Mariah Shirley as Mariah Casey

Perhaps one of Mariah Shirley's most unique roles was as Mariah Casey in the comic book series- "Sisters of Mercy". Mariah costarred with her sister, Malina Shirley (who played Malina Casey).

Mariah Casey and Malina Casey were orphans. Their mother had died a few years back and their father had disapeered. Still, they were happy and content. They loved eachother very much. Malina, who always loved animals, became a scientist. Her mission was to save some of the world's animals that were in danger of becoming extinct created an organization, A.R.K. (Animal Relocation Keep). A.R.K. bought a small island in the South Pacific and put a few of all the world's species there. They named the island A.R.K. Island.

Meanwhile, Mariah Casey was living in a big city, leading a normal life. One night, she was brutally assaulted (and probably raped). She spent weeks in the hospital recovering. During these weeks she became madder and MADDER! For the next three years, she spent every moment training and getting strong. She vowed no one would hurt her again. Then one day, an asian monk came to her place, saying she had a destiny written in the stars. He took her to a temple in the moutains of Asia- The White Tiger Temple. There, she was trained by the monks in the ways of martial arts. She became a great fighter. The monks told her if she stopped being so angry, she would be the best! But she couldn't... When she received the highest rank, she had her face tattooed with sacred ink to forever brand her as a warrior of teh White Tiger Temple. With this honor, she accepted teh gold sash and tri-bladed sword, swearing her life to defend the temple. Yet she couldn't let go of her anger.

Meanwhile, Malina was having trouble defending A.R.K. Island. It was in the path of the whales migration path and a group of Russian men were trying to capture the whales for their blubber. They attacked Malina and her boyfriend, blowing up the boat they were in. Her boyfriend died and she was adrift in the sea, one eye destroyed and her lungs quickly burning. She was washed ahore Mercy Island, home of the Mercy Island Correctional Facility, where the most evil of criminals were sent. The island is also a place where nuclear testing has made the land both useless and toxic. The guards found her and brought her to The Doctor. He seemed to know her, but wouldn't say anything. Although Malina's eye was gone and her lungs were destroyed, he was able to save her. He installed a Bio-Pack, a device to regulate all body functions adn pump oxygen into the lungs...even underwater! He also gave her a new eye.

The monks notfied Mariah that her sister needed her. They also warned her that something terrible was about to happen. She immediatly left and sailed to A.R.K. Island, where she was reunited with Malina. By then Malina had recovered, though her new eye gave her headaches. Mariah decided to stay on A.R.K. Island and help guard it.

Meanwhile, a new strain of the ebola virus had developed. It was ten times more deadly then any other strain. It became airbourne and spread around the world. Within two weeks, almost the entire world population was dead. Less the 1 million survived it. A.R.K. Island was spared. Over the next few years, people would come, but the sisters drove everyone away. They wanted to keep the island pure and free of any virus's or human interference. As Malina adjusted to her alterations, she found she could communicate with animals.

Mercy Island was also spared and the prisoners rebelled. The looked to the Doctor as their leader. The Doctor made everyone, including himself, into androids full of hatred...

Mercy Island is a two hour boatride from A.R.K. Island. The other nearby island is The Island of the Purple Sage, home to the last of the hippies. But lately people there have been disapeering...

The Sisters must guard their island, the inmates must find new resources and A.R.K. Island, the world's only refuge, must remain intact, without virus, and without the interference of man...especially the twisted souls of the prison.

"Sisters of Mercy" was created by Rikki Rockett and Mark Williams and ran from 1996-1997. There was some merchandise made- a phonecard and a resin figure of Malina. There were plans for a figure of Mariah, as well as t-shirts, action figures, and even a movie (starring Mariah Shirley!). However, Mark Williams passed away some time ago and all projects seem to be in limbo now.

You may still be able to find back issues. Call your local comic store and ask!

"Sisters of Mercy"

Part One: Issues 1-5

Part Two: Issues 0-5 (note- issue 0 had a variant cover)

Special- "When Razors Cry Crimson Tears"

(published by No Mercy Comics)

Some more images of Mariah!

ready to strike! lookin' fierce!

<---is this Mariah's sister?

This site was created by Leah

serendipity_lkw@hotmail.com