Inkblot #1, Series Premier

Inkblot

They who dabble in the black arts, shall surely be slain by their own creation! So sayeth the book of Inkblot, chapter 1, verses 1-52!

This is the word of…well both Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd. As envisioned by…Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd??? What is this the Beatles? Please pick a lane and stay in it!

The official plot:

“This new ONGOING SERIES follows a powerful sorceress attempting to correct her greatest mistake—the creation of a magical cat that can travel through time, space, and reality. The cat threatens to unravel the fabric of the universe, doesn’t care, and just won’t listen!”

Image Comics

The jury is out on the “powerful sorceress” description. I think “accidental” might be more apt. Labeling the cat as her mistake is also a bit harsh, all she was doing was taking a nap. The parts about the cat feel accurate.

Inkblot
If ink is going to react like this, why would you ever store it together?

My Impressions:

  • Physical Fitness: This girl is running everywhere, all the time!
  • Magic Fitness: Spilled ink bringing animals into existence? Seems a bit unstable to me.
  • Caveat Emptor – I feel like I was duped. I thought that the cat would be a bit more purposeful about what it was doing. Like a wizard’s familiar.
  • My daughter says I was not duped…she was expecting EXACTLTY this. Since I have more comics than her, we will use my opinion!
Inkblot
Well…if nothing else, “Fairy farts” is keeping it PG.

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • The Seeker
  • A black cat

Bottom Line: 3 Stars!

Without a doubt I came off a bit harsh about this title. Inkblot isn’t bad, it just isn’t what I expected. I get a very Songs for the Dead vibe. For the record, I’m sticking it out a bit longer. The book starts by laying the groundwork for a sprawling magical world, so the potential is really high. I can adjust to the cat not being anything special.

Books of Magic #22, “Dewlling in Possibility”

Magic

Thou shalt not betray thy non magic wielding friends! Pay attention as we discuss Books of Magic, chapter 22, verses 1-25! The story of “Dwelling in Possibility” part 2.

This is the word according to the almost unknown David Barnett
As envisioned by the adequate Tom Fowler

The official plot:

“The powerful tome known as the Book of Possibilities has fallen into the hands of Tim’s schoolmate Ellie…but what will she do with it? Only one thing is certain: she doesn’t seem eager to hand it over to Tim.”

DC Comics

Pretty close…but not perfect. At no point was there a consideration of giving the Book of Possibilities to Tim. In fact, they don’t even interact.

Magic
So the book of Destiny know everything…except for what it doesn’t?

My Impressions:

  • Issue’s finest: Destiny of the Endless!
  • Finally some maturity: For once, Tim isn’t acting like a petulant brat!
  • Contemporary Artwork: Nothing stunning. Fowler did make it very easy to tell which scenes took place in each setting. Good use of panel shapes and colors.
  • It’s a grind: The dreaded slow burn of almost all Sandman adjacent books. (It’s all or none baby!)
Magic
Shadowy figures trying to affect destiny!

Notable Appearances/Events:

  • Tim hunter
  • Destiny of the Endless
  • Dead Boy Detectives

Bottom Line: 1 Star!

Let’s face it. With the exception of Sandman fans hoping for a glimpse of the Endless, no one cares about Books of Magic. It doesn’t even appear in the top 100 sales for the last few months running. I’m predicting it won’t survive the coming purge of DC titles.