Black Magick #9 Review

Black Magick #9

Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Nicola Scott
Letterer: Jodi Wynne
Colour Assists: Chiara Arena
Publisher: Image Comics

Review by Stephanie Pouliotte

Ok, so I know I said I wasn’t fussed about the temporary changes to the release schedule, but I’ve been waiting for Black Magick #9 to hit the shelves for two months, and it was torturous! But, I loved it, so I’m happy to report that this series is still worth the wait.

After the events of last issue, Rowan finds herself with another dead body on her hands and a mounting internal investigation to go with it. Luckily, even though he’s still suspicious, it looks like Morgan’s got her back again (for now), conveniently forgetting what Brandt had shouted at them as he made his frantic escape. Too bad there’s one investigator who isn’t buying that neither of them were able to catch what the perp was shouting, so next issue Rowan’s lies will certainly be put to the test. Not to mention that the cat is out of the bag about Rowan being a Wiccan, not that she was hiding it from anyone, but it’s just another piece of the puzzle that may point them in the right direction (like to her desk drawer where she put the hexed lighter, for some reason).

As for Rowan, she’s seriously shook up about what happened, mostly because Brandt appeared to be genuinely afraid for his life when he saw her and fled yelling that he’d already done everything she’d said. She then completely falls apart after Alex relays what she learned from her divination, and the two realize the web is even wider than they’d feared, and they’re caught right in the centre. We also finally get to confirm some suspicions about Rowan’s familiar: the black cat who’s been watching Aira case the joint in the last issue.

What more can I say about the artwork, every time I open the next issue I fall in love with it all over again. Also, you won’t find an account from the Aira member Gilles Robert du Pont L’Évêque in the letter pages for this issue, but the editor says it’ll return, so now’s a great time to go back and catch up on his story if you haven’t been following it–especially considering what we learn in this issue about Aira and how close they are to confronting Rowan and Alex.

Verdict: Check it out!

Black Magick #9 was a solid issue, but I might recommend waiting for the last issue of this arc to drop before grabbing them. The two-month wait makes it a bit difficult to keep the momentum of the story going, I certainly had to grab issue #8 to remind myself of what went down. Black Magick #9 also isn’t as tense or gripping as it’s largely the fallout from last issue, so you aren’t missing some huge plot progression if you decide to wait it out… at least until January when issue #10 comes out (because I expect that one to be a real treat).