Review: Mystik U #1

Quick Summary

Pros: The story’s big mystery is slowly revealed in a satisfying and exciting way. The character moments are wonderful and make the cast even more charming than before. The entire book looks beautiful.

Cons: The jump from the story’s beginning to middle is a little jarring.

Overall: This is a book that blends all the curiosity and innocence of youth with the wonder and delight of magic. Readers will witness the entirety of the DC magic universe on display in a way that is accessible to fans both new and old. The characters are fun, the storyline is compelling, and the art looks great. This is a great read and there is absolutely no reason to wait on picking up this comic.

Story

Mystik U #1, by Alisa Kwitney, is a wonderful blend between Harry Potter and mainstream comic books that brings both youthful charm and compelling mystery to the forefront. Readers will fall in love with this cast of characters as they watch them go about their lives in a new and fascinating world of magic. That’s not all this story offers though, as this one issue also manages to setup a cryptic and compelling threat that will, at some point in the future, oppose all the characters we now love. This first issue does a great job in setting up what appears to be an incredible new series.

(spoilers start here)

The issue starts out in the future, where an apocalyptic event has apparently destroyed the majority of the magical community and now threatens the entire world. To remedy this, Zatanna and Rose Psychic reset time and attempt to fix the situation in the past. This is the book’s overarching plotline and is what the story will come back to at various points in this issue.

In this way, readers slowly begin to discover more and more about who or what this future threat is. Not everything is revealed at once, as the focus on the mystery is mostly pushed to the background. For some stories this would be annoying, but for this one it simply makes it better. Being given tidbits of information here and there will satisfy reader’s constant curiosity without spilling the beans too quickly. This sets the entire series up for a much larger and more significant climax when the truth finally does come out.

This unique structure also allows for an abundance of decompression and character moments. Since the big mystery is not the main focus, the spotlight shines on the smaller and more day to day occurrences at Mystik U. This means that readers get to see the protagonists go to class, flirt, and just enjoy their new life together. It is a different but incredibly fun way to tell a story and is the perfect way to get everyone to fall in love with these characters.

This is great because the characters themselves end up being the book’s biggest draw. Zatanna clearly headlines the book, however the spotlight is balanced and ends up being shared with each of the secondary characters as well. They are all individuals, given proper backstories and unique motivations. I left this book equally interested in the affairs of every characters and was ready to dive right into their personal struggles, relationships, and pursuit of magic. Its amazing that, in just one comic, Alisa Kwitney is able to setup a climatic battle for the fate of the world while somehow also finding the time to make every character in the book a unique treasure.

The only real complaint I would pit against this first issue is that transitions occasionally happen in a quick and unnatural manner. Zatanna goes from knowing nothing about the world of magic to being a regular student at Mystik U. The change happens too quickly and feels a bit jarring, especially considering Zatanna just lost her father as well. If some sort of time gap where indicated between these events it would make more sense, but without this the jump seems strange.

(spoilers end here)

Art

Mike Norton and Jordie Bellaire’s artwork in this collection looks awesome and perfectly encapsulates the tone that this book needs to have. Every page looks youthful, colorful, and bright in a way that exudes charm and wonder. I was sold upon seeing Mystik U for the first time, the two page spread was absolutely gorgeous and left me staring for a while before I was able to move on. This is a book where the art perfectly matches the story the creative team is trying to tell and that helps make the entire comic better.

In particular, I got a kick out of Norton’s habit of inserting small details throughout the book in order to give Mystik U a sense of history. Hidden artifacts in the walls, magical creatures everywhere, and the names of fallen heroes on gravestones make the school feel like it really is the epicenter of magic in this world. It also provides a great deal of reread potential, as I often found myself scanning through previous pages just to find all the little details that I missed the first time around.

Continuity

Mystik U #1 marks the beginning of a brand new series in DC Comics. Though it features characters from other books, it does not reference or utilize their history in a way that will confuse new readers. Hardcore fans will see a lot of familiar faces, while new fans can feel comfortable jumping into this book without having any experience with these characters