lol!! The characters were all interesting, no matter how little we got to know them, and the twists were all executed nicely.
I can’t wait to see more from this series.
The storyline was very fast paced, but each page sucked me in. The only complaint would be, I wanted more of a tug of war on certain moments?
Certain scenes seemed too simple.
But I enjoyed and love the storyline that was built overall. When she saw another 3, and left?
I cackled lol!! The characters were all interesting, no matter how little we got to know them, and the twists were all executed nicely.
I can’t wait to see more from this series.
March 14, 2026
Sister Marian is many things: a Mother Superior, a witch hunter, and a devout follower of a Goddess the Holy Father Church refuses to acknowledge.
When the Church declares her order heretical, Marian agrees to serve as its personal enforcer—delivering nightly judgment across the city of Vespers in exchange for her Sisters’ survival.
While not religiously or historically accurate, this is an fantastic story of a woman who is deemed a heriticbecause she believes in the divinity of Mary, the Holy Mother. But she selflessly puts aside her beliefs and needs to protect her sisters and her order but doing the bidding of the male dominated church. There is where her strengths lie, her faithfulness, her loyalty, and her true beliefs. That story speaks of the disparity between the church and woman that has been going on for eons.
The art is absolutely amazing. Marian is the best of all, the movement that is so apparent in the artwork, the flowing of her habit, the way she looks like an avenging angel or destroying demon simply by the movements of her clothing is genius.
Recommened Publishing date July 28, 2026
Thanks to @netgalley and Boom! Studios for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
When the Church declares her order heretical, Marian agrees to serve as its personal enforcer—delivering nightly judgment across the city of Vespers in exchange for her Sisters’ survival.
While not religiously or historically accurate, this is an fantastic story of a woman who is deemed a heriticbecause she believes in the divinity of Mary, the Holy Mother. But she selflessly puts aside her beliefs and needs to protect her sisters and her order but doing the bidding of the male dominated church. There is where her strengths lie, her faithfulness, her loyalty, and her true beliefs. That story speaks of the disparity between the church and woman that has been going on for eons.
The art is absolutely amazing. Marian is the best of all, the movement that is so apparent in the artwork, the flowing of her habit, the way she looks like an avenging angel or destroying demon simply by the movements of her clothing is genius.
Recommened Publishing date July 28, 2026
Thanks to @netgalley and Boom! Studios for the opportunity to read this eArc in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.
March 3, 2026
This will be the first comic I have had the pleasure of reviewing, so forgive me if it's not helpful. It's certainly not the first comic or Manga of my life but I did thoroughly enjoy this one. I picked it up due to the content- I have a soft spot for lesbian nuns and women who can defend themselves. This was certainly not a let down at all.
I am unsure if my inexperience with comics is coloring my opinion, however, the story telling was not always the most clear. It felt choppy or disjointed in places. I couldn't get a full read on the character's feelings before the next panel was showing me the opposite of what I thought I understood to be happening. Again, that could be user error.
The art style was gorgeous. Really reminded me of Monstrous or the Witcher comic. It was incredibly tasteful while also toeing the line for gore and nudity. The plot is intense and the blurb really does this story justice, no surprises for sure. It's a badass comic with some very sick characters. Marian is really well written for such a short amount of time with her. I cannot wait to learn more about the women of her convent as well. I'm still not so certain about Ravena or the other witches but I am looking forward to continuing on to learn more about them.
Thanks to Netgalley and Boom! for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I am unsure if my inexperience with comics is coloring my opinion, however, the story telling was not always the most clear. It felt choppy or disjointed in places. I couldn't get a full read on the character's feelings before the next panel was showing me the opposite of what I thought I understood to be happening. Again, that could be user error.
The art style was gorgeous. Really reminded me of Monstrous or the Witcher comic. It was incredibly tasteful while also toeing the line for gore and nudity. The plot is intense and the blurb really does this story justice, no surprises for sure. It's a badass comic with some very sick characters. Marian is really well written for such a short amount of time with her. I cannot wait to learn more about the women of her convent as well. I'm still not so certain about Ravena or the other witches but I am looking forward to continuing on to learn more about them.
Thanks to Netgalley and Boom! for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 10, 2026
Well oh my gee, I would like me a Marian 😜
I liked the sexiness, the action and the nuns themselves defeating the evil patriarchy of the Catholic Church. It’s just so good lads!
Got this via Netgalley and BOOM studios with pleasure 👍
I liked the sexiness, the action and the nuns themselves defeating the evil patriarchy of the Catholic Church. It’s just so good lads!
Got this via Netgalley and BOOM studios with pleasure 👍
March 5, 2026
4 🌟
Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Joe Jaro's illustrations are stunning! The linework is detailed, expressive, and captures the grittiness of Vespers. It was such an atmospheric read.
The city of Vespers came to life in these pages. The Church was depicted as an oppressive institution that weaponised belief. It was very thought provoking.
Our protagonist (Sister Marian)is such a strong character with different identities (a heretic/ witch hunter). She was filled with feminine rage resisting institutional corruption and I loved it. We need more characters like her. I am very excited for the next volume.
Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Joe Jaro's illustrations are stunning! The linework is detailed, expressive, and captures the grittiness of Vespers. It was such an atmospheric read.
The city of Vespers came to life in these pages. The Church was depicted as an oppressive institution that weaponised belief. It was very thought provoking.
Our protagonist (Sister Marian)is such a strong character with different identities (a heretic/ witch hunter). She was filled with feminine rage resisting institutional corruption and I loved it. We need more characters like her. I am very excited for the next volume.
October 22, 2025
Marian Heretic #1
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Tini Howard & Joe Jaro
Wow. What an electrifying start to this series! Tini Howard and Joe Jaro plunge us into the blood-soaked streets of Vespers, where Sister Marian—a witch hunter, heretic, and reluctant enforcer—walks a razor’s edge between divine purpose and damnation. Guided by a Goddess the Church refuses to name, Marian’s descent into sanctioned violence is as tragic as it is thrilling. Every panel pulses with tension, rebellion, and sacrilege.
Jaro’s art is a revelation: gothic, gritty, and gloriously unholy. Howard’s script crackles with righteous fury and moral ambiguity. This isn’t just nunsploitation—it’s a spiritual war wrapped in horror and heartbreak.
What will happen next?
Give me more.
Give me Marian.
Give me vengeance.
✝️📚
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Tini Howard & Joe Jaro
Wow. What an electrifying start to this series! Tini Howard and Joe Jaro plunge us into the blood-soaked streets of Vespers, where Sister Marian—a witch hunter, heretic, and reluctant enforcer—walks a razor’s edge between divine purpose and damnation. Guided by a Goddess the Church refuses to name, Marian’s descent into sanctioned violence is as tragic as it is thrilling. Every panel pulses with tension, rebellion, and sacrilege.
Jaro’s art is a revelation: gothic, gritty, and gloriously unholy. Howard’s script crackles with righteous fury and moral ambiguity. This isn’t just nunsploitation—it’s a spiritual war wrapped in horror and heartbreak.
What will happen next?
Give me more.
Give me Marian.
Give me vengeance.
✝️📚
October 16, 2025
I love Tini Howard's writing. She did not disappoint. Loved this new story by her!
March 20, 2026
The art?? INSANE 😭🔥 like actually sooo good!!
The story is super fast-paced, every page just pulled me in and I couldn’t stop reading 👀 but ngl… I kinda wish some moments had a bit more tension?? Like a stronger push and pull in certain scenes. Some parts felt a little too easy.
But overall?? I LOVED the story that was built here 🖤 when she saw another 3 and just left??? I actually cackled lol 💀
The characters were all interesting, even with the little time we get with them, and the twists were done really well 👏 I’m definitely excited to see more from this series!!
Sister Marian is SUCH a compelling character: Mother Superior, witch hunter, and a devoted follower of a Goddess the Church refuses to acknowledge 👀 when her order is declared heretical, she becomes their enforcer, delivering judgment every night in Vespers just to keep her Sisters safe…
It’s not meant to be historically or religiously accurate, but it tells such a powerful story about a woman labeled a heretic for believing in the divinity of Mary. And despite everything, she puts her own beliefs aside to protect her Sisters, even if it means serving a male-dominated Church.
That’s where her strength really shows — her loyalty, her faith, and what she truly believes in 🤍 and honestly, it highlights that ongoing tension between the Church and women that’s existed forever.
And the ART again 😩✨ Marian looks incredible — the movement, the flow of her habit, the way she can look like an avenging angel one second and a literal demon the next just through the motion of her clothes… GENIUS.
📅 Expected publication: July 28, 2026
Thank you @netgalley and Boom! Studios for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💌
The story is super fast-paced, every page just pulled me in and I couldn’t stop reading 👀 but ngl… I kinda wish some moments had a bit more tension?? Like a stronger push and pull in certain scenes. Some parts felt a little too easy.
But overall?? I LOVED the story that was built here 🖤 when she saw another 3 and just left??? I actually cackled lol 💀
The characters were all interesting, even with the little time we get with them, and the twists were done really well 👏 I’m definitely excited to see more from this series!!
Sister Marian is SUCH a compelling character: Mother Superior, witch hunter, and a devoted follower of a Goddess the Church refuses to acknowledge 👀 when her order is declared heretical, she becomes their enforcer, delivering judgment every night in Vespers just to keep her Sisters safe…
It’s not meant to be historically or religiously accurate, but it tells such a powerful story about a woman labeled a heretic for believing in the divinity of Mary. And despite everything, she puts her own beliefs aside to protect her Sisters, even if it means serving a male-dominated Church.
That’s where her strength really shows — her loyalty, her faith, and what she truly believes in 🤍 and honestly, it highlights that ongoing tension between the Church and women that’s existed forever.
And the ART again 😩✨ Marian looks incredible — the movement, the flow of her habit, the way she can look like an avenging angel one second and a literal demon the next just through the motion of her clothes… GENIUS.
📅 Expected publication: July 28, 2026
Thank you @netgalley and Boom! Studios for the eARC in exchange for my honest thoughts 💌
January 21, 2026
Marian Heretic #1, written by Tini Howard and drawn by Joe Jaro, is a gritty, horror-infused comic from BOOM! Studios that mixes nunsploitation, religious tension, and monster hunting.
Sister Marian serves as a top-tier witch hunter, a Mother Superior, and a secret heretic who follows a Goddess the official Church won't recognize. When the Holy Father labels her entire order blasphemous, she makes a desperate dark bargain: she becomes the Church's personal enforcer to shield her sisters from destruction.
Night after night in the shadowy city of Vespers, Marian carries out brutal judgments, hunting down threats while feeling her own soul slowly break under the weight of what she's doing. The issue sets up her internal conflict—torn between faith, loyalty, and the terrible cost of survival—while delivering bloody action and a provocative look at how belief can be twisted into a weapon.
It's a bold launch for the series, blending rebellion, horror, and deep questions about faith in a visually striking way.
Can't really kick off 2026 without throwing a few new comics in, and having a weakness for nuns I just had to give Sister Marian a chance. We're off to a great start!
4 Stars
Sister Marian serves as a top-tier witch hunter, a Mother Superior, and a secret heretic who follows a Goddess the official Church won't recognize. When the Holy Father labels her entire order blasphemous, she makes a desperate dark bargain: she becomes the Church's personal enforcer to shield her sisters from destruction.
Night after night in the shadowy city of Vespers, Marian carries out brutal judgments, hunting down threats while feeling her own soul slowly break under the weight of what she's doing. The issue sets up her internal conflict—torn between faith, loyalty, and the terrible cost of survival—while delivering bloody action and a provocative look at how belief can be twisted into a weapon.
It's a bold launch for the series, blending rebellion, horror, and deep questions about faith in a visually striking way.
Can't really kick off 2026 without throwing a few new comics in, and having a weakness for nuns I just had to give Sister Marian a chance. We're off to a great start!
4 Stars
March 19, 2026
Oh my Goddess, do I love Sister Marian!
The story is interesting and quick paced. The art is absolutely gorgeous—I especially loved the inclusion of variant covers.
Initially, I was drawn to this comic because of my nostalgia around series such as the manga Trinity Blood, Vol. 1, but really, this was nothing like anything else I've read before. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. The sexy, gritty aesthetics of the art and the dark feminist narrative was just to my liking and I will definitely be on the look out for the next volume.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The story is interesting and quick paced. The art is absolutely gorgeous—I especially loved the inclusion of variant covers.
Initially, I was drawn to this comic because of my nostalgia around series such as the manga Trinity Blood, Vol. 1, but really, this was nothing like anything else I've read before. That being said, I still thoroughly enjoyed this. The sexy, gritty aesthetics of the art and the dark feminist narrative was just to my liking and I will definitely be on the look out for the next volume.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
March 25, 2026
“To worship HER is the Marian heresy”
I found this one interesting because of the similarities between the biblical, Miriam, and the female main character of this graphic novel, Marian. The main character is considered heretical due to her belief in a female Goddess (The Holy Mother) and not the church’s male God (The Holy Father). Marian ends up working for the church, even though she is the matriarch of a following of women that worship The Holy Mother. She takes the Church’s offerings and kills witches for these so-called men of God. However, her feelings on the whole matter begins to evolve when she meets Ravenna, a witch. Will she follow her masters of the Church or follow her own faith, making her own decisions?
#ThxNetGalley #TiniHoward #JoeJaro #MarianHereticVol1
I found this one interesting because of the similarities between the biblical, Miriam, and the female main character of this graphic novel, Marian. The main character is considered heretical due to her belief in a female Goddess (The Holy Mother) and not the church’s male God (The Holy Father). Marian ends up working for the church, even though she is the matriarch of a following of women that worship The Holy Mother. She takes the Church’s offerings and kills witches for these so-called men of God. However, her feelings on the whole matter begins to evolve when she meets Ravenna, a witch. Will she follow her masters of the Church or follow her own faith, making her own decisions?
#ThxNetGalley #TiniHoward #JoeJaro #MarianHereticVol1
March 20, 2026
Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Stories about witches usually have me hooked immediately, but this one took a second to get into. The dialogue was hard to get used to, and the combination of a world with knights and cars was throwing me off. More or less, I had a hard time immersing myself into the story because I was more confused than anything. Although there were some cool ideas here—especially the cats, love the cats—I'm not sure this one was for me.
Stories about witches usually have me hooked immediately, but this one took a second to get into. The dialogue was hard to get used to, and the combination of a world with knights and cars was throwing me off. More or less, I had a hard time immersing myself into the story because I was more confused than anything. Although there were some cool ideas here—especially the cats, love the cats—I'm not sure this one was for me.
March 30, 2026
1.5 ⭐️ ✨ rounded to 2
NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The premise did sound interesting, but unfortunately the book just ended up being a little too dark for my liking.
I thought this was just okay. The art style- specifically how sexualized the women were drawn - huge boobs, ass, barely their clothing… I found kinda annoying.
I am sure there are many that would be interested in this, unfortunately just not me.
Rating 2 ⭐️
NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The premise did sound interesting, but unfortunately the book just ended up being a little too dark for my liking.
I thought this was just okay. The art style- specifically how sexualized the women were drawn - huge boobs, ass, barely their clothing… I found kinda annoying.
I am sure there are many that would be interested in this, unfortunately just not me.
Rating 2 ⭐️
March 30, 2026
This is a netgalley arc review:
In a time where woman gathering were suspected to be witches. In a city ran by church/men. Marian Heretic is having to deal with them and keeping her convent safe.
I enjoyed the story.
Strong female characters, action packed story with heart and soft moments.
The art was immaculate!
In a time where woman gathering were suspected to be witches. In a city ran by church/men. Marian Heretic is having to deal with them and keeping her convent safe.
I enjoyed the story.
Strong female characters, action packed story with heart and soft moments.
The art was immaculate!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews