''Mage'' is an American
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
written and illustrated by
Matt Wagner
Matt Wagner (born October 9, 1961) is an American comics artist and writer who is best known as the creator of the series ''Mage'' and ''Grendel (comics), Grendel''.
Career
Matt Wagner's first published comic book work was ''Comico Primer'' #2 ( ...
, which he describes as an "allegorical autobiography" in which the hero, Kevin Matchstick, is a stand-in for the author, and "
l the other characters he encounters and situations he endures are metaphors from my own life... told through the lens of a fantasy adventure". Three volumes, each of 15 issues, have been published.
Publication history
Volume one, ''The Hero Discovered'', was published by
Comico from February 1984 to December 1986. Despite advertisements saying that a sequel was "coming soon", ''The Hero Defined'' did not appear until 1997, published by
Image Comics
Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...
(Comico had gone bankrupt in 1990, and it had taken some time for Wagner to regain the rights to the series). The third and final volume, ''The Hero Denied'', began publication with an introductory "zero issue" in July 2017, with the first issue proper following in August.
Wagner wrote and drew all three series, with
Sam Kieth
Sam Kieth (born January 11, 1963) is an American comics artist and writer, best known as the creator of ''The Maxx'' and ''Zero Girl''.
Career Comics
Kieth's first published work was "a story in the back of a Comico comic" when he was "about ...
as
inker
The inker (sometimes credited as the finisher or embellisher) is one of the two line artists in traditional comic book production.
The penciller creates a drawing, the inker outlines, interprets, finalizes, retraces this drawing by using a pencil ...
for part of the first,
Jeromy Cox
Jeromy Cox (born October 23, 1970) is an American colorist. He has worked on several notable titles including Detective Comics, Spider-Man, Promethea, Mage, Avengers Academy, DMZ, and Grendel.
Biography
His coloring career began at WildStorm, ...
as colorist for the second, and his son Brennan Wagner as colorist for the third.
Plot synopsis
''The Hero Discovered'' follows Kevin Matchstick, an alienated young man who meets a wizard called Mirth and discovers that he, among other things, possesses both a magic baseball bat and superhuman abilities. In the course of the comic, he defeats the nefarious plans of a being called the Umbra Sprite. He ultimately discovers that Mirth is
Merlin
Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...
, the baseball bat is
Excalibur
Excalibur () is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes also attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Britain. It was associated with the Arthurian legend very early on. Excalibur and the Sword in th ...
, and he is, in some ambiguous way,
King Arthur
King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain.
In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...
. All the chapter titles are lines from
Shakespeare's
William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
''
Hamlet
''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
''.
A backup story, "Devil by the Deed", appeared in issues #6–14 of ''The Hero Discovered''. This was a
Grendel
Grendel is a character in the Anglo-Saxon epic poem '' Beowulf'' (700–1000). He is one of the poem's three antagonists (along with his mother and the dragon), all aligned in opposition against the protagonist Beowulf. Grendel is feared by a ...
story that led directly into the Grendel comic series written by Wagner and drawn by a series of other artists.
''The Hero Defined'' picks up Matchstick's adventures several years later as he fights supernatural menaces in the company of other heroes, including Kirby Hero and Joe Phat. Each hero he encounters is based both on a mythological character and a comics professional of Wagner's acquaintance (Kirby as
Hercules
Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures.
The Romans adapted the Gr ...
and
Bernie Mireault
Bernard Edward Mireault (born 1961) is a Canadians, Canadian comic book artist and writer.
Comics critic Timothy Callahan has argued that Mireault is one of the unheralded creators who helped bring in the Modern Age of Comic Books:
Biography
M ...
, Joe as
Coyote
The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...
and
Joe Matt
Joe Matt (born September 3, 1963) is an American cartoonist, best known for his autobiographical work, ''Peepshow''.
Early life
Matt was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He started drawing comics in 1987.
Career
In his autobiographical com ...
). There is a new mage this time—Mirth has disappeared, and Matchstick is followed around by an old tramp called Wally Ut, who insists he is Matchstick's new mentor. In the course of the story Matchstick learns that he has misunderstood his mission, meets his future wife, and is alienated from his fellow heroes. He also discovers that he represents more than one mythical character: he is also
Gilgamesh
sux, , label=none
, image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg
, alt =
, caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assyr ...
, and Kirby is also
Enkidu
Enkidu ( sux, ''EN.KI.DU10'') was a legendary figure in ancient Mesopotamian mythology, wartime comrade and friend of Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. Their exploits were composed in Sumerian poems and in the Akkadian ''Epic of Gilgamesh'', writte ...
. The chapter titles of ''The Hero Defined'' are from ''
Macbeth
''Macbeth'' (, full title ''The Tragedie of Macbeth'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is thought to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the damaging physical and psychological effects of political ambition on those w ...
'', and Matchstick's wife and her siblings are heavily based on the
Weird Sisters
The Three Witches, also known as the Weird Sisters or Wayward Sisters, are characters in William Shakespeare's play '' Macbeth'' (c. 1603–1607). The witches eventually lead Macbeth to his demise, and they hold a striking resemblance to th ...
.
''The Hero Denied'' takes place several years after the second series. Matchstick and his family are in hiding, trying to avoid the Umbra Sprite, now known as the Umbra Witch, who has regenerated in a female form, and has female children called Gracklethorns, instead of the males in the first two series called Grackleflints. All of the chapters have titles taken from Shakespeare's ''
The Tempest''. The final issue came out on February 27, 2019, thirty-five years after the publication of the first comic.
The ultimate issue of each volume was double-sized, and featured a
gatefold
A gatefold cover or gatefold LP is a form of packaging for LP records that became popular in the mid-1960s. A gatefold cover, when folded, is the same size as a standard LP cover (i.e., a 12½ inch, or 32.7 centimetre square). The larger gatefo ...
page of
panoramic art. The final issue contains an 8-page gatefold.
''Mage'' ran as a back up feature in Comico's ''Grendel'' series issues #16–19.
Collected editions
The series has been collected into a number of
trade paperbacks
A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. In contrast, hardcover (hardback) books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, ...
and a hardcover limited edition.
*''Mage: The Hero Discovered'': Starblaze Graphics, Trade Paperback
**Volume 1 (March 1987, )
**Volume 2 (December 1987, )
**Volume 3 (June 1988, )
*''Mage: The Hero Discovered'': Starblaze Graphics, Hardcover, Slipcased, Limited Edition of 1500
**Volume 1 (March 1987, )
**Volume 2 (April 1987, )
**Volume 3 (May 1987, )
*''Mage: The Hero Discovered'': Image Comics, paperback
**''Volume 1'' (216 pages, June 2017, )
**''Volume 2'' (206 pages, October 2017, )
*''Mage: The Hero Defined'':
**''Volume 3'' (208 pages, January 2018, )
**''Volume 4'' (208 pages, May 2018, )
*''Mage: The Hero Denied'':
**''Volume 5'' (208 pages, October 2018, )
**''Volume 6'' (206 pages, April 2019, )
Awards
The trade paperback, ''Mage: The Hero Discovered, Vol. 1'' was a top votegetter for the
Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award
The ''Comics Buyer's Guide'' (''CBG'') magazine administered the annual Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards from 1982 to circa 2010, with the first awards announced in issue #500 (June 17, 1983).
Upon taking over as ''CBG'' editors, Don and Maggie T ...
for Favorite Reprint Graphic Album for 1999.
Other media
In June 2002,
Zack Snyder
Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with '' Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name. Since t ...
took over directing the film adaptation, after
F. Gary Gray
Felix Gary Gray (born July 17, 1969) is an Americans, American film director, film producer, and music video director. Gray began his career as a director on numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning music videos, including "It Was a Good ...
left the project to
remake
A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...
the
The Italian Job
''The Italian Job'' is a 1969 British comedy caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley, directed by Peter Collinson, and starring Michael Caine. The film's plot centres around Cockney criminal Charlie Croker, rece ...
, for
Walt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production company and subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Studios uni ...
with
Spyglass Entertainment
Spyglass Media Group, LLC, formerly Spyglass Entertainment, is an American film production company founded by Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum in 1998.
History Spyglass Entertainment
On August 21, 1998, Gary Barber, former vice chairman and COO ...
producing the film, but in 2010 the rights were picked up by producer
Lloyd Levin
Lloyd A. Levin (born 1958) is an American film producer.
Biography
Early life
Levin is a native of Paramus, New Jersey, where he attended Paramus High School and graduated in 1976.
Producing career
He was once the president of Lawrence Gordon P ...
.
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
External links
Matt Wagner's home pageat
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia (subtitled A Vast Repository of Toonological Knowledge) is an online encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation, initiated February 13, 2001. Donald D. Markstein, the sole writer and editor of Toonopedi ...
Archivedfrom the original on February 12, 2016.
*Steinberger, David, ed
The Annotated MageComics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mage (Comics)
Arthurian comics
Comics by Matt Wagner
Comico Comics titles
1984 comics debuts