Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Black Magick #1
Image Comics
Rucka & Scott
"Black Magick" is a gorgeous comic book with a fairly tense opening issue. The comic introduces the lead character as someone that deals in Magick and then puts her into a situation that fuses her day job as a detective with her family background. The book is a dense read with a lot of back matter to enhance the story. Overall, this is a strong read in what looks to be a promising series. I highly recommend this comic.
The lead character is a woman named Rowan Black. She is depicted as a strong and confident detective by Scott's artwork. The artwork captures the look of the lead character from her initial introduction as someone that demands attention. As the book moves to the dramatic conclusion her presentation steals every panel. The artwork couldn't build a character any more from the ground up than what Scott has done with her. It's very difficult not to fall in love with Black and her style and attitude as she takes over the hostage situation. The artwork is the true highlight of this comic book.
As for the story, Rucka introduces Black's nighttime life, only to be interrupted by her day job. Black is called away to deal with the hostage situation because the guy with the hostages is requesting Black specifically. Black then is forced into the building alone to confront the man with the hostages. The book is extremely tense and definitely provides a level of police work that isn't always captured well in comic books. This comic concludes without a cliffhanger as this comic tells a complete story and with a shocking ending.
One of the few problems with the comic book is that Vertigo recently published an ongoing series called "Coffin Hill" that covered very familiar areas as this book. That comic had a female lead with a family history of black arts, that was a cop and that had her past catch up with her. I couldn't stop thinking about that series while reading this issue. Are the two books the same? Not at all, but when you read something and you are thinking about another book then it is a noticeable problem.
The back matter is a welcome addition to the book. There is a family tree, a write-up from a witness to a burning at the stake and a letter from the editor about her own dabbling into alternate forms of faith. The comic is a very well rounded read and sets the universe up from the creators down the characters in a way that not nearly enough first issues do today.
"Black Magick" is a great first issue. The comic book introduces an extremely strong lead character backed up with incredible artwork. The comic's plot is a hostage scene that brings a tense situation to a dramatic conclusion in the same issue. The comic is a complete read with a ton of back matter about the series and the universe that the creator's are establishing. This is an issue to pick up.
4.5 out of 5 Geek Goggles
