[Comic Book Review] MAGE: THE HERO DENIED #4 from Image Comics

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[Comic Book Review] MAGE: THE HERO DENIED #4 from Image Comics

Joshua Winchester

November 15, 2017

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PopCultHQ received a review copy of MAGE: THE HERO DENIED #4 from Image Comics. Available November 15^th, 2017, the creative team for this series features writing and art from Matt Wagner, colors by Brennan Wagner, and lettering from Dave Lanphear.

Here’s PopCultHQ’s spoiler-free review of…

MAGE: THE HERO DENIED #4

Writer: Matt Wagner
Artist: Matt Wagner
Colorist: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner

In Shops: November 15, 2017
SRP: $3.99

The adventures of Kevin Matchstick continue in the final part of creator MATT WAGNER’s classic trilogy of comics fantasy. In order to buy time for his family’s ultimate protection, Kevin has made a distraction of himself. Drawing on the power of Excalibur, he creates a beacon for his enemies to find him, hoping to lure them into a trap. But the supernatural entity that appears to confront him is unlike any opponent he has ever faced and leads to an epic showdown. Can even the blazing power of Excalibur defend the Pendragon from the vengeful wrath of…a Goddess?

MAGE: THE HERO DENIED is a 15-issue limited series climaxing in a double-sized finale. This series will skip a publication month every four issues. THE HERO DENIED #5 returns in January after release of the TPB collection MAGE, BOOK TWO: THE HERO DEFINED, VOL. 3 in December.

PopCultHQ’s Comic Book Review:
Mage: The Hero Denied #4

Writing/Art:

Matt has landed Kevin smack dab in the middle of a real situation. He takes everyone’s favorite street-wise mage and has him execute a plan that has surprising twists. The end result? A battle royale that is nothing short of…magic. It just goes to show the caliber of Matt’s writing never diminishes with each issue, it only gets better. And that same sentiment can be applied to his art. Issue #4 is completely loaded with artistic goodies. Action-crammed panels and splashes, tension is literally high within the pages. Matt has once again done it again with issue four and it’s a real gem.

Art:

Brennan’s color choices for this issue are of a different variety. There are bright flashes throughout, but the bulk of it is a darker choice. This is key due to the kind of battle Kevin finds himself in, not counting the fact its setting is the night hours. It’s safe to say that the colors for issue four aren’t just a design choice, but also can be seen as a reflection of the story. It’s a hand-in hand match of Brennan’s colors to Matt’s art and it’s a prime piece of team-up.

Dave put heart into this book. Lettering Kevin and his foe meant a lot of back and forth between the two figures. Coupled with the fact that Kevin’s foe is one tough supernatural baddy, it means that he got to play with a lettering style that was decidedly sinister. Menace and villainy ooze from the letters and word balloons on each page and Kevin’s raw emotion is clear throughout thanks to Dave.

PopCultHQ’s overall assessment:

What happens when Kevin decides to try and take the fight to his enemies? Things don’t exactly turn out how he planned. It’s an action-filled, magic-heavy chapter this time around, with lots of fantastic classic Kevin Matchstick-style sorcery at play. In other words, don’t miss out because readers will find themselves anxiously awaiting issue #5. Grab a copy of Mage: The Hero Denied #4 and see what happens next!