Mysterius the Unfathomable
Jan. 11th, 2010 10:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustMysterius the Unfathomable, as is only fitting, appeared mysteriously at the graphic novels reading group. Six individual issues in a plastic bag*, the property of someone who doesn't manage to attend the group very often, and wasn't there to pitch the book to us - and none of us knew any more about it than that.
But it was noticeable that each session, the person who had been reading Mysterius the Unfathomable would return it to the pool with a big grin; and anyone who had already read it would say "Aha!" and start to grin too. They wouldn't say much more about it than that, but what more do you need to be intrigued?
Mysterius is a magician, a slightly seedy but perfetly genuine magician. He has a stage act, he presides at séances for wealthy clients, he resolves your magic problems - for a fee. Delfi is his assistant; through the ages, his assistant is always Delfi, though she is not always the same Delfi. This initial story arc of what is apparently intended to be a continuing series introduces Mysterius through the eyes of a new Delfi, as they work together to lift a curse from a rather unattractive businessman.
There's more, but it would be mean to spoil the surprises; part of the joy of the story is the kind of humour where you laugh because you hadn't seen this twist coming, but once you do see it, it's so absolutely right (a substantial plot element reveals the true purpose of some very well-loved books). This isn't a book that invites you to overlook plot flaws in the interests of the joke, this is a book where the plot and the joke are inextricable.
The creative team were completely new to me: writer Jeff Parker has a solid string of credits, particularly with Marvel Comics (he has written for an X-Men book, but there are so many X-Men books...)
Artist Tom Fowler has also worked for MAD magazine, and it shows. I tend to dislike the application of a cartoony style to superhero comics, but whether because Mysterius is not a superhero or because Tom Fowler does it very well, here it works. The humour of the drawing expresses the humour of the characters; it is perfectly pitched.
I'm not saying this book will change your life. I'd be very surprised if it did. But it is a lot of fun, and it has taken us, as a group, completely by surprise, and I'd hate anyone to miss out on it just because I hadn't mentioned how much I enjoyed it.
*I see that it isn't actually published in a trade paperback until next month.
But it was noticeable that each session, the person who had been reading Mysterius the Unfathomable would return it to the pool with a big grin; and anyone who had already read it would say "Aha!" and start to grin too. They wouldn't say much more about it than that, but what more do you need to be intrigued?
Mysterius is a magician, a slightly seedy but perfetly genuine magician. He has a stage act, he presides at séances for wealthy clients, he resolves your magic problems - for a fee. Delfi is his assistant; through the ages, his assistant is always Delfi, though she is not always the same Delfi. This initial story arc of what is apparently intended to be a continuing series introduces Mysterius through the eyes of a new Delfi, as they work together to lift a curse from a rather unattractive businessman.
There's more, but it would be mean to spoil the surprises; part of the joy of the story is the kind of humour where you laugh because you hadn't seen this twist coming, but once you do see it, it's so absolutely right (a substantial plot element reveals the true purpose of some very well-loved books). This isn't a book that invites you to overlook plot flaws in the interests of the joke, this is a book where the plot and the joke are inextricable.
The creative team were completely new to me: writer Jeff Parker has a solid string of credits, particularly with Marvel Comics (he has written for an X-Men book, but there are so many X-Men books...)
Artist Tom Fowler has also worked for MAD magazine, and it shows. I tend to dislike the application of a cartoony style to superhero comics, but whether because Mysterius is not a superhero or because Tom Fowler does it very well, here it works. The humour of the drawing expresses the humour of the characters; it is perfectly pitched.
I'm not saying this book will change your life. I'd be very surprised if it did. But it is a lot of fun, and it has taken us, as a group, completely by surprise, and I'd hate anyone to miss out on it just because I hadn't mentioned how much I enjoyed it.
*I see that it isn't actually published in a trade paperback until next month.
no subject
Date: 2010-01-11 11:39 pm (UTC)Thank you for sharing beyond your reading group!