Magic is a funny thing. When we’re young, it’s so easy to believe; a man pulling a rabbit in half or sawing a woman in half? It’s great! Yet as we get over, we begin to figure things out. Suddenly, we know things — it’s a trick hat, and there are two women in that box. It disillusions us, it’s highly disappointing, and it makes us skeptical. Now we look for the cracks; we watch these performances no longer to behold the spectacle (ok, well, maybe a little), but with hopes we can figure out how it happened.
Then again, magic is one of those words that ostensibly can be described to anything we love, or an experience that holds in it an evocative notion. That memory of a great vacation spent with a loved one is full of “magical” moments, a nice evening drive with the windows down and the sky clear feels like a spell was cast, the way a song can change your entire emotional spectrum in the span of seconds — all of these things are magic to us. And comics? Well, if you’re visiting this site on a regular basis, we can only assume you know that comics, when done right, in their own way are magic (and that’s not just a reference to Alan Moore and/or Grant Morrison).
Therefore it only makes sense that the two have a collision of sorts, and that collision is “Smoke and Mirrors.” Created in part with an actual magician Jon Armstrong, writer Mike Costa and illustrator Ryan Browne, the idea of “Smoke and Mirrors” is essentially to cater to both spectrums. The book not only includes several magic tricks within its pages, but it seeks to have that innate cohesion in execution that creates comic book magic. To put it lightly, it certainly does.
“Smoke and Mirrors” tells the story of a world where magic rules supreme — actual magic, that is. Technology is a moot point, and the ability to move things with the wave of your hand is rather ordinary. Yet, when a card shark appears out of nowhere and performs a trick without any powers, it begins to slowly shake things up for the characters of the story in what I can only imagine will unfold like a mash-up somewhat of The Prestige and The Illusionist, or perhaps even Ingmar Bergman’s 1958 film The Magician.
It’s a tightly spun tale of mystery for a first issue, and given the creative talent behind the book that should be no great surprise. This is Costa’s first foray into creator owned work, having worked heavily in licensed properties in the past, but it’s clear that his time working in other universes has paid off. For a first issue of a mini-series, the book is incredibly succinct and well plotted, with a sharp eye towards pushing the plot forward just enough as to not reveal too much of what cards he’s holding (pun fully intended).
Meanwhile, Ryan Browne is an artist who we’ve expressed a lot of love for in the past, and while this book doesn’t show off his more insanely creative side like in “God Hates Astronauts” the book still looks wonderful. Browne’s character work is highly emotive and very clean, with each character taking on their own personalities. With Browne’s work, a lot of the truly impressive work comes from his scene building abilities; how the shots are framed and the details hidden in the background all add up in quite an impressive way. For a book based on magic, the visual is a key ingredient to selling that aspect of the book, and Browne surely nails it.
And wait until you see what newcomer Armstrong brings to the table in terms of creativity. Oh, you better believe that’s a key thing — the magic works. Two out of the three tricks fooled me, and I can only really explain how one did. For now, anyway.
“Smoke and Mirrors” #1 is in stores tomorrow, and you should be sure to pick it up when you visit your shop. IDW has a rich history of publishing fantastic mini-series, whether it be from Joe Hill and Gabrielle Rodriguez to Steve Niles and Fiona Staples to Kurt Busiek and Steve Immonen. You’re not going to want to miss out on this one.
Continued belowCheck behind the cut for an eight-page preview of the book.
