Local author Chelsea Cain loves dark humor. Her Heartsick series, starring Portland detective Archie Sheridan and serial killer Gretchen Lowell, is a dark, messy, cinematic parade of murder, lust, and addiction—with all those elements intertwined. But it’s funny, too, and features strong women characters, thereby making Cain (a former Mercury contributor) a very reasonable choice to pen a new Marvel series starring S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most kickass female spy, Bobbi Morse (AKA Mockingbird).
Usually a secondary character in the Marvel Universe, serving as an intermediary between S.H.I.E.L.D. and more famous heroes, Bobbi’s life took a severe left-hand turn during a New Avengers storyline, in which her near-death was averted by Nick Fury’s Infinity Formula and Captain America’s Super Soldier Serum. Though her life was saved, this weird cocktail gave her powers she’s just now beginning to understand—and this is where Cain’s Mockingbird series takes off.
