Magic Book Two

by Jed MacKay, Ig Guara (Illustrator)

Based on the global sensation Magic: The Gathering card game, this softcover edition is the second of three volumes collecting the entirety of BOOM! Studios MAGIC comics–the longest continuous run of Magic comics stories ever, from the bestselling acclaimed comics writer Jed MacKay (Moon Knight, Avengers), superstar artist Ig Guara (Silk), and more! As the adventure continues, the Planeswalker heroes Kaya, Vraska, and Ral Zarek return home to Ravnica… and are immediately taken captive! Now a new trio of Planeswalkers must find their way past the barrier preventing planeswalking in or out of Ravnica to save the others: the combustible Chandra Nalaar, monster tracker Garruk Wildspeaker, and athlete Niko Aris, whose explorations across the planes are just beginning. Their journey will take them from Dominaria, to Zendikar, Eldraine, Innistrad, and New Capenna before they at last find a way into Ravnica. Once there, they’ll have to liberate the plane from the megalomaniacal metal mage, Tezzeret, who seeks to bend powerful sites of magic across the Multiverse, and the powers of a Planeswalker making her first appearance in MAGIC comics–Isona Maive–to his goal: the power to cast the Elderspell and make himself a god. Collects Magic #11-20.

256 pages, Paperback

Published August 13, 2024

Reviews

[Scotts Shelf]

In my previous review, I mentioned hoping that Book Two would ramp things up after a somewhat lukewarm start in Book One. While this installment does shift gears, it also introduces a new cast of characters on a mission to find and save the original protagonists — which left me feeling like I was back at square one. Or perhaps, more accurately, square two: a little more grounded in the Magic universe, but still resetting in terms of character familiarity.

Meeting this new group was enjoyable, and it's always interesting to see fresh perspectives in a world as expansive as Magic: The Gathering. However, my overall feeling toward the plot, pacing, and character development remained consistently... whelmed. There’s potential, but it still feels like the story is revving its engine without quite taking off.

That said, one highlight was seeing characters who were only briefly touched on in the first book take a more central role here. With such a deep and rich lore behind the Magic franchise, these nods to the wider universe are welcome.

A personal gripe: the inconsistency in artwork. Mid-issue art changes are always jarring, and in one case, a character’s face appeared noticeably different across just two pages — five times! It disrupts immersion and makes it harder to stay invested in the story.

Despite that, I still believe you don’t need any background in the card game to enjoy these books. At their core, they offer a classic fantasy adventure, and for that reason, they remain accessible to newcomers.

The cliffhanger at the end of this volume definitely has me intrigued. Here's hoping Book Three delivers the payoff and momentum this series has been building toward!