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What We Don't Talk About is the graphic novel debut from Charlot Kristensen, a talented artist, and writer who has made her first endeavor
Posted in: Comics | Tagged: chandra, idw, Magic: The Gathering
New Chandra Nalaar Comic Heats Up Magic the Gathering Lore
Magic the Gathering and Wizards of the Coast heat up this holiday season with IDW's first release of Chandra, celebrating 25 years of of the iconic trading card game. The first comic release from MTG in four years, IDW brings in writer Vita Ayala (Suicide Squad) and artist Harvey Tolibao (Danger Girl Trinity) to bring the fiery planeswalker to life in a series of adventures and challenges.
We are first introduced to Chandra in Dominaria, following her narrative through the plane as she fights off an army of funguslike Thallids, first appearing in the comic in a striking full page debut. She finds herself fully taken by the Thallids until a flashback of Nicol Bolas causes her to momentarily lose control and level the fungus horde with destructive ease.
The comic does well in its fan service; Ayala leads the reader through quick mentions of Tarkir, Ixalan, Alara, and even brings in Ajani and Pia Nalaar for cameos on Chandra's home realm of Kaladesh. Tolibao carries the story with his art and has a striking ability to accentuate Chandra's affinity for fire, showing the power only a Planeswalker could possess.
This is a great comic for any fan of Magic the Gathering, especially if the full novels seem too daunting to explore. Chandra is one of the "first five" Planeswalkers from the card game, and with Ajani already teased momentarily in the story, we would hope to see Jace, Liliana or Garruk in upcoming releases. The strength of the MTG lore may also be its downfall if its hoping to bring in interest from fans outside of the card game. Characters other than Chandra are not explained or introduced well, so the quick appearances of Nicol Bolas and Tibalt could reverberate with meticulous Magic players but probably not with anyone else.
The comic was packed with enough shoutouts to the game that it felt overwhelming at times, and a little more world development is something we hope to see later in the series. The cameos from Pia and Ajani showed the softer side of Chandra, which slowed the story in comparison to her fighting panels however. Despite these shortcomings, this is good fan read and ends with a small character cliff-hanger, so we are looking forward to issue #2 which releases next month.
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