Comic book reviews for Black Magick #9, Black Magick #10, and Black Magick #11 by Greg Rucka and Nicola Scott
Average rating: 4/5 stars
Black Magick #9 by Greg Rucka
Art: Nicola Scott
Rowan’s cat may be my favorite character yet. Real talk: a talking cat is always going to be my favorite character. There are few ways that I’m an easy reviewer and putting a talking black cat into your comic about a witch is one of them. I love how it just confronts Laurent.
That guy is so over his head. Which makes me wonder about how potent Aria currently is and if they are still out to kill witches.
So Alex and Rowan are sisters? Are they sisters, like best friends through many lives? Were they blood sisters in another life? In this one? So many questions more to answer. But the scene in Alex’s attic with her demon discovery chart was pretty great. Strong emotions all around, and Scott’s work on Alex’s facial grief, worry, and angst was perfect.
Seriously, Scott’s illustrations are incredible in emotional conveying through facial expressions.
I do wonder what’s going to happen to that baby. There can’t just be a baby in this book to have more stakes for Morgan.
Black Magick #10 by Greg Rucka
Art: Nicola Scott
Tonally, this issue felt off for me. The emotional beats and threads weren’t fully there. It could be that we’re still getting to know these characters. Everyone seems to have their own agendas when you’d hope they’d be doing more teamwork. I don’t expect my hand to be held, but at times, I find myself rather lost.
Hawthorne is a great character, says the cat lady. (In fact, I’m typing this review with one hand as my cat Hermione is on my lap. She only thinks she can talk and is boss of us, including the other cat.)
Alex meeting Aria was pretty intense. Seems like there’s lots of misconceptions about each other. Alex and Rowan should definitely defend themselves. However, there’s something more here.
These demons seem pretty nebulous still. It would be nice to learn more about them and what they want. Or what they are trying to do, besides cause chaos in Rowan’s and Alex’s world and be generally nefarious evil demons.
Perhaps we will find out more about this as Rowan confronts them to give back the new baby.
Black Magick #11 by Greg Rucka
Art: Nicola Scott
I called it that there were more feelings than just partnership between Rowan and Morgan. Right now, it seems like those feelings are mostly one-sided. In that he doesn’t even trust her since the shooting, though part of this seems like he’s butthurt she didn’t come to the hospital.
I know we’re in the United States and we hate new parents and children once they were born — but my first response to Morgan was about how he needs to be thinking less about Rowan and more about his paternity leave.
Glad nothing happened to the kid.
Interesting to see Alex change her tune a bit with Aria. Or at least, she trusts Laurent enough to give him her name.
I suppose that the continuing question is why is Rowan so afraid her power? Why does she underuse and under explore it? Why does she seem so surprised when she destroys the entire box and evil hand within? How come Alex knows this about her?
I’m not sure where this story is going, but I’ll certainly be picking up the next issues.