Review: Mystik U
Quick Summary
Pros: The characters are great and their personal struggles are easy to become invested in. The larger narrative is exciting and adds additional suspense. The exploration of societal restraints and anxieties of youth is well executed. The artwork is beautiful and really helps bring the world of Mystik U to life.
Cons: At times, the pacing feels a bit rapid.
Overall: This is a book packed with fun and imagination that tells an enchanting story with a solid cast of characters. One moment will have readers swept away in a battle that could affect the very foundation of the magical world. Meanwhile, the next moment will have readers concerned about the romantic endeavors of the main characters. It is a clever balance that ensures excitement and charm at every possibility. Anyone looking for a book about young adults taking on a new world should give this collection a try.
Story
Mystik U is a delightfully charming take on young adults learning magic in the DC Universe. In this book, writer Alisa Kwitney creates a world that feels reminiscent of Hogwarts while being a distinctly unique experience. It tells the entertaining exploits of several young magic users and details how their trials will relate to an evil that threatens the safety of the entire world. Along the way, societal issues and the struggles of young adult life are explored in a way that feels relatable and refreshing. Overall, this is a very entertaining read that should prove to be a great time for adults and young adults alike.
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The bulk of Mystik U follows the activities and interactions of Zatanna and her new classmates, who are all new students at a magical university. They represent a broad spectrum of personalities and cultures coming together with mutual goals and ambitions, a situation analogous to the real world college experience. This is then enhanced by the charm and unique character traits that keep the characters interesting. Everyone here comes to Mystik U with a story behind them and all of these stories are entertaining to see play out.
Through these students, readers also receive a thoughtful exploration of life as a young adult. Plop’s dissatisfaction with his appearance mirrors society’s focus on beauty, Zatanna’s trouble with magic reflects the academic hurdles present when smart high schoolers enter the world of higher education, and Sebastian Faust’s struggles can represent both parental pressure and the fear of opening up to those around you. This is just a small sample of issues, as the full collection goes on to address peer pressure, rediscovering your own identity, and much more. Kwitney organically blends these issues into the story, in a way that allows them to shine but not feel like a cheesy after-school-special. Whether you’ve dealt with these issues in the past or are going through them currently, there is something in Mystik U for everyone to relate to.
In addition, all of these adventures are bookended by the possibility of an apocalyptic level threat. The book starts out in medias res, with a scene of desolation caused by one of the students at the University. Shifting back in time and discovering the culprit gives the book even more tension and adds additional levels to the story as a whole.
If there is a problem with this collection, it lies in pacing. At the beginning of the story, Zatanna is expected to go from seeing her father swallowed up by a hellish dimension to normal college student at the drop of a hat, a feat that she quite nearly accomplishes. Quick adjustments like these happen a few times throughout the book but, luckily, do not manage to significantly interrupt the flow of the story. In fact, they left me wanting more from this series. I would have loved to have a few more chapters to stretch out this book and allow it to develop its already solid level of quality.
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Art
Though the story is good on its own, the artwork significantly contributes to the overall charm and wonder present throughout Mystik U. Artist Mike Norton and colorist Jordie Bellaire create a land of magic that perfectly suits the tone of this adventure. Endearing character designs and creative landscapes make Mystik U feel simultaneously like a bold new world and a relatable collegiate environment.
However, it is the attention to detail that really makes this book stand out. Paintings on the walls or magical creatures tucked away in corners give the impression that this is a real world that is filled with a similar level of minutia to the one we live in. This enhances immersion and makes it even easier to become swept away in the story.
Continuity
Mystik U is a miniseries generally unconnected to the rest of the DC Universe continuity. The characters’ appearances here do not follow or precede any particular comic book.
As of right now, the story here does not continue in any other comic.