Magic #1
Author: Jed MacKay
Artist: Ig Guara
Shade Artist: Arianna Consonni of Arancia Studios
Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Cowl Artists: Matteo Scalera & Moreno Dinisio
Writer: BOOM! Studios
As is the case with many long-running franchises constructed on many years of lore and content material, stepping into Magic: The Gathering can appear a frightening activity to the uninitiated. It’s not not like deciding to leap into X-Males comics with out ever having learn one. There’s loads to compensate for to really get to the center of it. Jed MacKay and Ig Guara’s new Magic sequence, coming contemporary off of BOOM’s acquisition of the license, appears to pay attention to this and slightly than easing readers into its world, it as an alternative goes the route of dropping them from approach up excessive into the chaos, however not with out serving to them construct their wings alongside the best way.
Magic #1 appears like opening an official lore or information e book on the multiverse of story that’s the card sport. It follows a bunch of guild masters and Planeswalkers (the thematic or card enlargement identities gamers assume by way of their decks, and likewise Magic‘s strongest beings) as they’re instantly attacked by a band of assassins who appear to be particularly educated to take care of the strengths and weaknesses their targets possess.
In a form of wink to the mechanics of the cardboard sport (delicate although it might be), the assault performs out like the kind of elemental showdown MTG is understood for. What makes the explosive opening work is that MacKay and Guara do their world constructing because the motion unfolds.
Followers will acknowledge the principle location the story takes place in, Ravnica, a metropolis world that homes a fancy society dotted with highly effective Planeswalkers who function from all components of it, all the best way all the way down to the slums the place pockets of darkish magic create realities completely their very own. MacKay’s script does a wonderful job explaining how this place manifests itself every day, detailing the sorts of beings that make up its social material.
In a matter of pages we’re launched to thieves, ghost-assassins, magewrights, maniacs, and all method of Planeswalker. It’d appear to be a large info dump, but it surely doesn’t come off as such. In fact, Guara’s illustrations assist the script arrange the world superbly with every panel being worthy of particular person Magic playing cards of their very own.
The vistas offered early on within the comedian give Ravnica a way of historical past and tradition to it that makes all the things really feel nicely lived-in. The quantity of element and shade added (courtesy of Arianna Consonni) permits for a wealthy visible exploration of Ravnica, full with darkish lowlands and hidden corners that solely these characters with their toes planted in each the decrease and better lessons of town can ever hope to traverse.
The give attention to world-building pays off splendidly, but it surely comes a bit on the expense of character growth, which can also be a criticism that may be levied on the cardboard sport itself. That the principle plotline begins off with the assassins’ assault means we don’t spend sufficient time attending to know the Planeswalkers which are in the midst of it. Challenge #2 would possibly want to select up on this in order that its world will get equally engaging characters.
This could be extra of a private pet peeve, however I’m all the time looking for Magic tales that extra deliberately incorporate Magic card amassing throughout the confines of its expanded universe. The sport already makes use of its playing cards to inform the story, temporary although they might be within the course of. Maybe discovering a strategy to reverse engineer the playing cards to allow them to be given extra story in prose books and comics could be a worthwhile enterprise.
In fact, this final remark is irrelevant to the comedian MacKay and Guara produced to kick off this new chapter in Magic historical past. The primary problem of the brand new sequence does a outstanding job organising its world. It reveals its creators are dedicated to honoring the storytelling parts of the legendary sport with out watering down the core parts that make it so common. It’s the form of comedian that’ll make you both choose up your playing cards for a fast sport or go to the shop to purchase a number of booster packs.
