Illyana is determined to defeat Liminal with as little help as possible, and Magik #4 uses the arrival of Dani Moonstar to probe the insecurity lying beneath Yana’s stubborn demeanor. The aptly titled “Reunion” hits shelves this week from Ashley Allen, Germán Peralta, Arthur Hesli, VC’s Joe Caramagna, and Darren Shan. Each issue of this series has been jam-packed so far, taking us from the US to Japan, Liminal’s realm of exile, and now back Earth-side to Ecuador. In comparison, the plotting behind issue #4 may feel more contained than its predecessors, but it plays an essential role in bringing us to the height of Illyana’s emotional turmoil.
For a quick refresher, here’s what’s been going on. One powerful demon lord named Liminal is trapped in a personal pocket dimension, and his demon envoys do his bidding on Earth in hopes of returning him to this plane. Five magic seals form the barrier between Liminal Space and Earth. The seals themselves are protected by wards from a secret network of mages and sorcerers called the Society of the Eternal Dawn, and their members have maintained the five seals for decades. Hungry to be free, Liminal has set his agents on a new course: the word is out that mutant blood is a more potent mystical resource than baseline human blood, making the ritual sacrifices required to break the seals much easier than ever. Mutant lives being spent as magic fodder draws Illyana’s attention and adds an extra twist to Liminal’s plan. Not only does he want the freedom to walk the Earth once more, he wishes to do so hand in hand with a permanently unleashed Darkchilde.
Jumping back into Magik #4, it’s safe to say that Illyana is feeling a little raw. She’s racing to the third seal, she’s made a risky bargain with Liminal, and suddenly Dani is here out of the blue. As a result of her deal with Liminal, Magik’s psychological and magical barriers between herself and Darkchilde have been removed for the next three weeks. An unintentional consequence of this shift is that the energy Illyana consciously requires to keep her darker self at bay has put both her mutant powers and her magic on the fritz. Magik and Mirage even had to leave the third member of their team, Cal, back at base camp since Yana’s powers are so unreliable at the moment. This awkward position isn’t all that different from her previous adventure with Moonstar, back in Realm of X. If that wasn’t already making her feel inadequate, it turns out that Dani has joined the Society of the Eternal Dawn and has been given a new demon hunting bow.
Even as the heroes bicker their way to the seal on the mountaintop, an instinctual part of them is still in sync as they double-team waves of oncoming demons. Dani’s new bow makes her psionic arrows fatal to demonkind, and her telepathic projections are nearly enough to keep the third seal from being broken. Liminal’s emissary is only stalled briefly, she once was the child’s captor and now serves as his monstrous minion, spilling mutant blood and moving towards Liminal’s victory. It’s not easy, but Illyana is able to channel just enough magic to reinstate a seal of her own without transforming into Darkchilde. In a post-mission heart-to-heart, Magik explains to Dani why she really accepted Liminal’s bargain. Illyana has proven time and again that her identity and sense of self can and will win out whenever Darkchilde attempts to seize permanent control. It is a battle that she can win and has won, but has grown weary of having to fight it again and again, seemingly for the rest of her life.
Marvel
It’s nothing new for comics to use metaphor or allegory to make our heroes’ troubles feel familiar to our own lives. In Illyana’s case, the Darkchilde has often played the role that a personality disorder might have in our world. It was seeded in a childhood period of extreme psychological and physical abuse. It manifests as a harmful self-narrative about Magik, and often results in periods of manic, self-destructive behavior, or in ways that are not dissimilar to a breakdown. This is what makes Illyana’s confession feel so vulnerable, she doesn’t want to have to keep coping with Darkchilde for the rest of her life. She’s afraid that what she will only be defined by this unending struggle within. Now, whether she defeats Liminal or submits to him, at least the battle between Illyana and Darkchilde will be put to rest. Dani later admits to Cal that the most imminent threat at the moment is Liminal, and her trust in Magik doesn’t negate the potential harm that Darkchilde could unleash. Sadly, Illyana overhears this admission, and the final page teases that it may only lead her to spiral further.
As noted, Magik #4 is fairly contained in terms of the scope of the issue’s plotting. However, that does not keep it from being stuffed to the gills with action and dialogue. The battlefield conversation between Dani and Illyana is a fun read, but the amount of dialogue made it hard for me to fully take in Magik’s core fear on first read through. This lack of clarity was not helped by Liminal’s absence in this issue. After building up such a looming presence in the first three installments, the lack of him here left me puzzled with his final plan. As best I understand it, his goal is to open all five seals, being free and thereby winning his bargain with Magik. But considering Illyana has closed off three seals already under her own magic, perhaps plan B is to force Magik to stretch herself too thin. By trying to plug all five broken seals at once, it would be easy for Darkchilde to overwhelm her, and Liminal still wins by unleashing Darkchilde on the world and releasing him in return. Needing another read or not fully understanding Liminal’s final play detract somewhat from the issue, but are far from being ruinous flaws.
Peralta and Hesli are a great duo for the art of Magik #4. Peralta’s inks give us cute flashbacks to Dani and Yana’s time training in the Danger Room and the Demon Bear. In the present as well, he inserts cool moments like Mirage using a psionic arrow like a grappling hook and Magik crash-landing on her Soulsword surfer-style. On colors, Hesli brings the emotion and spectacle to each panel. The moody reds and purples of an infernally infested jungle contrasted with a radioactive green for Dani’s demon hunter bow is such a treat. Also, so fun to see Peralta and Hesli bring another one of Peach Momoko’s monster designs to the page in this issue.
The clock is ticking, and only two seals remain fully intact. Dani Moonstar and her new magic gear are here to help one of her best friends, but Magik #4 leaves Illyana feeling even less secure than before. Liminal’s victory seems well in hand, but I wouldn’t count out either Mirage or Magik on their worst days. Better than that, they have each other, if Illyana can accept the support Dani is trying to offer.
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