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Excellence #1
Publisher: Image/Skybound
Writer: Brandon Thomas
Artist: Khary Randolph
Colorist: Emilio Lopez
Letters: Deron Bennett
Cover: Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez

The announcement for Excellence made it hard for me to just dismiss this new title and possibly wait for the trade. We were getting a title about Black magicians (how often have we been shown this?) written by Brandon Thomas and teamed with artists duo extraordinaire Emilio Lopez and Khary Randolph. That right there is enough storytelling power to get you to pick this up but it was going to take more than dope representation and fire art to keep me here for the long haul.

Right from the start, Excellence establishes it’s rules with The Four Walls. These are the edicts that the magic wielders (and a specific group of non magic users) are to adhere to in this new version of New York City. One where magic is prominent and the Dales family is welcoming their new son into the world. The introduction of young Spencer Dales and the beginning of his journey is where Thomas really shows off the emotional weight of this issue. As Spencer is narrating there’s a fine balance of character development, story progression, and world building that keeps pulling you in with every page turn. The pacing is just right in most areas as we hit key points in Spencer’s life  but the shining spots are his relationships with his father and grandmother. These were crucial and very human elements that grounded this story seeped in fantastical magic abilities. Also, Thomas wrote one of the realest barber scenes in the history of comics hands down! Actually there are several scenes that will automatically connect with certain people and if I could I’d thank him for that. Nothing like getting a compliment on your line after a fresh cut.

Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez have been delivering dynamic artwork to many titles and they bring that same energy and more to Excellence. The synergy between these two along with the syncing of the narrative reinforces the solid storytelling of this issue. Randolph’s character designs and backgrounds immerse us in an alternate version of New York City and just bring the whole look and feel of the story together. From the clothing to the artwork used in the backgrounds and scenery there’s an African influence blended with . Not to mention the strong emotional beats that Khary hits as we move through Spencer’s life. You can feel his frustration at being latent and letting his father down but when the big moment happens it’s one of the coldest panels in the book. There’s a color chart showing the power level of magic casters and Lopez uses most of them during an explosion and maybe that’s a hint at this kid’s potential. There’s more of that in here so keep an eye out for the little hints. The action sequences feel big and move quite well and seeing the displays of various abilities during the trials just made me want to see what else these guys are capable of later down the line.

Speaking of the Aegis Trials, it was refreshing that Thomas didn’t choose to explain everything and said enough so as to allow the visuals to carry just as much of the story when the moment came. Though the constant updates during were a little off-putting the overall action sequence was worth the pay off in the end.

Excellence is the beginning of something pretty cool and I’m here for a world where Black people are wielders of magic and in a genre where we’re not seen too often en masse. It’s also great that this title is the hands of a creative team that is delivering on all fronts when it comes to storytelling from the great familial bonds, action, emotional gut punches, and art that keeps your eyes entertained in every panel.

Infinite Speech
infinitespeech@comicattack.net