Mata Hari

Description

This book explores the life of the controversial and historical figure, Mata Hari -- the exotic dancer, convicted double agent, and original femme fatale--told from her own perspective. It collects the five-issue series and includes additional historical material and an artist's sketchbook. Dancer. Courtesan. Spy. Executed by a French firing squad in 1917. One hundred years on from her death, questions are still raised about her conviction. Now, the lesser-known, often tragic story of the woman who claimed she was born a princess, and died a figure of public hatred, with no one to claim her body is told by break-out talent writer Emma Beeby (Judge Dredd), artist Ariela Kristantina (Insexts), and colorist Pat Masioni drawing on biographies and released MI5 files We meet Mata Hari in prison at the end of her life as she writes her memoir--part romantic tale of a Javanese princess who performed "sacred" nude dances for Europe's elite, and part real-life saga of a disgraced wife and mother, who has everything she loves taken from her. 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?

Based in Scotland, Emma Beeby is best known as the first woman to write Judge Dredd for 2000 AD in its 38-year history. A professional writer for nine years, Emma has worked on films, games and audio plays, as well as comics. Emma has written for other comics titles such as Judge Anderson and created two original series for 2000 AD comics- Survival Geeks and The Alienist. She is currently co-writing a Doctor Who series for Titan Comics. Her writing has been nominated for awards by the Writers' Guild of Great Britain and the British Comics Awards. Her first creator-owned graphic novel, Robbie Burns- Witch Hunter, co-written with Gordon Rennie, won Best Graphic Novel, and Emma also won Best Writer and Best Newcomer in the 2015 Scottish Independent Comic Book Awards.