Michael W. Conrad Explores Magic: The Gathering Untold Stories—Jace

Every month, Dark Horse Comics pulls back the curtain and lets readers peek behind the magic with Horsepower a regular column tucked into their printed issues that dives into the why, the how, and the heart behind the comics you’re reading. Sometimes it’s about inspiration. Sometimes it’s about the grind of the industry. And sometimes? It’s a deep, thoughtful vibe check on a character that’s been living rent-free in fans’ heads for years. This month, Michael W. Conrad steps up to the plate and takes us straight into the mind maze with Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories Jace and he starts exactly where a lot of us did: middle school, busted decks, and vibes over strategy.

Back then, Magic wasn’t about perfect synergy or tight mana curves. You pulled a cool card? You slammed it in the deck. Logic be damned. And without realizing it, a whole generation of players was doing something special turning game pieces into characters, stories, and meaning, fueled by imagination and those mysterious little flavor-text lines at the bottom of the cards. Then came Jace. Introduced in 2007, Jace has been haunting tabletops longer than some current players have been alive. He’s been the ultimate menace milling libraries, manipulating minds, and quietly setting up wins while opponents sweat. But Conrad digs deeper than gameplay stats and salt levels. Jace is… complicated.

To some fans, he’s frustrating. To lore-heads, he’s divisive. He wants to do good but somehow leaves disaster in his wake. One could argue he’s caused as many problems for the planes he’s sworn to protect as the villains he’s fought head-on. And that makes him an easy target for criticism. But Conrad flips the lens. Jace isn’t a failure he’s a mirror. Like many of us, Jace wants to protect people. He wants to do the right thing. And like many of us, he keeps learning the hard way that good intentions don’t guarantee good outcomes. His story is about altruism colliding with consequences, about acting without fully seeing the ripple effects. He’s flawed, he recalibrates, and he keeps moving forward even when the goal isn’t fully clear, even to himself. And that’s the magic.

Conrad connects this to his own life how the version of a “better world” he imagined as a kid isn’t the same one he envisions now. Growth brings awareness. Awareness brings complexity. And dreams evolve when you start understanding the systems, inequalities, and realities that shape the world. In that way, Jace’s internal struggle becomes painfully relatable. Maybe that’s the real heart of this Untold Story why wrestling with the contradictions of the Wielder of Mysteries feels so rewarding. It’s not about having all the answers. It’s about continuing the journey anyway.

Conrad’s hope is simple: that he’s done right by the Magic community and that readers enjoy traveling the planes alongside Jace and Tezzeret, questioning, clashing, and growing along the way.

🃏 Magic: The Gathering: Untold Stories Jace #1
✍️ Written by Michael W. Conrad
🎨 Illustrated by Caitlin Yarsky
🎨 Colored by Alex Guimarães
🔤 Lettered by Clayton Cowles

📅 Hits comic shops April 1
📦 Available now to preorder at your local comic shop

This isn’t just lore.
It’s reflection.
And that’s why Jace still matters. WEPA. 🧠✨

Be sure to follow DarkHorseComics on social media and check our website, www.darkhorse.com for more news, announcements, and updates.

Author Profile

Al Mega: I'm Al Mega the CEO of Comic Crusaders, CEO of the Undercover Capes Podcast Network, CEO of Geekery Magazine & Owner of Splintered Press (coming soon). I'm a fan of comics, cartoons and old school video games. Make sure to check out our podcasts/vidcasts and more!