Author: Vince Hernandez
Artist: Khary Randolph
Colorist: Emilio Lopez
Cover: Khary Randolph
Letterer: Josh Reed
Published by: Aspen Comics
Hank the Magnificent is Las Vegas’ most famous and respected magician, but soon his world in the limelight is turned upside down. Hank is warned by his old friend and fellow practitioner of magic Hector, that an ancient magic being that has been imprisoned for eons will soon return to their realm and is looking for revenge. In this debut issue of a six-issue run, Hank finds himself transitioning from being just an entertainer to the last hope of humanity. “Everything you thought you knew about magic, will, vanish” with in the pages of Charismagic from Aspen Comics.
I picked up this issue on a whim, the cover randomly caught my eye, and upon further inspection, I found myself thoroughly intrigued. As a comic book fan that does not really get into super hero books outside of Batman, I am always looking for different and interesting worlds to get lost inside of. Charismagic is beautifully illustrated and immensely entertaining, the characters and premise are engaging and effective at making you want to return to find out what happens next. Charismagic ended up going from a random purchase, to being one of the most fun experiences; I have had with an action-adventure series.
The first issue, does such a wonderful job at setting up the series, you are given just enough story to make you salivate and crave just one more morsel of information about what lays ahead for Hank and the rest of humankind. Vince Hernandez does a picture perfect job of laying down foundation for future story pieces, and has me dying to pick up the next issue in the series. It almost has that Lost vibe in the sense that I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of strange questions that arise as the series progresses, starting with the very first few panels of the comic, that go unexplained within the first issue.
Originally, it was the art direction that first grabbed my attention, and once I dived into the issue full force, it did not let me down at all. The color palette is ultra vivid and produce intense eye candy. The artists involved do some breathtaking things with lighting and transparencies, to the point that I found myself saying “Wow” aloud on more than a couple occasions. The presentation’s quality matches the content, leading to a very enjoyable read. I see myself riding this series out until the end, as long as this level of effort continues to be put forth.
It is comics like Charismagic that make me love my job, and keep me on a constant hunt for new indie publishers and IPs to become addicted to. Support the indie side of the industry and give this well crafted action-adventure, filled with mystery and magic a try.
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