Magik #5 // Review
Illyana just stabbed herself in the leg. On purpose. She’s tryin to channel the pain...embrace it in order to keep something captive deep within her. In order to do so, she’s going to have to confront it in a way she never has before. Sacrifices will be made in Magik #5. Writer Ashley Allen continues a provocative, dramatic run with Illyana in another issue brought to page and panel by artist Germán Peralta and colorist Arthur Hesli. It’s a big conclusion with serious consequences for Illyana that reach back to the core of her personality. Allen and company cleverly move Illyana forward into her next big challenge.
The demon called Darkchild has been residing within Illyana for a very, very long time. She’s kept it in check for so long, but she knows that she can’t hold onto it forever. A being named Liminal has offered her a wager: if she could return it to full power and resist the demon entity’s power for three weeks, Liminal would purge it from her. If not, Darkchild would join Liminal and rule by its side. It’s a huge risk, but Illyana is going to have to take it if she’s ever going to be rid of it...unless there’s some other way...
Allen cuts a narrow path between Illyana as powerful force and Illyana as tragic victim. It’s that balance between strength and vulnerability that keeps the pages turning as swiftly as they do. There’s a lot going on around the edges of the action, but Illyana and Darkchild are really the center of the page for quite some time. The conflict between the two characters has been maintained for decades. Allen does a really sharp job of making certain that it’s all moving forward. Illyana has great potential for really compelling complexity. Allen is impressively living-up to some of that potential.
The mix of over-the-top super heroic action with subtle emotional drama can be tricky. Peralta has a knack for finding the subtle around the edges of the overwhelming. As with the script, it’s a delicate balance between different elements that feels suitably impressive throughout.There’s a strong sense of action and execution throughout the issue. Hesli’s colors provide a profound amount of atmosphere that serves the magical intensity of the drama quite well. There are also some rather clever layouts that serve the story’s complexity.
It’s difficult to get a feel for any kind of coherent continuity with any character who has been around for decades. Allen has found a solid middle ground between a contemporary feel for the character and one that respects where she might have been over the decades since she made her first appearance. The full reality of Illyana and her inner conflict hasn’t ever really been given the kind of connection that it really should have had over the years. Given the right momentum, Magik could turn into one of the more popular Marvel characers. Allen certainly seems to be taking her in a direction where she might yet live-up to that potential.
