Charismagic: The Death Princess #1
Publisher: Aspen
Writer: Vince Hernandez
Artist: Emilio Lopez (cover by Khary Randolph)
Colors: Emilio Lopez, Jocelyn Dunn, & Ivy Beth Gladstone
Witnessing a birth is typically a joyous occasion, but when the event brings an evil conqueror into the world, well, that’s kind of complicated. The child’s name is Orlana, and she will become one of the most feared mystical creatures in the history of this civilization. Luckily, Kon has a plan to defeat her. The plan actually is a terrible defeat at the hands of Orlana and her warriors. Kon leaves behind his best friend to try and find others that can help him in his quest to one day stop the mad warrior princess.
Let’s start with the cast of characters in this issue. If you’re expecting the same cast from the first series, forget it; but honestly, by the end of this issue, you’ll be in awe of the new cast of characters that already has you cheering for them. Kon of course isn’t new, and we do get to see another familiar face on the last page, but that’s too big of a spoiler. This will definitely catch you off guard when you first read it with a totally different perspective than the first series. You get an origin for the Death Princess, and the subsequent actions of Kon. New story, new cast, but the same great writing by Hernandez. Do yourself a favor, and read it twice to fully get the whole picture. It really is amazing to see the story, that’s totally unfamiliar with a new setting and faces, but still delivers just like before.
On to the artwork by Lopez. What can one say other than it was great. Lots of earth tones in this book, but dark tones as well, and they really helped set the perfect mood. The last page with the surprise appearance was just awesome. All of the characters look proportionally correct, and the settings look good, as well. The only thing that looked even remotely off was the centaur. He looked bloated or something. Other than that minute thing, everything was picture perfect. And we can’t go any further without talking about the covers! The one above is by Khary Randolph, and is of course fantastic. The other cover (below) is by Siya Oum. Anybody that knows her work, knows that this kind of awesomeness is to be expected! Rating 4.5/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
