By: Nicole D'Andria
Black Magick #1 is the most promising
start to a new series that I have read all year. On every level this issue hits
its mark and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it on some of the best lists
inevitably made at the end of this year.
Rowan
Black is both a police officer and a witch. She’s called away from a gathering
to confront a hostage taker who is specifically asking for her. What does he
want and will people have to die in order for Rowan to find out?
It’s hard
to say more about the plot without giving anything away. In fact, that’s the only complaint I
have about this issue. On paper, not a lot happens in this issue. The reader is
given a lot of mysteries but little progression of plot which is to be somewhat
expected since this is a debut issue.
Starting
us off with a little witchcraft and then switching to a hostage situation,
Rucka immediately gives us a peak into the life of Rowan Black by showing how
her world of spells and guns overlap in problematic ways. It’s impressive that
the entire issue basically revolves around one event happening at one location
with the exception of the first couple of pages while still managing to be
interesting throughout. The fact that this is a hostage situation makes the
entire issue feel tense.
While
Rucka’s story here is great, I love Nicola Scott’s artwork even more. Every panel
is drawn beautifully with great detail put into characters' faces that really
make them distinct from one another and interesting to look at. This means
their emotions also come through wonderfully. When the hostage taker looks
stressed, you can see it in his eyes... and in the sweat pouring off his face. Even the
backgrounds are given some a great level of detail. The shading also plays an important role in the artwork and gives it an almost expressionistic look that I would love to see emphasized even more in future issues.
Colorist Chiara
Arena mostly uses black and white in this issue and I’ve never seen
black-and-white artwork used to as great an advantage as it was here. The lack of color
sets the mood perfectly for the series, really adding to the artwork. When
other colors are used, it’s usually very subtle and always adds to the panel.
One example is in a panel that is a close-up of the hostage taker's eyes with red veins. The best instance of
color was during a two page spread towards the end of the comic which is one of
the best moments of interior comic art this year.
This was
a truly spellbinding read both because of the fascinating story set up by Greg
Rucka and the intense, mostly black-and-white artwork by Nicola Scott combined with the subtle color touches of Chiara Arena. I give Black Magick #1 a 9.3/10.
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