Review: Legacy of Mandrake The Magician #2 (of 4)
My first introduction to Mandrake the Magician was the fantastic Defenders of the Earth cartoon. Imagine then my excitement about a new Mandrake comic! Imagine my surprise to find out this newest book from Red 5 Comics / Stonebot was a completely different Mandrake!
Mandy is a magician who finally has control over her magical powers, thanks to a mysterious amulet.  As it was once stated, with great power comes great arrogance, amongst other things. With everyone offering advice on how to live her life, the amulet andm its mysterious hold on her can only spell (sorry, not sorry!) disaster for the would be magician.
Erica Schultz has given us a character that may be more Sabrina than Zatanna; no backward spells and definitely no fishnets. Given that, Mandy is a more fun character than I expected. Her sibling, almost boyfriend relationship with L.J., whilst a trope in itself, is still fun, as is the sassy-ness Mandy’s confidence gives her. I am actually intrigued as to how things will pan out. Of course, Schultz is a dab hand at mixing the magic with more grounded elements. Here is no exception with dialogue that has some really good fun stuff, touched with some dark undertones, before a pantomime villain of sorts is revealed.
The art is provided by Diego Giribaldi, who also worked on the character designs. The characters have that “for teens’ art style that is super popular at the moment. There are loads of engaging elements to the art; Mandy and L.J., the setup of the Mandy’s room and mentor and of course the school all play a part in setting the vibe for the story. I liked how differently Mandy sees herself when she is using her magic. Giribaldi is helped out no end by Ramón Bunge on colors, Ludwig Olimba on flats and J.P. Massa on backgrounds. Three colorists? I guess this can be the price you pay for digital books; each colorist has their speciality. In this instance, Red 5 Comics, luck out as the number of creators doesn’t detract from the quality or the look of the book. Finally, letters are supplied by Yasmin Govani and Martin Casanova who get to have some font fun later on in this issue.
In the past there has been some backlash to having characters diversified down the line, be it Lady Thor or All-New Wolverine. Mandrake may be a legacy character for some, but for others this will feel like a new character; as such, Mandy should be read with an open mind,
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4 Stars
Overall – 4 Stars
Written by; Erica Schultz
Art by; Diego Giribaldi
Colors by; Ramón Bunge, Ludwig Olimba & J.P. Massa
Letters by; Yasmin Govani & Martin Casanova
Published by; Red 5 Comics / Stonebot
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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