REVIEW: ‘Magic,’ Issue #2

Magic #2 is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Jed Mackay, with art by Ig Guara, colors by Arianna Consonni, and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Having survived the respective assassination attempts on their lives Vraska, Ral, and Kaya attempt to decipher the mystery of who would make such a brazen attempt against three of Ravinca’s most powerful individuals. And there is also the matter of the comatose Jace Beleren.

In its debut issue, my one major complaint about Magic was its slow start, as it opened its story with a massive information dump for any not familiar with Magic: The Gathering, Planeswalkers, or the multiverse. While a fair amount of information is dispersed to the reader yet again, in Magic #2, it is delivered in a much smoother fashion. This smoother approach fleshes out some of the broader concepts of Ravnica, even as the story progresses around it.

The story opens with our trio of Planeswalkers picking up their meeting on the plane of Zendikar that closed out the last issue. The biggest takeaway from this meeting the group can muster is that they simply do not yet possess enough information about their hidden foe. They need information. But the best way for them to acquire this information was taken from them when Jace fell victim to a psychic trap. But perhaps this act of treachery can be undone?

As the trio check in on the condition of Jace, attempt to unmask their hidden foe, and face more immediate dangers Magic #2 keeps every moment lively, thanks to strong character writing on the part of Mackay. While Ral, Kaya, and Vraska each have their own way of approaching problems, as well as getting on each other’s nerves when they clash, Mackay does an excellent job using the personality clashes to keep the moment to moment interesting without ever letting it get out of hand. I never found myself disbelieving that these three individuals could actually function together.

While the bulk of the story’s personality is delivered to the reader through its three stars, there is plenty of personality beyond them. As the reader is introduced to members of the other guilds of Ravnica, Mackay does a wonderful job of reinforcing the written descriptions of each guild’s tenets with the personality of its representative.

The numerous personalities of the denizens of Ravnica, as well as the plane itself, are brought to life through Magic #2‘s art. Artist Guara not only brings these characters to life but also does a great job of transferring them from the painted, high fantasy style most of them otherwise exist in to a form that feels perfectly placed in the comic book style.

Consonni’s continued brilliant colorwork further elevates this art. Beyond just the wonderful selection of bright, vibrant colors Consonni implements throughout this book, the colorist also utilizes some absolutely gorgeous lighting. This lighting design takes the moments they are used to a whole other level.

Wrapping up Magic #2‘s visual representation is Dukeshire’s letters. Not only does the letterist manage to keep the story flowing cleanly and out of the way of the art, but also freely utilizes alternate dialogue designs to help further deliver the strong character that the narrative focuses on.

When all is said and done, Magic #2 builds on the solid foundation of its predecessor without making any of its mistakes. If the creative team can continue to deliver this level of storytelling, readers have a lot to look forward to as this story unfolds.

Magic #2 is available now wherever comics are sold.