Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, dynamite, entertainment, Felipe Cunha, Ivan Rodriguez, King; Mandrake the Magician, roger langridge

Writer's Commentary – Roger Langridge On King: Mandrake The Magician #3

Today we have the King: Mandrake the Magician #3  writer's commentary by Roger Langridge. Art for for the issue was done by Felipe Cunha and Ivan Rodriguez.

Page 1

I was originally going to show actual real-world leaders here, but editor Nate Cosby wisely advised against it, so we've got hints and signifiers and great buildings instead. The world is supposed to be in an unstable and defenceless state after Ming's invasion attempt in Kings Watch, so it made sense to me that someone on Earth would try to take advantage of that. That it turned out to be Mandrake's royal wife Narda, in order to increase the glory of her kingdom Cockaigne, gives it a personal connection to our hero.

Pages 3-7

After the action of the past couple of issues, I wanted to take things down a little, give Mandrake and Narda a chance to just talk for a while – hence the scene in the prison cell. I've been playing Mandrake as a born entertainer, someone who turns on the charm whether or not it's appropriate, so there are flashes of that here – but really, this scene is a chance to flesh out some motivations, to explain why Narda turned against Mandrake in Kings Watch and throughout this series, and to get to know our protagonists a little better before things kick off again.

Pages 8-10

And Narda's playing with forces beyond her control. Again, we've got some motivational background – Narda, like any decent villain, sees herself as in the right, so we explore that here – and a bit of banter with the demon. I attempted to give him a distinctive voice, a bit of sardonic wit, rather than just make him a ranting fiend, as I thought that would be more interesting to read (and certainly more fun to write). And then, of course, it all blows up in her face…

Page 13

This page is fairly important thematically. I've been seeding the idea that magic in Mandrake's world is contingent upon believing in it to begin with; belief that a thing can be done is often what makes the difference between success and failure. (And it's about time we got Mandrake to use his hypnotic powers, too!) So that idea's coming into play here, and will play a part in events next issue, too.

Pages 16-18

Mandrake and Karma escape! There's a bit of blowing stuff up (because the nice ladies and gentlemen like an explosion, I'm told), but there's some analytical thinking and some up-against-it self-sacrifice as well, because that's more human and therefore more engaging. Nothing against an explosion, mind you… oh, look, there's another one.

Page 20

And here's our big baddie, a synthesis of Narda and the demon, in anticipation of next issue's shenanigans. I had no real idea of what this was going to look like, but I'm delighted to say that Messrs. Cunha and Rodriguez have done us proud. Now the scene is set for  a preposterously King-sized climax… next issue!

For more on King: Mandrake The Magician #3, click here.

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