REVIEW: ‘Magic,’ Issue #3

Magic #3 is published by BOOM! Studios, written by Jed Mackay, with art by Ig Guara, colors by Arianna Consonni, and letters by Ed Dukeshire. Having received the blessing of the Guildpact, Kaya, Ral, and Vraska set off to find the guildhall of the secretive Dimir and learn what, if any, part they played in the recent attacks against their guilds. But what dangers await them in the endless passages of the Undercity?

As our star trio makes their way through the mass of tunnels, passages, and caverns that form the Undercity, Magic #3 utilizes this time to give further insight into these characters, their personal histories, and the nature of the world around them. Mackay manages to take what could easily be viewed as simply filler and make it an entertaining read. Being able to always keep the reader engaged and enjoying their read is a tough task. This is especially true when one is fleshing out settings and delving into the history of characters. Mackay balances this information delivery with enough personality and danger that it never begins to weigh down the tale. It’s an impressive feat, to say the least.

While the bulk of what we learn about our trio is told to us, Mackay also allows the reader to witness aspects of these characters. This show, don’t tell, approach to some pieces of their personalities further makes the whole process of character fleshing out all the smoother. This is especially true of Vraska. The Golgari Queen is given some great moments where the reader is allowed to not only see some of her formidable strengths but also glimpses of her weaknesses as well.

The action moments that are scattered throughout Magic #3 are short and sweet. Happily, what they lack in time, the makeup for in delivery. Each threatening confrontation serves its own story purpose as well as being a cool visual treat. Artist Guara certainly gets the most out of these brief moments of excitement to impress upon the reader the formidable power levels of the book’s protagonists.

Guara’s artistic contributions to this book do not end with the delivery of the story’s action. The presentation of the numerous locations, both in the Undercity as well as in the memories of the protagonists, is filled with eye-catching visual designs that make even the most briefly glimpsed locales stand out.

The striking visual design of Magic #3 is furthered by Consonni’s gorgeous colors. The numerous color palettes utilized throughout the issue help to further make Guara’s unique designs pop. But perhaps Consonni’s greatest gift to the book’s visual look is how deftly the colorist applies the lighting to the panels of this book.

As our heroes journey through the underground labyrinth in this issue, Consonni never fails to utilize key light sources to give each panel dramatic energy. This heightens the feeling of constant threat as the party progress through their journey.

Lastly, we look at the lettering provided by Dukeshire. There are some fairly wordy moments in this book. Luckily, Dukeshire can keep even the most verbose moments clearly laid out and placed so the reader can enjoy the art within the panels.

Magic #3 as a whole manages to both entertain its reader as well as further informing them about the nature of its stars and the world they live in.

Magic #3 is available now wherever comics are sold.