The Magicians

As much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter novels. I always struggled understanding why Harry was a rather slack student. He loves magic, yet never seem to  enjoy school. Sure school sucks, but at least he had magic.

In Lev Grossman’s  book The Magicians he creates a fantasy world that feels more real and rewarding by combining popcorn fantasy and the mundane. It’s like someone wrote a book about all the boring procedural things that make life boring and wrapped it in a layer of magic . Like Law and Order but more interesting because they would solve crimes with magic.

The Magicians is heavily inspired by the Narnia series, with a dash of Harry Potter and a gooey Tolkien centre. The story centre around Quentin and a bunch of kids who attend a college designed to teach them how to use magic, and who later visit a magical world populated by talking animals.  The biggest difference is that Grossman treats his magical world very seriously.

More than anything, it’s about the  revelation that even a world containing magic is a cold, harsh place, where true love doesn’t always conquer all. Being noble doesn't mean you’ll defeat the big bad.  Found that is one of the few fantasy books I’ve read that really ponder the psychology of its world.  

Really loved Magicians episodic nature. Gives the book a brisk pace that leaves you wanting more. Felt it gave the character and you the reader some space to reflect on the protagonist journey.  Each character was given more depth than just your usually cookie cutter archetypes, the young man raised by non-magical parents who discovers a world of wonder, a  smart girl whose super smart yet socially awkward, and a sidekick .

Eventually these characters are fleshed out to include a self-loathing alcoholic, a drama queen and assorted of others personality flaws. Their connections are tenuous but real, the hurt they deal to each other stings, and there’s no Dumbledore to help save the day. Everyone in The Magicians is capable of great damage and great kindness, but not everyone realizes it.

After years of watching and reading about fantasy character that go on amazing journeys, it was refreshing to read one that brought the world of fantasy crashing down to reality.

3.5 out of 5 alcoholic Dumbledore riding a self-loathing Aslan

SECONDS

1) Write Your Mistake

2) Ingest One Mushroom

3) Go To Sleep

4) Wake Anew

Thus begins "Seconds," Bryan Lee O'Malley's first graphic novel work since  "Scott Pilgrim". It's more confident and mature, yet still as in engaging. Still contains all of O’Malley favorite topics - existential angst, hope, fantasy and growing up. Seconds is all about learning how to be okay with your own decisions.

This time round our hero is more mature and with it  than Scott. Katie is the former head chef at Seconds, a restaurant that she has turned into the best in her town. Everything about the restaurant is perfect. Except that it isn't hers, leaving her feeling unfulfilled. While biding her time as her new restaurant opens up across town she secretly canoodles with the current head chef, lords over her current restaurant like she’s still the boss. Even though she currently isn't any longer. Katie’s  wandering causes an accident in the kitchen and injures a server. After a dream,  she uncovers a secret panel in her bedroom dresser that offers her a chance to correct that mistake. Of course Katies wonder if she is crazy, once she realizes that it work’s, she quickly starts to take advantage of this cosmic power. If you’ve learnt anything from books or movies that use this causality and effects device, you’ll know it doesn't stay good for long. Eventually Katies life begins to  fall apart in front of her.

O'Malley's script is much more balanced that Scott Pilgrim.Still has that signature O’Malley style would expect from him. Except there is much less videogames references and fantasy elements. Less you count Katie’s hair which looks like Knuckles from sonic the hedgehog. Seconds is more like a modern folk tales for late 20’s adults. Like how Katie  constantly engages with the omniscient narrative. This helped to balance out the comedy and the drama of the story. Definitely feels like a natural next step for the author, allowing him to explore the themes of growing up more than in Scott Pilgrim. Having that revision sequence helps to reinforce the themes of the book. As well as allowing the fantastical elements to come life.

Only downside is that there is much more limited background characters. The one’s there  all feel honest - each one has good and bad qualities that help and hinder them at every turn and reveal themselves in new ways each time Katie warps the world around them. But there’s no Wallace Wells to give you a backhanded comment of inspiration.  

Seconds is a wonder to behold. O'Malley work is some much more confident. His character have more life I page then some people I’ve meet. There  designs are simple and detailed at the same time, and the fashion and clothing choices for each character are totally on point.

When the action kicks, it's clear and well choreographed. The use of negative space and blank or disappearing panels on pages add to the flow of the tale. Also much more detailed than Scott Pilgrim. The backgrounds reveal a much larger world, they’re several pages within the story that I immediately wanted to hang on my wall.  O’Malley continues to find new and clever ways to muck with the existing ideas of how a story is told within the comics medium. Also in magnificent COLOUR !!!

Seconds is a much more mature in every way. From its imagery and storytelling. Seconds blew me away. I couldn't stop reading it -- once the hooks were in, it just absorbed me into it. The brilliance of it, at least to me, is just how it handles what it’s like to finally accept adulthood. 

4 out of 5  existential waffles of hope.