Name: Black Magick Volume 1: Awakening, Part One
ISBN: 9781632156754

Nicola Scott

Collecting the first five issues of the critically-acclaimed new series from creators GREG RUCKA (Lazarus, Star Wars: Shattered Empire) and NICOLA SCOTT (Secret Six, Earth-2). Rowan Black is a detective with the Portsmouth PD... and a witch, two aspects of her life she has struggled to keep separate. Now someone is targeting Rowan, someone who knows her secrets and means to expose her... or worse.

Black Magick Volume 1: Awakening, Part One

Maggie Gordon

I'm going to start by saying the artwork in this book is GORGEOUS. Very realistic and done in nuanced grey tones. I'd have appreciated the book just for how lovely it looks, but readers are fortunately blessed with an interesting story as well. The volume starts with a group of witches engaged in a ritual, until Rowan Black, one of their members, interrupts the ceremony when she is called to a crime in progress. An unidentified man has taken several hostages and refuses to let them go until he speaks with Black. And this starts a mysterious set of incidents that suggest someone knows who Rowan is and they want them dead. The magic is woven into the story well, Rowan is a very kick-ass Rucka lady, and I am very curious to see where this series head. Onwards to volume 2!

Reread this one in 2018 in preparation for volume 2. Still kickass. Still gorgeous art :)

Melanie Richards

Oops, just read that whole thing in one sitting

Sarah Escorsa

➽ And the moral of this rereread is: oh yeah, this one really is Slightly Very Cool (SVC™) and stuff.



The coloring in this series one of the most scrumptious things ever, if you ask me. (And even if you don't. Ask me, I mean.)



That's my new girlfriend in technicolor there. Pretty hot, huh? Yeah, I think so, too. But I've got to say she's not the only Super Sexey One (SSO™) in this volume. No, indeed she is not. As you can see down there ↓↓, the Lusciously Tantalizing Crew (LTC™) is pretty fierce competition in the Sheer Hotness Department (SHD™). Especially the Yummy Dude of the Appetizing Pustules (YDotAP™) on the right (he kinda sorta reminds me of my ex-boyfriend Jabba the Hutt, aka 😍😍).



Oh, and by the way, I rereread this one because this one and stuff. Just so you know and stuff (view spoiler)[😬 (hide spoiler)]. 

👋 To be continued and stuff.

· Vol. 2: Awakening II ★★★★★
· Vol. 3: Ascension I ★★★



August 2018

➽ And the moral of this reread is: this definitely ain't not your Boring, Average, Typical, Standard Police Procedural (BATSPP™), my Glittering Decapods! It's exciting and fresh and original and slightly dark and cool and stuff. Which makes me want to um, you know, do the thing I usually do when I get all titillated and stuff. You know, that thing that sometimes involves shimmying and shaking and getting down and footing it and hoofing it and and working it and generally displaying one's super smooth moves to the world?



This puny human here went to Fleet Admiral DaShrimp's Dance Academy of Fun and Slaughter. Seems pretty obvious to me (DaShrimp's signature Wild and Rowdy Pincers™ move is a dead giveaway, after all) but I thought I'd mention it anyway. You are quire welcome.



Actual rating: 4.5 stars. ← Don't mind me, I was obviously drunk as a crayfish a little tipsy when I first rated this volume.

Okay, let's be disgustingly honest here. I would never have picked this one up had it not been for Greg Rucka of the  Most Luscious Lazarus Series (GRotMLLS™). Because I'm stupid like that. I mean, I'm a big fan of exquisitely subdued colors. You know, stuff like this: 



And like this:



So you give me something like this:



And I'm like…



Pretty much.

BUT. This was Greg Rucka! And Greg Rucka I slightly lurves! Because, you know, Lazarus and stuff! So I thought to my little self, "Hey, what the fish! Let's be bold! Let's be audacious! Let's go where no nefarious shrimp has gone before! Let's read this!" And here we are. 

So. The art. Yes it was black and white and should have been kinda sorta dull because you know black and white is somewhat boring and lackluster and doesn't pop right out of the page and stuff except that it wasn't and that it did. Boring and lackluster, I mean. It wasn't. And pop right out of the page, I mean. It did. Nicola Scott and Chiara Arena (view spoiler)[
  one day girls will rule the world, just so you know
 (hide spoiler)] both did an amazing job here. I ended up loving the artwork, and the brownish black & white color theme is fantastic. And you know what makes this extra special scrumptiously perfect? The way colors are introduced in a few, select panels. I mean, look at this beauty right here: 



Can I lick that? Pretty please?

And then there are tiny touches of colours here and there:



Bloody shrimping cool and stuff.

As for the story, well, given the premise it could and should have been naught but your basic UF-cum-police procedural type plot, yet nevertheless however: this is Greg Rucka, my Little Barnacles, and Greg Rucka basic stuff does not do! Yes, the heroine (Rowan Black is her name) is a cop but she also happens to be a slightly decrepit ancient witch. She belongs to a coven that does, you know, coven stuff.



The coven leader is Rowan's best friend, by the way. Just thought you'd like to know. You're welcome. Anyway, so Rowan is a witch and a cop and one day there's a hostage situation thingie and the guy holding the people hostage is a teensy little bit possessed and kinda sorta tries to kill Rowan dead but hahaha nice try and stuff and then spoiler spoiler spoiler and to be continued in the next volume. Oh come on, you didn't really think I was going to spill it all, were you? You read it for yourself and find out what happens. Ha. Okay, I'm feeling uncharacteristically kind and compassionate today so I'll tell you this: 1/Rowan and her witchy friends might possibly be the target of people who may perhaps not like them very much for unknown reasons not known and 2/There are some evil, evil people in the world. And there are also sexy lovely people like this:



Well hello there, comely maiden! 

So the story is really fun and compelling and intriguing and stuff, despite the basic UF setting. I would have rated this 8 5 stars, had it not been for the total lack of background story about Rowan and her coven. That was a bit frustrating and stuff. But I'm guessing this is just Mr Rucka being evil and saving some of the juicy stuff for later. Which is a little cruel, if you ask me. But I'm willing to do the lenient thing and forgive him. Yes I am. Why, you ask? Because 1/Rowan actually has a female best friend (which is as rare an occurrence in UF as are genius barnacles in the Nobel Prize Committee), 2/Rowan is friends and ONLY friends with her male police partner (and with his wife, too. Please try not to faint) and 3/No bloody shrimping romance. And that, my Tiny Decapods, is a thing of utter beauty indeed. Ergo, I am hereby deciding to forget about this silly 4.5 stars nonsense and to rate this 5 gloriously glorious stars instead. The end.

» And the moral of this I Was Young and Naïve and Thought Black and White Was Boring as Fish But Now I am Old and Wise and Have Seen the Light and Tada and Stuff Crappy Non Review (IWYaSaTBaWWBaFBNIaOaWaHStLaTaSCNR™) is: volume 2 need it NOW I do. Unable to survive until it is published I might be. Slightly dying before it is released a shrimping shame it would be. Remain alive until May 8 I shall try my best to.

P.S. I have a message for you, on behalf of this volume:





[Pre-review nonsense]

Greg Rucka, Father of the ever-wondrous Lazarus, I slightly lurves thee and stuff.

Nicola Scott & Chiara Arena, you made me lurve the art despite its being mostly black and white. Quite an achievement this is, little shrimps ladies.

I slightly liked this one. Let's celebrate and stuff.



➽ Full Bloody Shrimping Hell Do I Really Have to Wait Until May 2018 to Read the Next Volume This Cannot Be This Will Not Do Crappy Non Review (BSHDIRHtWUM2018tRtNVTCBTWNDCNR™) to come.

Jessica Nottingham

The first thing that you'll notice upon opening Black Magick is the art. The art is stunning, despite the very bold choice to work in black and white. Even before I knew anything concrete about Rowan, I was drawn in with the illustrations of a midnight ritual. Some of the dual page spreads in this book are just stunning! And that's after looking at them digitally. I can only imagine how impressive they look in person.
 
That being said, the three star rating here mainly comes from the lack of story movement in this particular volume. We meet Rowan, and get a glimpse into the double life that she leads. That part really intrigued me. To be a part of the normal police force by day, and be part of something much more magical by night. Which, is the part that I wish was really more focused on. The mystery revolving around Rowan's past, and why she was being hunted, were only barely touched on.
 
Truth be told, I'll be reading on in this series. It's hooked me enough, that I want to know what happens next. Plus, I can't wait to see more of this amazing art!

Black Magick Volume 1: Awakening, Part One

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