Beneath the streets of New York, even below the grungy, graffiti-covered tunnels of the New York subway system, a cadre of magical clans calling themselves the Council of the Pentagram routinely come together to covertly protect the rest of us bland mortals from the ever-encroaching doom of dark magic forces. Under York #1 (written by Sylvain Runberg with art by Mirka Andolfo), the first issue of a six-issue mini-series, immediately pulls us into this world of dark magic, focusing on main character Allison Walker, an artist on track to becoming a star in the New York art scene who may also be a magic wielder herself.
This debut issue does a great job establishing the world and making Allison a relatable character who’s struggling to make ends meet at an awful job while pursuing her love of painting. It also introduces us to her supporting cast, who are all interesting save for Allison’s roommate, Petra. I found Petra very cliché – the over-exuberant friend you’d see in a hundred rom-coms and the type of person who has the weights and birthdays of every social influencer memorized.
Otherwise, Allison’s supporting cast are all on point, especially the Council of the Pentagram, who consists of delightfully varied personalities. We only get a small taste of them here, but I look forward to seeing more of them next issue.
Image Comics
Even though the book feels primarily like an urban fantasy, there are moments where horror creeps in, especially in one extended scene that seems very Lovecraftian. I hope writer Sylvain Runberg delves deeper into horror in future issues and doesn’t hold back.
Allison’s magic is based in voodoo, so her magic (and the magic of the mysterious figure who follows her throughout the issue) is very rooted in ritual and the Earth.
There are no Doctor Strange-style incantations here, but you’ll be up to your neck in chicken blood and pentagrams. And you know what? I love that. I was never a fan of the Doctor Strange-type school of sorcery, where a rhyme is intoned in sync with some Bob Fosse-style jazz hands. The magic in this book feels more grounded, realistic, and takes a physical toll on the spell caster.
Mirka Andolfo’s art is as great as ever, yet again proving she’s one of the best at rendering both the beautiful and the horrific.
Overall, this is a solid start to the mini-series that sets Allison off on a quest that I’ll be looking forward to following in the issues to come.
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