Charismagic: The Death Princess #2
Publisher: Aspen
Writer: Vince Hernandez
Artist: Emilio Lopez (cover “A” by Khary Randolph)
Letters: Josh Reed
The gaps in between issues of this series are tough to deal with, but when you finally read the next one, it all seems irrelevant. In this issue, we watch as Orlana and her lover, Serke, gather an army of vast size. Not many heavy hitters, but in just shear numbers it looks scary. Kon and his band of heroes have been planning for a few days, and are going to attempt to stop Orlana and Serke at any cost. Samsun is the wild card, and nobody except Kon trusts him. Will this end up costing them the battle or even their lives? Well, rest assured that by issue’s end, alliances will be changed, and one man will seemingly stand alone against the magic of the Death Princess!
You’ve got to love the way Vince Hernandez tells a story. He has every character in this book as a relevant piece that has their own unique voice. Samsun is an unknown quantity at this point, but Kon trusts him, so that’s all that matters. Speaking of Kon, it seems as though he may be a bit overconfident, and that quality may be his undoing. The fact that the writing can show him being supremely confident one minute, but then looking quite frightened in the next panel is a testament to the character being versatile and all too human.
Lopez is a solid artist, and his style is a good match for this book. He does a great job on the magical creatures (below) in this story, and that’s something where you couldn’t settle for someone just mediocre. The settings are pretty awesome as well, so don’t think the characters are all that’s going to impress. Anyone that read the first series knows what they’re in store for here. You get solid pencils, colors, and letters, too.
If you read the first series, definitely grab this one, too, because you won’t be disappointed, trust me. The writing, artwork, and of course, the covers, are very cool, and are well worth the price tag. Speaking of covers, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Siya Oum bring their “A” game every time; this book is no different (covers below by Lopez (“B”) and Oum (“C”)), and will make it a difficult choice on which to buy…or you could get all of them (also, a fourth by Steigerwald and Cucca)! Rating 4/5
Billy Dunleavy
billy@comicattack.net
