REVIEW: Black Magick #5

Rowan Black is trying to take it easy, visiting her cop partner and his expecting wife.  Domestic bliss turns into dark portents, which is not unusual for Rowan who seems to be a bit of a focal point for these sort of things. When you add in a search for a body and a demonic test, of sorts, you get a kaleidoscope of an issue.

Everyone seems to love this book, I even gave the first issue a strong 4 stars and its good to see that between then and now the quality of the book hasn’t been diminished, with writer Greg Rucka playing a the slow game to great effect.

Rucka fills this book with a great dialogue, allowing the characters to breathe in their respective environments which in turn creates the impression that they’re alive, rather than appearing as two-dimensional copy cat characters, which can be found in any number of  comparable sources.  The writing is as such that each element of the book works effectively whilst simultaneously not detracting from the others, giving a more rounded reading experience.

Nicola Scott continues to deliver the goods with the art.  Each panel, each page is filled with great detail.  Looking at the book, there is no drop in quality between the quiet start of the dinner setting to the action piece that fills the final third of the book.  Scott’s lines are a mix of strength and subtly, covering the wide range of emotions alluded to by Rucka’s dialogue, showing how the writer/artist dynamic should work in a comic book; each supporting the other and playing to their strengths, helping to make a great whole.  The pencils only approach still impresses, although this issue features a color assist from Chiara Arena.  The only thing that kind of detract from the enjoyment of the book is the odd font style used by letterer Jodi Wynne.  I can understand why Wynne chose the font; potentially going for a kind of spell book vibe, but for me, it hampers the reading distracting the eye.

If you like gothic-noir or crime books or books about family or even just looking for a quality book away from the usual over-hyped superhero market, then you could do worse than pick this up.  But be quick, with the popularity of this book, you may be hard pressed to find the previous issue from your Local Comic Book Store.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]

Story By: Greg Rucka
Art By: Nicola Scott
Variant Cover By: Stephanie Hans

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network

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