A man named Wizord has come to Earth and he’s made quite an impression as the first wizard for hire. Little do the people know however he came here to enslave us all, but had a change of heart. Unfortunately his overlords aren’t too happy about this. We review, but is it good?
Curse Words #2 (Image Comics)
So what’s it about? The summary reads:
“THE DEVIL’S DEVIL,” Part Two Wizord, New York City’s beloved sorcerous protector (at least that’s what he wants you to think) has done something TERRIBLE to the city. It was sort of an accide—no. It was completely on purpose, and now he has to fix it before everything goes to hell. Meanwhile, evil wizards, including Wizord’s ex Ruby Stitch, are lining up to take him down. It ain’t gonna be pretty—but it’s gonna be MAGIC.
Why does this book matter?
Writer Charles Soule has a clever twist on wizardry on his hands made more alive due to Ryan Browne’s art. Together they have a unique take on magic fantasy fans of all types should dig.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Forever hungry.
I wasn’t sure what to expect after the cliffhanger of the last issue, which is usually a good sign you’re reading something fresh. Wizord defies expectations and this issue does a good job fleshing out who he is and what his goals are. Juxtaposed to his motivations are the villains, a godlike dictator and an ex-girlfriend who would love to end Wizord for good. This issue sets up the players as well as infuses a bit of magic along the way.
That includes what he does with the stadium of baseball fans that witnessed him murder a magical henchman. Wizord’s solution is a bit of magical cleverness we hopefully see more of as the series continues.
The real success of the issue is a moral dilemma Wizord must work out with his talking koala buddy. Soule introduces a dictator who wants a wish, but how could you give them a wish if they’re capable of killing thousands? Soule has an answer and it’s a bit of writing that makes Wizord stand out just a little bit more.
Browne draws another good issue with all the energy and magic flying about in interesting ways. The stadium survivors end up with a conclusion that’s drawn via a gorgeous double page spread that reminds us Wizord is capable of great things. The dictator villain Sizzajee is djinn like and the use of color makes him magical but fearsome. That includes a neat machine he taps into later in the issue.
It can’t be perfect can it?
There’s a two page section where Wizord explains to his koala friend what he’ll do with the survivors of the stadium and why that’s a little heavy handed. It’s a lot of talking and explaining that slows the pace to a crawl and is more telling than showing.
That’s not a dime bag…
Is It Good?
Curse Words #2 is good, building off the last issue and delivering some magical fun along the way. Wizord is an interesting character which makes the use of his magic even more clever.
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