Review: BLACK MAGE GN

The YA world of fantasy and graphic novels might not be ready for Daniel Barnes and D.J. Kirkland“s BLACK MAGE. Published by Oni Press and out this week, BLACK MAGE follows the experiences of Tom Token as he integrates an historically all-white magical institution ”“ St. Ivory Academy. If you think that an all-white segregationist school for magicians named St. Ivory lacks subtlety, then you would be correct. But you might also be missing the larger, more powerful point of BLACK MAGE. Not to mention the fact that the protagonist is a Black boy named Tom Token.

In the worlds of science fiction and fantasy “Black”“ doesn“t usually refer to Black people ”“ African Americans or otherwise. It usually connotes some kind of character attribute, often of the negative variety. In these fictional worlds/universes, Black can mean evil, but it rarely (if ever) can directly refer to the experiences of Black people in America. In this way, even the title of BLACK MAGE is simultaneously subtle and explicit. But don“t let the “Black”“ in BLACK MAGE fool you. This graphic novel is all about Black folks in America, the history of white supremacy, and the powerful ways that Black folks have had to magically subvert the forces of institutional racism.

Sadly, some readers will be put off (and put out) by Barnes and Kirkland“s direct approach to treating race and racism in the YA fiction genre. There will be calls for more nuance. Some will claim that the graphic novel is too didactic or that it will alienate its intended audience. Just for clarity“s sake, we should concede right now that BLACK MAGE is didactic ”“ and it is deliberately so. Again, the main character“s name is Tom Token; the all-white school he attends is the St. Ivory Academy; Tom’s familiar is a crow named Jim; the headmaster of St. Ivory“s is named Atticus Lynch; the headmaster and school leaders wear cloaks that look just like KKK hoods and robes

This list continues but the point is clear. BLACK MAGE is direct and upfront about race in ways that other novels (graphic or otherwise) simply are not. And that“s ok. In fact, for this story, and its fans, educators and readers, the work being done through BLACK MAGE has incredible potential. Maybe you read the aforementioned list and knew right way what a KKK robe looks like. Or maybe you get the obvious joke about St. Ivory being an all-white school. Maybe you know what a lynching is. Maybe. But do you know the legal history of Jim Crow laws in America? Do you understand the nuanced origins of the literary figure ”“ Uncle Tom ”“ and how it informs the use of the term “uncle tom”“ in the 21st century? Do you understand how tokenism operates for Black people with respect to institutional racism and/or Affirmative Action? These are not rhetorical questions.

There is, of course, more to this story than racial segregation or integration. BLACK MAGE is a fascinating adventure told through exceptional visuals by D.J. Kirkland with a compelling story crafted by Daniel Barnes. It takes the familiar tropes of Harry Potter and other coming-of-age wizard tales and infuses those them with the magic of the Black experience in America. The result is a graphic-novel-as-lesson-plan that is more enjoyable than your favorite comic book. What BLACK MAGE concedes in its direct didactic approach to race, segregation, and American history is, in the end, not a concession at all. It is an invitation. BLACK MAGE invites readers to explore the history of race ”“ right here in America and right here in the “right now.”“

SCORE: 4.5/5

(W) Daniel Barnes (A/CA) D.J. Kirkland