Mage Hero Defined TP Volume 2 Matt Wagner 1st Print Image MOVIE

Description

Mage The Hero Defined TPB (1998-2001) #2
Published Dec 1998 by Image.

Volume 2 – 1st printing.
Collects Mage: The Hero Defined (1997) #5-8.
Story and art by Matt Wagner.

Kevin Matchstick’s path brings him into the company of other legendary heroes, reborn in the modern world under everyday guises. Trouble arises when their purpose and challenges seem to be drying up and the number of supernatural “nasties,” rapidly diminishing. Have the forces of darkness been defeated, or is there a more sinister manipulation at work?

Continuing the popular series chronicling the on-going adventures of Kevin Matchstick and company. Master storyteller, Matt Wagner, weaves his own special brand of magic yet again as the Heroic Trio find themselves lured north, across the border, to a mystical gathering the likes of which the world has never seen. In addition to an ever-growing mass of ‘nasties’, the Northlands seem to magnetically attract a host of the world’s most legendary reincarnated warriors. But what is the hidden purpose behind this Gathering? And how can Kevin overcome his arrogant assumptions of leadership in time to save the day?

Softcover, 96 pages, full color.

The series is about Kevin Matchstick who seems to be a modern day incarnation of King Arthur the Pendragon but Matt Wagner, while staying fairly true to the Arthur cycle, weaves in heroic figures from other myths and some autobiographical material. The result is both epic and sweeping and yet intimate and personally compelling. The middle cycle (Mage the hero defined) concerns Kevin Matchstick using his power to defend light and finding out the limits as well as the responsibilites such power represents. This all sounds typical and didactic but Wagner’s simple and powerful storytelling ability keeps the whole thing fresh and exciting and fun to read.

Wagner’s style for this series is very distinctive. While most superhero sagas feature huge larger than life figures that look too herculean to be even remotely human. Wagner has a looser and softer style that retains an element of the heroic but all his characters are definitely human scaled. He uses deep vivid almost primary colors that stunningly reflect the various actions and moods of the strip. He keeps his compositions simple but powerful reflecting his narrative line. On the whole an amazing achievement and distinguished from most graphic novel work being done by other artists.

Definitely worth hunting down all four parts to the Mage the Hero Defined group of novels and searching out the now out of print Mage the Hero Discovered group. There has been talk of a movie based on Wagner’s work which might mean a reprint of these books. It has stalled in development but we can only hope!!

Collects Mage: The Hero Defined (1997) #5-8. Near mint, 1st print.