Playing cards is a skill that most people don’t quite master. As with most games, it’s all about reading people. “Reading” your opponent remains the most important aspect in the way you play. We see it all the time, in football, where teams game plan for weeks on end.

In card games, you plan your game as you go. That is why it is always interesting to watch when someone overplays their hand. It is definitely devastating to the player. In Acursian Chapter 21, we find Charlie underestimating one such adversary.

We open up on Charlie and Alison entering the Witches Realm, which they soon find out is a trap and Charlie comes up short on what he promised Flora.  We also find Corra and Nate as they are holding a rendezvous with Alba, who holds their mother, and where Nate lets her know that Bregon has an ulterior motive. We also find Bregon and Rory looking for the talismans in the 16th century, at Charlie’s ancestral home. By the issue’s end, Charlie and Corra figure out the next steps after Flora holds Alison as a prisoner, maybe even taking desperate measures.

Overall, Acursian Chapter 21 is an action-packed entry in the series that raises the stakes. The story by John Barrowman, Carole Barrowman, and Erika Lewis is enjoyable. The art by Beni Lobel and  Tommy Lee Edwards is elegant. Altogether, it’s a story that puts our protagonist on notice.

Story: John Barrowman, Carole Barrowman, and Erika Lewis Art: Beni Lobel and  Tommy Lee Edwards
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy