IDW's STAR MAGE #1

STAR MAGE #1

Publishers: IDW

Writer: JC De La Torre

Art: Ray Dillon

Published: 4/16/2014

This review is going to be short. I have only read Star Mage #1, so that is all I am reviewing.

The basic premise is this, a young boy finds out he is actually an alien that may have great powers (hence the Mage) and is about to be thrust into a galactic war.

The artwork is good, and the writing is okay.

My drawback with the title is the basic premise. Another story about a ‘human’ boy discovering he is an alien. This concept is past the verge of being overdone. I would like to say that the execution of the story in the first issue rises above the concept, but it doesn’t.

Star Mage isn’t bad; it just isn’t compelling enough to want to continue reading. Everything I read in this issue was easily predictable, and not in the good ‘I hope they do this’ way, but in the ‘I know what is going to happen’ way.

Execution of a concept is very important. Even an overdone concept can be executed in a way that makes it fresh and compelling.

Unfortunately, Star Mage doesn’t gel well, and fits into many of the past similar stories. It actually reminded me of a short-lived ‘80’s TV Show ‘The Powers of Matthew Star,’ albeit there are major differences.

This is by no mean a poor reflection on the writer or creative team. I would just say that Star Mage misses the mark.

Rating: 5

Ace Masters