Charismagic Vol. 3 #4 (of 6)

  
   As the third volume of Charismagic continues to roll towards its incendiary conclusion and a cosmic battle for universal control, I must point out the thing about this issue that makes it a "must buy" for me.

   Easter Island.

   That's right, part of the story takes us to Easter Island and a magic spell that affects the statues there.

   I'll say no more (lest I spoil any key story bits), but any comic that wants my hard-earned change need only include those giant marvels of stone - and I'll pony up.

   The issue is all about revealing cosmic secrets, fighting a powerful sorceress and a jail break - but I still want more about the island.

   Judging by the cover of the next issue, there's more where that came from. To which I say: Yay!

Grade: B+

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Charismagic: The Death Princess #3

Heroes are often at their best when faced with overwhelming odds.

That's exactly the position of the wizard Kon as this issue of Charismagic: The Death Princess starts, as Orlana, the Death Princess takes control of his allies - so to save the Earth, he must fight the powerful sorceress and his own lethal allies.

What follows is a no-holds-barred battle that provides answers to the mysteries behind the series, including the origin of the powerful villain Samsun.

The issue written by Vince Hernandez is an action romp, with some serious consequences (although the story makes a sudden turn from death-dealing brutality to "we don't want to kill anyone").

The art by Emilio Lopez and Jocelyn Dunn is entertaining (though the layouts in a few panels seem of bit off) - they seem to be having a lot of fun with this action-packed tale - and they also provide some nice good-girl art.

So if you're looking for answers to the mysteries behind the world of Charismagic, this is a good place to start.

Grade: B

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Charismagic #4

Just time for a quick review today, so here's the word on Charismagic: the story is slowly spooling out here, as chaos continues to reign on a magically-transformed Earth, while magicians Hank and Sudana (and the talking cat Sparkles) explore another reality looking for answers and allies.

In the meantime, evil forces are gathering, and it may be more than the good guys can manage.

It's a fun, imaginative series with excellent art, beautiful women, towering monsters and lots of fantastic events.

It may be a bit tough to pick up on the series in the middle, but once you get your "sea legs," it's a lot of fun!

Grade: B+

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Charismagic #1

Magic-based heroes have been around since the beginning of the Golden Age of comics, but there are surprisingly few successful magic-based characters.

Perhaps that's because magic operates with no rules, no boundaries - so it's easy for the story to feel like a bit of a cheat.

Charismagic (Vol. 2) goes all-in on the magic (and no boundaries) concept with a series that stars a professional magician (think David Copperfield) who discovers he has actual magical powers.

His name is Hank Medley, and in his first adventure he gathered magical allies, managed to stop an attack by a powerful enemy and rescued the Earth's population after it was banished to another reality.

This series starts with the world starting to return to normal - at least until a new invasion of demons begins, and it's time to get the magical band of heroes back together.

There's a bit of a learning curve here, as writer Vince Hernandez throws quite a few characters at the reader at once and we're not given a lot of information to sort them out.

But the stakes are certainly high and it looks bad for the good guys. The cliffhanger on the final page certainly amps up the threat.

The art is strong - Vincenzo Cucca and Mark Roslan give an interesting, dark and stylized look to this demonic tale.

This is the latest issue in Aspen's "10 for 10" series, so the comic only costs a dollar - a good investment to see if this is your kind of magic.

Grade: B

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Charismagic: The Death Princess #1

Have you ever seen the movie Seven Samurai?

Go watch it, I'll wait.

For those who haven't been able to track it down, it's a classic Japanese film that's (basically) about a poor village being terrorized by bandits, so they pool their resources to hire warriors to protect them. The movie follows the gathering of the samurai and other fighters and their struggle to win against overwhelming odds.

Trust me, it's great.

I bring it up because that same basic plot is behind the first issue of Charismagic: The Death Princess.

Which is not to say that this is a classic by any means - just that it's using a classic concept.

It revolves around a powerful sorceress who uses her power to enslave an army. To fight back, a sorcerer (with a tragic past) sets out to gather an odd group of powerful fighters - each more unusual than the last.

And that's about all we get in the setup here, as the team is gathered and the menace is revealed.

The art by Emilio Lopez is very good - an interesting mix of detailed design and a stylized, almost animated look to the characters.

It's a solid start, but this one has a ways to go to see if it can live up to its premise.

Grade: B

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Charismagic #5

It's always a bit tricky to create a compelling story based on magic.

That's because the rules tend to go out the window when dealing with mystic forces. When the hero or villain can do anything, it takes away the natural suspense any story needs.

But writer Vince Hernandez has (mostly) avoided that trap in the Aspen comic Charismagic. That's because the main character - a stage magician named Hank - only has one superpower. He's able to teleport himself to any location, and that ability has kept him on Earth while most of the population has been sent to another dimension. It also provides limits to the story, so he can't win the day by an unfair trick.

(The Harry Potter books are great examples of how to use magic in a story while playing fair - basically, you establish the rules and then stick with them.)

Aided by his talking demonic cat Sparkles and a beautiful druid named Sudana, Hank seeks out the most powerful magician on Earth as the best hope in stopping an evil, incredibly powerful force.

Unfortunately, things don't go according to plan, and this issue sets up next issue's final confrontation with the evil Samsun.

Having an "apprentice" learn the ropes from a wise (and in this case, beautiful) teacher is a great way to bring the reader along as the ground rules are set and the characters moved into place.

Charismagic also benefits from terrific artwork, as Khary Randolph creates some strong, attractive heroes, beautiful landscapes and kinetic action sequences.

It's not all magic and mayhem - there are some nice romantic touches in there, too, as Hank gets hot for teacher (or maybe that should be "gets the hots for teacher").

The final judgment on the opening story arc will have to wait for the end of the next issue, but so far, I'm enjoying this series, and I admire it for playing fair with the reader.

Grade: B+

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