This November, IDW will publish “Magic: The Gathering: Chandra,” a new comic series focused on the collectible card game’s signature pyromancer. Written by Vita Ayala (“Submerged,” “The Wilds”) and illustrated by Harvey Tolibao (“Green Arrow,” “Green Lantern: New Guardians”), the November-debuting series will follow Chandra’s journey through the Magic multiverse, as she recovers from the Gatewatch’s showdown with Elder Dragon and string-pulling villain Nicol Bolas.
“To get specific, the comic opens in the near future, in the aftermath of what’s happened on Ravnica. And Chandra is struggling to come to terms with what she’s just experienced,” said Magic’s senior franchise art director Daniel Ketchum, in an interview at ComicBook.com. “And because the comic and card game aren’t strictly tied together, we’ll get to check in on fan-favorite planes and characters the card game may not visit anytime soon.”
While Ketchum didn’t hint at which planes Chandra will visit, he did confirm that Chandra will journey alongside fellow Planeswalker Ajani Goldmane, another of Magic’s marquee characters. While IDW has published Magic comics in the past, those comics focused on side characters and quests that weren’t integral to Magic’s ongoing story. Now, as the game celebrates its 25th anniversary, it’s making sure to put its core characters front and center for new audiences, while also expanding on the established lore that enfranchised players love.
“The comics will focus first and foremost on the Planeswalkers, detailing their trials, tragedies, and triumphs,” said Ketchum. “But they will certainly cross paths with some familiar faces along the way because it’s those planebound characters who can make the stakes of any particular conflict on a single world real.”
