Magic and World War II collide in “Gutter Magic” #1 by Rich Douek and Brett Barkley. Read on for our spoiler free review.
Written by Rich Douek
Illustrated Brett BarkleyCinder Byrnes has been trying to lie, cheat, and steal his way into wizardry his entire life, and he’s finally got the key to unlocking the power of magic. But first, he needs to stay one step ahead of the sorcerous crime lord that wants him dead. Writer Rich Douek and Artist Brett Barkley present an action-packed urban fantasy tale, set in a modern New York City where World War II was fought with magic
Alternate history is a really fun genre to play around with. Comic book series like “Manifest Destiny” and “The Manhattan Projects” have taken history and added a fun twist to it that proves that history is a treasure trove to borrow from for fiction. “Gutter Magic” #1 is also the start of another Comics Experience project and after “Tet” at the end of last year, I was excited to get into this one. The Comics Experience allows for writers and artists to gain more skills and a lot of the creators who come out of it make a great mark on comics. “Gutter Magic” is definitely a great way to get acquainted with this creative team but more importantly, it’s a unique fantasy story that grabs you from the get-go.
“Gutter Magic” #1 takes place in a time after World War II. The war spiraled because of wizards and in a world that has now embraced magic as power, society has changed and those without magic are poor, and living below the wizards, trying to find any bit of magic they can to get ahead. This is where Cinder comes in. He’s a criminal who wants to find magic that he can make work. To do this he has to resort to stealing and this has caused him to be on the radar of “The Morgue”.
Rich Douek has four issues to tell this story in his script and he’s using the space fabulously. “Gutter Magic” #1 is full of a lot but it doesn’t feel over cluttered. The opening page gives us just enough history and we’re thrown right into the story. Douek keeps the focus on Cinder and his goals and that’s really why this works. “Gutter Magic” is very much the story of this one person so while the desire to see more of the world fleshed out is there, it’s not vital to this specific miniseries. “Gutter Magic” has a lot of places to explore but for the purpose of this story, everything we need to know is presented properly. The alternate history angle is used to great effect with the Easter Eggs that show up in the later part of the issue do a very good job at setting the timeline up. What I really like about this debut is the dialogue. This is a serious story but Douek allows the characters to have some humorous banter and there’s a certain charming, rogue, anti-hero quality to Cinder. “Gutter Magic” also has a delightful villain, at least the small amount we get to see, in The Morgue. Without spoiling that reveal, they are a villain that might add some much needed power to combat the ambition of Cinder.
A fantasy series like “Gutter Magic” lives and dies on it’s art and Brett Barkley is more than up to the task. Douek’s script is full so most pages have about 6 panels with some pages containing even more. If this is the kind of work Barkley is going to do in his career, then expect to see him grab jobs left and right this year – he’s that good. Every panel is exquisitely detailed from the background to flyaway hair. The amount of movement in these pages is almost unreal and the linework is clean and beautifully layered. Barkley makes the grimy side of New York City (which is honestly most of it) come to life. The buildings are massive in scale and the streets are not the idealized version you see so often in the movies. Barkley does an especially nice job in mixing in some early 1900’s street design and it makes the city look even older, which enhances the entire idea that these people have been left here, neglected and treated like lesser citizens. There is a wonderful amount of detailing on the creatures but the real, well, magical part of “Gutter Magic” #1’s art is the double page spread in the market that flips perspective, goes upside down and is a maze in and of itself. This is a beautiful page that is not easy to construct properly and it makes “Gutter Magic” #1 feel so essential for fantasy fans.
Continued belowJules Rivera’s colors set the perfect tone and compliment Barkley’s pages perfectly. Rivera is able to transition from lighter and darker scenes soundly while still holding on to the necessary light in the night time scenes. I love how the detailed linework is not washed away by oversaturated colors. The double page spread I mentioned is colored just as detailed as the pencils and on the whole, this issue gains so much from what Rivera does.
With all that said, there are some places to improve. This is a four issue miniseries so there’s understandably a need to streamline things but I didn’t really feel like I left knowing Cinder. I know what he wants and I know how he plans to get it but I don’t know what makes him tick. I don’t know what he likes and what he doesn’t like. I would like to see the second issue flesh out his character a bit more but not lose the momentum that this issue sets up.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A really strong debut for a series that every fantasy lover will enjoy.
