“Once upon a time, there was a wizard. THEN IT ALL WENT TO HELL.” Charles Soule might be the hardest working guy in comics. He’s written ongoings for DC, has multiple ongoing series over at Marvel, is writing “Letter 44” for Oni (which may be one of the smartest books on the stands today), and now has a new ongoing with Image. And comics writing isn’t even his day job! He’s a full time lawyer. Ryan Browne may be one of the funniest guys in comics. The mastermind behind “God Hates Astronauts” fills each page he draws with more imagination than some conjure up in their whole careers. When the two of them come together, it’s truly magical.
Written by Charles Soule
Illustrated by Ryan Browne‘THE DEVIL’S DEVIL,’ Part Two Wizord, New York City’s beloved sorcerous protector (at least that’s what he wants you to think) has done something TERRIBLE to the city. It was sort of an accide-no. It was completely on purpose, and now he has to fix it before everything goes to hell. Meanwhile, evil wizards, including Wizord’s ex Ruby Stitch, are lining up to take him down. It ain’t gonna be pretty-but it’s gonna be MAGIC.
The basics of “Curse Words” are this: Wizord, a wizard from the Hole World, was sent by Sizzajee to destroy Earth. But then Wizord learned about hot dogs and babes and freedom, and decided that the Earth was a pretty rad place. He became New York’s professional wizard for hire. But Wizord is not such a good dude and his dark past is catching up to him- in the form of the other colorful minions of the dread Sizzajee.
In this issue, we see a bit more of Wizord’s inner self. Hot dogs are great, but there was a deeper motivation for wanting to stay on Earth. Seeing such a fully realized character so early in the series bodes well. It is already apparent that everyone has a lot of history and reason for being. Wizord is in the process of realizing that he prefers being loved to being feared. On the one hand, that may seem obvious to some of us, but you can’t help but get the feeling that there’s more to unpack. With all the characters!
A world of groovy magic is nothing new in comics (nor is New York as a setting) but this creative team has what it takes to make everything crackle with creative energy. Wizord offers a Sri Lankan dictator a wish in exchange for his sapphire necklace. The dictator has much he would like to accomplish before he dies, he wishes to be twenty. Obviously clever word choice is important in a magical deal such as this, and Soule doesn’t disappoint.
Soule’s confident way with words props up the entire comic. The magical land of the Hole World looks like a terrible hole, but the name is used for every last possible pun. Everyone speaks with deliberate style, whether they are New Yorkers or speaking the Langue Mystique (or the BIRD LANGUAGE). Between the dialogue, the silly names, and the spellcasting, the quality of writing is more than adequate- it sparkles!
Ryan Browne also carries more than a fair share on his end of the bargain. From the beautiful New York apartments to groovy magical tree houses, the artwork is a lot of fun. That would be enough, but it also carries a lot of the story with it. At a climactic moment, Sizzajee takes a dagger to a tube in a rainbow collection of… thingies. It’s a bit hard to describe, but the presence of magical gemstones and the harm it seems to be causing Sizzajee makes the scene almost clear. The immediate consequences are obvious, as is the feeling that as the series goes on we will learn more and more about how this world of magic functions. The promise of a mystery solved is sometimes satisfaction in and of itself, but you can’t shake the feeling that whatever is happening is as bonkers as it is amazing.
Plus Browne draws an amazingly expressive koala. That may not sound like much, but Margaret the koala bear familiar is one of the story’s main characters (#teammargaret). In a world where some top artists sometimes struggle with human anatomy, the fact that Browne can also draw amazing koala bears (and bird people, and centaurs, and angels, and whatever the hell Sizzajee is) puts him in a league beyond anyone else. This book could not function without the high levels of talent of everyone involved, but everyone performs wonderfully.
My favorite comics are the ones that are so crazy, no one would ever greenlight them as a movie or a TV show. The best of the best comics create a visual world so rich, no special effects could ever do justice to the their lunacy. The insane galaxy of “Saga” needs to be realized as a comic; same with the cartoonish proportions of Adrian Alphona’s Kamala Khan in “Ms. Marvel.” In “Curse Words” Soule and Browne are taking us to a unique comic book world. Readers should hope this amazing partnership lasts a good long while.
Final Verdict: 9.2 – You have a new favorite Image book and its name is “Curse Words!”
