Review - Charismagic Vol. 2 #3

"What is the point of having spells if you cannot put them to good use?"

Having anything can be more exciting if you flaunt it. Flaunting it reinforces the notion that you have it in the first place and makes it so that you can better enjoy all aspects of whatever it is your flaunting. Flaunting magic, however, could lead to a lot more than just temporary satisfaction; it could lead to being hunted by even more powerful magic, as in Charismagic Vol. 2 #3.

The issue is written by Vince Hernandez, with pencils by Vincenzo Cucca, inks by Mark Roslan, colors by Emilio Lopez and Wes Hartman and letters by Josh Reed.

Hank and Kenny manage to make get the artifact they were after, while Sudana, Sparkles and Haven do some pest control at a theater. Meanwhile, Torgan makes a play for the same artifact the others are after, setting the stage for Kon to pay Dura a visit to ask for her help. Everything is shaping up to be an all-out magical battle, with players being positioned to be a big deal in the grand scheme of the magical happenings.

As third issues go, Charismagic Vol. 2 #3 really seemed to help establish the tone for the rest of the series. The reason for seeking out the artifact is made clear and presents and obvious setting for the characters to move towards. Torgan's role is still being sussed out, but he's working to herald the arrival of his master. The fact that Kon is seeking Dura's stresses the enormity of the situation the magics are faced with.

Cucca's art is very strong. Torgan's ferocity continues to ooze through the pages, while the sense of scale between Haven and the others is impressive. There's also a bit of Alice in Wonderland sense of scale, as the regular sized magics are scaled to fit into the new world they discover. There's a two-page spread depicting the new world in all its gold glory and there's even a good amount of detail given to a full-page panel of a car explosion. It's art that looks solid all around.

Charismagic Vol. 2 #3 is another issue in an arc that's rounding into form. Samsun was the big bad in the first volume, but even he's looking like a good guy based on the last page of the third issue. Hank is coming into his own as someone imbued with magic and he's getting better about it. Only time will tell if there's enough magic to stop the impending evil.

Charismagic Vol. 2 #3 is in stores now with interiors below.