- Written by: Ashley Allen
- Art by: Germán Peralta
- Colors by: Arthur Hesli
- Letters by: VC’s Ariana Maher
- Cover art by: J. Scott Campbell, Tanya Lehoux
- Cover price: $4.99
- Release date: January 8, 2025
Magik #1, by Marvel Comics on 1/8/25, sends the mutant with a big sword to Juneau, Alaska, when a demonic sorcerer kidnaps mutants for a blood ritual to free an ancient evil.
Is Magik #1 Good?
Plot Synopsis
Magik #1 begins on Illyana Rasputin’s, aka Magik, aka Darkchild, birthday. The X-Men surprise her with an early morning birthday party, but she uses the news of disappearing mutants in nearby Juneau as an excuse to get out of the awkward celebration. Magik arrives during the funeral of Moni, a young mutant who was spirited away a few days before. No body was ever found, but her family quickly presumed her dead. Outside, anti-mutant protestors loudly disrupt the somber viewing.
Magik teleports into the scene but refrains from assaulting the hostile protestors. Suddenly, a swarm of demons materializes on the scene and attacks. The demons appear to be after other mutants. Magik dispatches each demon quickly with her sword, but their numbers are too great to stop them from snatching up a friend of Moni’s, Ren, and disappearing through a portal. Magik gives chase.
The other side of the portal leads to a graveyard where a mysterious sorcerer with Raven-like qualities announces his intention to break five seals that keep his master, Liminal, trapped. The spells needed to break the seals require blood from his kidnap victims, and the first seal is nearly destroyed. Magik leaps into action to stop the sorcerer, but the adaptable power of the sorcerer’s magic pistol is more than Magik can defeat with her sword.
During the fight, Cal Isaacs and his grandmother arrive at the graveyard through the same portal. Cal’s grandmother quickly begins casting a reinforcement spell to save the seals, much to Cal’s surprise. We learn through snippets of dialog that Cal’s family was entrusted to protect the seals for generations. Unfortunately, Cal hasn’t reached the age where he could be let in on the family secret, so he’s learning about the legacy for the first time in the heat of battle.
The issue concludes with grandma entrusting the family journal to Cal before she goes to that great Nursing Home in the sky, Magik holding back damage temporarily, and a new fellowship formed.
First Impressions
Magik #1 is just okay. You won’t mind it while you’re reading it. There are a few rough spots that may or may not annoy you, and the conclusion sends Magik on her mission, sort of. This isn’t the worst comic to come out of the X-Office, and it’s certainly not the best. Ashley Allen’s Magik #1 is just there.
How’s the Art?
I’ve been fortunate to see Germán Peralta’s work in the past, and it’s fair to say that putting Peralta on this issue is a boon for everyone involved. Peralta’s costume designs are on point, the magical action looks cool, and the emotional acting through the sad moments ipresented well.
What’s great about Magik #1?
If you’re a Magik fan or a fan of mutants in general and want a different solo story that ISN’T Wolverine, this issue probably gives you what you’re looking for. Writer Ashley Allen doesn’t waste too much time on slice-of-life dialog, relationship-building, or world-building, so you jump straight into watching Magik flex her mutant muscles and get a strong sense of her personality.
What’s not great about Magik #1?
It’s the vagueness of the Magik #1 that keeps the story from being something memorable that instantly hooks you.
For example, who is the focal character? Is it Magik or is it Cal? Magik’s name is on the cover, but considering the way the issue ended, it seems this is Cal’s journey, and Magik is coming along to provide support.
What’s the goal? Is it to stop the rest of the Liminal Seals from being broken or to stop the Sorcerer? If so, how will they save the seals if they can’t save the first seal and don’t know how to repair it? If Cal had the journal, wouldn’t it have made more sense to repair the first seal to prevent the Sorcerer from achieving his goal?
What are the stakes? Yes. You could surmise the Liminal is some sort of evil that spells trouble for Earth, but if the stakes are that high, wouldn’t Magik get help from other magic users? If the stakes are that severe, why is she tackling this mission solo? Her actions contradict the supposed size of the stakes. Is it a big deal, or isn’t it?
What you find is that Ashley Allen gives readers a rough idea about characters, motivations, goals, and stakes, but none are established well enough to get you invested in Magik’s journey. Magik is here, and she’s doing things that are heroic in the simplest sense, but that’s about it.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Final Thoughts
Magik #1 sends the titular character to aid a young boy on his quest to fulfill his family’s legacy and stop the release of a demonic force. Ashley Allen’s inaugural issue delivers good pacing, decent dialog, and plenty of magical action, but the issue lacks a strong hook and clarity of purpose to get readers invested in Magik’s journey.
6/10
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