I’d firstly like to quote a few points I made when reviewing the zero issue of this series. Now we know more, I feel it’s important to take my original considerations and see if I made the right call.
1. “…the art is absolutely beautiful.” Still true.
2. “The world isn’t particularly original”. Not so true.
3.”The name Charismagic is pretty lame.” Still true, though it’s ok because Charismagic is in fact the name of a cheesy Vegas magic show in the series. This makes sense right? Vegas magic shows do have cheesy names.
To be honest the premise hasn’t really gone how I reckoned it would. I imagined that this guy would be a magician on stage and then he’d find out he was an actual magician so he’d use his magic skills to fight crime and monsters or something. That’s what I assumed after reading the zero issue, and though I enjoyed it, I felt it might be a cheap thrill…
… But this issue was a complete surprise, the premise was shot through almost immediately and the whole story twisted so violently at the end, I was left puzzled about where it might go. It might just be that because I made all of these assumptions, when it didn’t turn out as formulaic as I had expected it was better for it. Either way, it sucked me right in, so I guess I should stop trying to second guess stuff and just enjoy the ride.
The art is beautiful, this issue especially does some great stuff with lighting, but there’s way too much posing for my liking. For some reason all the girls in it feel the need to bend over and not dress appropriately for the weather, I think it cheapens things a little.
Anyway, Charismagic makes for a surprisingly distinctive read that certainly offers something new. If you’re looking for something that wasn’t what you were expecting (if that makes sense) then pick it up. It’s exactly like the marketing campaign says; “Everything you know about magic will… Vanish.”
Charismagic #1 is released in April, 2011.
Joe Innes.
