There’s not enough mirth to be had here.
Creative Staff:
Story: Matt Wagner
Art: Matt Wagner
Colors: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: David Lanphear
What They Say:
Finding direction at last, Kevin Matchstick attempts to rescue his family by laying siege to the fortress of the Umbra Sprite. With The Pendragon at the gate, Magda and Hugo must still face mystical pitfalls as they press onward, attempting to escape from the heart of their enemies’ lair.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Mage: The Hero Denied is closing in on its finale and everything continues to pick up its pace pretty well. There was a lot of downtime within the series but they were welcome reconnect points that brought us back together with these characters and were important in the big picture. Matt Wagner continues to delight with is storytelling for me with what he does both in words and pictures as there’s just some itch that gets scratched by it for me, reminding me of days long gone but still wholly viable. Brennan Wagner’s color work continues to be strong as well with some great stuff here overall that really delivers the right kind of impact.
The two-track approach to the story is still working well as we get Magda and Hugo making their way through the Gracklethorn’s place looking for a way out. It’s not a quick and easy thing and the one Gracklethorn they have to deal with is dispatched in a fun way since she’s constrained by not hurting Magda. I love the little bit of exploration that goes on here with the creepy water wall of evil but we also see a big new realm opened up for the pair when they try to hide from any more Gracklethorns. That opens us up to a lot of different possibilities depending on where they want to go with it but it simply looks creepy in all the right ways. I can only imagine the excitement that Hugo must really have once he recognizes what it can be.
Far more engaging is Kevin’s story with Miranda as they’re now teamed up with Mirth. It wasn’t clear that we’d really get him back in for this final run but it’s definitely great to have his stylings back. Granted, he’s as weak as kitten because of how little magic he has left but he provides that mentor role for Kevin that he does still crave and the advice helps, as does revealing that it is the Umbra Sprite that’s the real ancient enemy here. Kevin thought it dispatched but that was just plain foolish on his part. The journey side is fun as we get the two catching up a bit and I love that we get the whole other reality opening before Kevin done so easily as “just a matter of perception” when you get down to it. Part of me still wonders if this is really Mirth but it’s just fun to have him there and to have Kevin get a big set piece in going up against the two-headed snake in order to get into the evil lair.
In Summary:
It’s easy to see how the book will wrap up in a couple of issues but at the same time I wish we had a lot more left in order to explore a lot more of what’s going on and who everyone is and where they’ve been. This issue nudges Magda and Hugo forward a bit and provides for a bit of action whereas we get a big piece for Kevin and a lot more journey material now that Mirth as arrived and is helping a bit. It’s got all the cues of a book heading into its finale and the tension is ramping up well even if it does leave me wishing it had a bit more meat on its bones, especially for a book thas has been running as long as this one has. It just feels very streamlined.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 13+
Released By: Image Comics via ComiXology
Release Date: November 14th, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
