Review – Mythic #2 (Image Comics)

Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Phil Hester
Artist: John McCrea
Release Date: 24th June 2015

Classics was always one of my favourite subjects in school, fuelling my imagination whilst enriching my experience of reading comics with its tales of heroes, Gods and monsters from various mythologies. Of course, science and reason soon strip away the layers of mystery, revealing rather dull explanations for the weird and wonderful, but Phil Hester and John McCrea are turning the tables in Mythic, presenting a world where science is a lie and where magic holds sway.

Mythic Lore Support are the teams that attempt to maintain balance in the universe by keeping magical beings in check. Picking up from the last issue, we find the Team 8 on-mission in Colorado, attempting to encourage cloud and mountain elementals to mate in order to end a drought. Meanwhile, the world stands on the brink of disaster, after the emergence of a malevolent demon seemingly under the control of a curious young girl and her mysterious master.

Whilst the premise is not entirely new, Hester and McCrea’s vision of a universe controlled by magical beings is as entertaining as it is grand in scale. After setting up the characters and premise last time out, the main plot thread emerges in the early going, before an intriguing and rather unsettling reveal ramps up the tension in the closing pages. Hester strikes a fine balance between the comedic and dramatic, keeping the script trim and maintaining a pretty fast pace throughout. Casual, natural dialogue helps create a strong camaraderie between the central trio, and even at this early stage, there’s a sense they have each other’s back.

The book is simply stunning to look at, with John McCrea’s grasp of perspective and scale giving the book a truly epic feel that instantly reminded me of Jason and the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans. A fantastic opening splash page sets the tone, and from there action is set within dynamic asymmetric panels; an effect that emphasises just how off-kilter the universe has become. With character concepts this good, I’m excited to see which other myths and legends will be re-imagined under his pencil in the coming issues.

Yeah, Hester and McCrea are onto a winner here, and with the promise of a giant baby wrestling a dinosaur in the next issue, you can most certainly count me in for more.

Rating: 5/5.

The Writer of this piece was: Martin Doyle
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