ADVANCE REVIEW! Rise of the Magi #3

How will Asa and April handle a grocery store full of trolls? Read on to find out.

The official description from Top Cow:

The wall between the world of man and the world of magic has cracked. Two realities never meant to coexist are bleeding into each other with terrifying results. Unimaginable horrors that belong there have come here. But as Asa and his gang of thieves and murderers have discovered, horrors from the world of men have entered the realm of magic. And that may prove to be far, far worse.

Rise of the Magi has had a magnificent start, with the first two issues being as close to perfection as you can get. This trend continues in this issue, as though not quite perfect, it’s still thoroughly entertaining. We also get a lot of excitement, as Asa and April take on trolls, whilst Asa’s father tried to hide from the Rune army.

Marc Silvestri has blown me away with his scripts for this series, with the excitement, humour and mystery being magical to say the least. Silvestri has quickly made likeable characters out of Asa and April, with their charm and uniqueness making them thrilling to read. In addition to this the development and tease of things to come keep me fully hooked to the series as a whole. Silvestri also gave a nod to Michigan J. Frog, the singing cartoon frog who only sang in front of a select person. Bar being a fabulous reference, this also subtly emphasises the link between the magical world of Rune and Earth.

Sumeyye Kesgin yet again delivers the art for the first half of this issue, with her fun and quirky style bring a lot of energy to the series. Between the charming character expressions, and explosive art she also manages to set a intense tempo, with the layouts and scenery also aiding this. Joining Kesgin for the second half of this issue is Tina Valentino, and though her art is a bit rougher than Kesgin’s, the fun style proves a perfect match. Rounding things off we get punchy colours from Betsy Gonia, with her sharp, yet vivid palette giving the perfect tone to the series.

Rise of the Magi continues to be a magical series, with the intense story being one I can’t get enough of. Highly recommended.