Tag Archives: the black mage

Black Mage is a Manga and Video Game-Infused Kick in Racism’s Face

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The Black Mage

With J.K. Rowling TERFing all over the place this week, I bet the last thing you want to spend your hard earned money on is a comic about a school for young witches and wizards. However, writer Daniel Barnes and artist DJ Kirkland put a socially aware twist on this old (-er than the Boy who Lived) trope in their 2019 graphic novel The Black Mage. Their story follows the trials and triumphs of Tom Token, the first Black student at St. Ivory Academy of Spellcraft and Sorcery thanks to a Magical Minority Initiative to make sure the school meets accreditation goals. Throughout his time at the school, Tom and his familiar (A crow named Jim.) deal with microaggressions (A classmate assumes that he recovers his mana with grape soda.) and out and out aggression, bullying, and discrimination. In a parallel story, Lindsay, who comes straight out of a shojo manga, learns to be a good white ally, but her story never overpowers Tom’s heroic journey.

A cold open wherein Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass (By way of Marvel’s Jericho Drumm), and John Henry fight spell-casting KKK members sets the tone for Black Mage and also introduces key plot elements of the book. Kirkland designs the costumes of the professors at St. Ivory to look like Klan robes, names the school headmaster “Lynch”, and colors the students’ uniforms the starchiest of whites. Even in the early going, the school oozes oppression with the school bully/headmaster’s son/a little racist POS, Bryce asking him to watch his “tone” in the lunch room, which leads to a magic battle that is only stopped by the aforementioned Lynch using a spell that mimics slave’s chains. The art style might make it seem that way, but, for the most part, Black Mage isn’t a cuddly school story. It is about confronting racism that is at the foundation of American society as Barnes and Kirkland use magical energy, items, passageways etc as metaphors for the cold, hard facts that much of the United States was built by Black slaves, and that society hasn’t really changed that much. This is self-evident in many Americans’ apathy towards the racial aspects of police brutality and both defensive and aggressive responses to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Black Mage

The plot of Black Mage isn’t about educating white people about racism and having a feel good, link arms moment. It’s about the struggle against racism using magical powers. DJ Kirkland’s high powered art and profuse usage of double page spreads during the magic fight scenes match that energy. Emotions become lightning or fire spells with names straight out of the Final Fantasy games, and Kirkland stages the fights like fighting video games while adding the intense facial expressions and cartoon shorthand of shonen manga. Then, Barnes sprinkles some badass one-liners on top while mostly staying out of Kirkland’s way and letting the fighters’ stances and chosen spells choose the story. Finally, Kirkland’s choice of layouts and depiction of Tom and his abilities mirrors his progression throughout Black Mage as he goes from trying to keep his head down and make it through the school day to being a downright heroic figure. Think final boss battle for the last one-third or so of this book is structured.

Black Mage has an unflinching message of anti-racism and forces non-Black readers to confront their own prejudices through interactions between Tom and Lindsay and other less sympathetic figures. But it also has engaging fight scenes and wonderfully transposes the aesthetics of Magical girls, fight manga, and JRPGs to the fight against systemic racism in the United States. DJ Kirkland trots out some unique fight choreography and page compositions that enhance the arc that Daniel Barnes lays out for Tom Token with a touch of a mystery plot. Black Mage has cool art, a good message, compelling characters, and is a bit cathartic too. It’s worth checking out for fans of video games and manga as well as Western comics or by anyone who wants to see racists get their asses kicked in a fantasy fiction style.

Story: Daniel Barnes Art: DJ Kirkland
Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Story: 8.8 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.2 Recommendation: Buy

Oni Press provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Bookshop – Zeus Comics

Oni Press Announces Summer 2019 Titles

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The school year will eventually come to a close and the beach umbrellas will go up, but Oni Press is encouraging kids (and adults) to keep reading! For our Summer 2019 lineup, we are offering an array of all-ages and young adult comics, with a few OGNs for parental enjoyment as well. Check out the seven new titles below! You’ll find that there’s a little something of interest for everyone.

Ghost Hog

by Joey Weiser
(May 7, Middle Reader)

Truff is the ghost of a young boar, fueled by fury towards the hunter who shot her down. She has a lot to learn about her new afterlife, and thankfully the forest spirits Claude and Stanley are there to guide her! However, they soon find that her parents, along with their fellow animal villagers, have been kidnapped by the malicious mountain demon Mava! Truff wants to help, but… the hunter is finally within her grasp, and if she lets him go, she may never get her revenge! Is vengeance all that being a ghost is good for? Or is there something stronger keeping this little pig tethered to the living world?

Dream Daddy

by Leighton Gray, Vernon Shaw, and more
(May 14, Teen)

Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator invites the player to Maple Bay, where they play as a single Dad new to town and eager to romance other hot Dads. The comic series tells five standalone stories, each focused on different Maple Bay Dads, their kids, and their relationships with one another. Dive into entirely new stories featuring the backstories and adventures of your favorite Dads, told by game co-creators Leighton Gray and Vernon Shaw, along with the comic industry’s top indie talent like C. Spike Trotman, Josh Trujillo, and Kris Anka!

Emiline: Knight in Training

by Kimberli Johnson
(July 9, Children’s)

Emiline is learning how to be a knight. There are many skills that knights need: sword fighting, unicorn riding, and PB&J eating! While Emiline is very good at these, she has a hard time reading. But when fixing a dangerous situation means Emiline must read some magic words, she discovers that with practice, curiosity, and help from her friends, she can improve at reading and save the day!

Our Super Adventure: Video Games and Pizza Parties

by Sarah Graley and Stef Purenins
(July 16, Teen)

Just how much of the bed should your cats get to take up? If you lose at your video game, should you get a conciliatory hug? Does your partner think that you’re beautiful even though you feel like a goblin today? If any of this sounds familiar, you’re in the right place!

Sarah Graley’s second collection of hit diary webcomic Our Super Adventure shares three more years of cute and weird moments of Sarah’s life with her partner Stef and their four cats: Pesto, Toby, Pixel and Wilson!

So whether you’re a heat vampire, the person who doesn’t want to share that last donut, or even someone who’s late to a party because a cat was sleeping on them, you’ll find that Video Games and Pizza Parties is packed full of strange yet wonderful moments that anyone can relate to!

The Black Mage

by Daniel Barnes and D.J. Kirkland
(August 13, Teen)

When St. Ivory Academy, a historically white wizarding school, opens its doors to its first-ever black student, everyone believes that the wizarding community is finally taking its first crucial steps toward inclusivity. Or is it? When Tom Token, the beneficiary of the school’s “Magical Minority Initiative,” begins uncovering weird clues and receiving creepy texts on his phone, he and his friend, Lindsay, stumble into a conspiracy that dates all the way back to the American Civil War, and could cost Tom his very soul.

Super Fun Sexy Times, Volume 1

by Meredith McClaren
(August 20th, Mature)

Cartoonist Meredith McClaren (Hinges) tells five short, sexy stories featuring superheroes, supervillains, sidekicks, and the people who love them. Showing consent and character-driven erotic relationships, Super Fun Sexy Times answers the age-old question: what happens when the mask comes off?

Two sidekicks on opposite sides get stuck in an underground lab together, and find a great way to pass the time. A tactician and superhero discuss their desires, limits, and kinks before their first time, and perhaps get a little too excited in the process. A pair of supervillains explore gender and sex together, while growing closer in their relationship. Lesbian heroes try out a kinky roleplaying scenario, and discover how to make it work for both of them. And an exhausted assassin relaxes after a long day with the kind (yet firm) attentions of his husband.

Told with care, sex-positivity, and humor, and featuring a wide variety of sexualities and bodies, Super Fun Sexy Times aims to create an erotic reading experience that lives up to its name!

Little Witches: Magic in Concord

by Leigh Dragoon
(August 27, Middle Reader)

A charming and magical graphic novel based on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women! Jo, Beth, Amy, and Meg March are four sisters living in Concord with their parents—Father, who’s tending to soldiers fighting in the Civil War, and Marmee, who teaches the girls simple but effective witchcraft. The Marches have to keep their craft quiet, as there are many in Concord who see magic in a bad light—especially after things have begun disappearing.

When Mr. Laurence, a witchfinder, moves in next door to investigate the missing objects, the girls fear for their livelihood. But he turns out to be a kind old man, and his grandson, Laurie, quickly befriends the Marches. As the cold winter blusters on, the girls continue their education, even as missing objects soon turn into missing people.

Things take a turn for the worse when Jo and Laurie try investigating on their own, and a dangerous storm takes hold of Concord. There’s powerful magic at play here—stronger than anything the Marches, or even Laurie, has ever seen before. Can they hope to defeat it? Or has the magic already become too strong for them to fight against?