Welcome to Las Vegas; the home to sassy
slots, sultry ladies, cheap buffets and the best shows on the planet.
Charismagic happens to be one of those shows. Its main draw is a
magician and entertainer by the name of Hank “The Magnificent”
Medley. After leaving another Las Vegas audience astonished by his
performance, Hank catches a glimpse of Hector, the man that taught
him everything he knows. Afterward Hank and his girlfriend Alle have
a bit of a fight. Alle is hurt by the lack of attention she's been
getting. Bothered and distracted by seeing Hector at his show Hank
ignores her. Alle becomes frustrated and storms out.
Meanwhile, a young mystery lady
(Sudana) stops at a gas station to fill up her vehicle. Within
moments of pumping gas she is met by two less than friendly truckers.
They inquire if their assistance is needed and if they can give her a
“lesson” or two. She shoots them a crusty look, complete with
glowing eyes and all. Scared out of their minds, the two men run for
their lives.
The next morning Hank shows up at
Hector's place to talk about him being at the show last night.
Hank questions his friends well-being due to the fact of his slovenly
nature and dump of a house. Hector begins to tell him that he still
has a lot to learn about real magic and an entirety called Samsun. A
being of magic that is trapped in the core of our dimension and is
plotting to get out. When he does, it could destroy the very fabric of
dimension. Shaken by Hector's words, Henry attempts to continue with
his daily routine.
In the English
county of Wiltshire a tourist couple marvel the greatness of the
prehistoric monument, Stonehenge. Soon the ground shakes and the
rocks begin to shift as a massive energy force begins to build. As
energy climaxes, it creates a gateway to free Samsun from the void
realm. That very same moment in Vegas, Hank finishes up his magic show
to see that everyone has vanished. He runs through the building and
then to the streets. Everyone is gone, everyone but his talking black
cat.
On a first read through Charismagic, it
feels like something that should play on the CW or ABC Family or
something. There's just something in the presentation that seems very
familiar. Which isn't entirety a bad thing. That same feeling also
comforts you into what the writer, Vince Hernandez is doing with this
world. He has a likable character in Hank and has an interesting
heroine in Sudana and a world with endless possibilities. When it comes
to the art from an Aspen book (especially the skillful work on the
ladies) if feel like there should be no need to mention it. Because
it is always a beautiful treat and Charismagic is no expectation.
The art by Khary Randolph and the colors Emilio Lopez are fantastic.
Nothing looks rushed, everything is smooth with clean lines. It seems
to be a comic book rule, Aspen equals awesome art.
First issues of comics are hard to always get
right. You have the whole jump off for a narrative hanging in the
balance. Botch easing the readers into the world and all is lost.
Nail it and the book could run for years. Overall Carismagic is off
to an interesting start. So if you like magic, hot ladies, Las Vegas
(more like Lost Wages) and talking cats then Charismagic has got you
more than covered.
Overall Score - 8.1/10