You can stay hidden for only so long.
Creative Staff:
Story: Matt Wagner
Art: Matt Wagner
Colors: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: David Lanphear
What They Say:
This first full-sized issue begins 10 years after the climax of THE HERO DEFINED and finds the everyman hero Kevin Matchstick at an unexpected point in his life. It’s been some time since he’s utilized his powers as the reincarnated Pendragon, wielder of the mystical weapon Excalibur. Despite his reluctance to fulfill what two different Mages have declared as his destiny, dark forces have gathered to once again force Kevin into action. Throughout these events, Kevin keeps hoping for the same mystical guidance that has mentored him in the past. “Who is the third Mage?!”
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The zero issue of Mage wasn’t focused much on story and really just feels like it takes place outside of things considering the events of this issue. And that’s fine as the book was more of just a re-introduction of the character along with the sense of style and intent that will fit into this series later on, I suspect. Matt Wagner has certainly grown as a storyteller over the years, and it’s definitely visible just in the various stages of the Mage property, but for those that have read many of his works it’s very noticeable both in artwork and in the writing. Here, with son Brennan Wagner, they’ve got things set very well in an almost cinematic way but with the intimacy of a novel in getting us to connect with these characters while doing very little overall.
The premise is straightforward in that over the years we know that Kevin has suffered setbacks and uncertainty that has lead him to not knowing what it is he’s really supposed to do and getting no real guidance on it. That’s had him lead his life in a kind of general way, hence having two young kids and being married to Magda. The pair have likely moved from place to place over time in order to avoid being found out by the mystical side of the world and they’ve been in this area outside of New York City for a while, enough so that the family feels pretty settled at this point. Which, of course, makes it all the harder in knowing that he’s going to have to uproot them because of who he is and the danger being with him presents. That’s something that you know Magda understands and has for some time but it’s a bit harder on the kids. And you can imagine it’ll be even more so for Hugo as he’s getting older now.
There’s a lot to like initially in seeing Kevin and Hugo enjoying the park together a bit and the kind of bond that they have, but when both of them see the curious energies from the other side that’s what gets Hugo sent on (hint: he hides and sees it all). For us, this is a chance to see Kevin in action once again and even against essentially first level creatures it’s enjoyable to watch because of his dialogue and the beauty of the artwork. It’s what has Kevin knowing they can’t stay here any longer but it’s also a moment that reaches up the line a bit to some more powerful types that are intent on dealing with him once and for all. There’s not a lot of detail here to the five that are about to be aligned against him and at first blush it feels a little too predictable but I’m mostly hoping that’s just something to lull me into a false sense of security before the twists arrive.
In Summary:
Mage gets formally underway with this issue and it’s definitely a delight in a further reconnect with this world. I enjoyed the zero issue for what it was and what it hinted at as well as a way of getting into the right frame of mind for it. Here, this is a more humanized version of Kevin that mirrors my own growth over the years since reading that first book as a late teen and on and now having teenage kids of my own. I love what the team here has brought to the page and the knowing that we have quite the journey ahead of us with fourteen more issues to go and so much to explore. This is one of those books that I’m not placing huge expectations on because that’s just problematic but it is a book that I’ve been wanting to see for years in order to bring it all to conclusion and get a sense of closure. This is a great start to that.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Image Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: August 16th, 2017
MSRP: $1.99
