Black Magick Volume 1: Awakening I

by Greg Rucka

Nicola Scott (Artist), Chiara Arena (Artist), and Jodi Wynne (Artist)

Collecting the first five issues of the critically-acclaimed new seriesfrom creators GREG RUCKA (Lazarus, Star Wars: Shattered Empire) and NICOLA SCOTT(Secret Six, Earth-2). Rowan Black is a detective with the Portsmouth PD... anda witch, two aspects of her life she has struggled to keep separate. Now someoneis targeting Rowan, someone who knows her secrets and means to expose her... orworse.

• ISBN10: 163215675X
• ISBN13: 9781632156754
• Publish Date: 3 May 2016
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Image Comics
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 128
• Language: English

Reviews

[inlibrisveritas]

I haven’t really branched out with my comic book reading choices lately, so I took the change on another Image story that I came across on Netgalley. It’s comics like Black Magic that make me excited for comic book release days, because everything from the art to the story-line is excellent!

Black Magic centers on a detective, Rowan Black, with the Portsmouth PD, who also happens to be a witch. It combines the classic ‘whodunnit’ with a rather supernatural twist, that doesn’t shy away from the horror. I love storylines like this…seriously, I freaking adore them. Shows like Supernatural and games like the Secret World are some of my favorite things, and I’m so glad I found a comic that follows those same lines. We need more supernatural mysteries that pull from nightmares. There isn’t a ton of lore to go on with this only being the first five issues, but from what is presented I really like where it’s going. A magical world full of fine lines and societies who stay in the shadows, taking place in a sleepy little mundane town. I really liked Rowan. She’s sort of a hardened women and undeniably brave, but there is a distinct softness that she saves for those closest to her and I liked seeing how close she is with her partner and his wife. The story itself moves at a decent clip, with a few murders to puzzle out and a lot of dark moments that prove that these cases are not just normal crimes but something much more sinister.

The art!! The art is phenomenal! Most of it is rendered in grey scale, with loads of details with lends to a very realistic and utterly stunning portrayal. And then there is the genius use of color (light blues and yellows) in pivotal scenes, which pulls your eyes to focal points and really pushes forward the tone.

I’m really happy with this one, and I can say with certainty that I will be grabbing volume two whenever it comes out. It’s an excellent start to a series and I’m very interested in seeing who is behind the attacks, and how Rowan handles it.