'On his first day of class at a new school, Leo, a boy who talks to the ghosts of famous dead people for fun, meets Hamlin, who can talk to animals, and Farah, a human flamethrower. The new friends band together to track down the thief who has made off with the school's prized trophy, and must use all their powers to fight off an army of gigantic robots intent on destroying them. What they don't know is that this is all just part of a much, much bigger plan...'
Magic 7 is a middle-grade urban fantasy graphic novel series from Europe Comics that sees a group of young teens with special powers learning that they're not the only people in the world with extraordinary abilities.
We begin by meeting Leo, a boy who lives alone with his mother in their new home. Leo is ready to begin his first day at a new school, Mercury High, but he's not worries about not making any friends as he always has friends with him. You see, Leo can talk with ghosts. Leo has the ability to summon any spirit and talk with them, and can even have them pass into him so that he can use their skills and knowledge.
Upon arriving at school Leo falls afoul of a pair of bullies and ends up trapped inside a locker as his fist class is starting. Leo manages to escape, thanks to the help of Houdini's ghost, but gets caught out of class and sent to the principal along with two other students; Hamlin and Farah. Leo strikes up a friendship with Hamlin, and learns that the boy is often the target of the school bullies, and is being blamed for the theft of the school trophy.
Investigating into the theft, with the help of some ghosts, Leo learns that Hamlin has the ability to talk with animals, and when he encounters the thief in action he gets rescued from their robot bodyguard by Farah, who can shoot fire from her hands. Knowing that the thief is stealing metal from around Mercury High and turning the pieces into robots, the three teens band together to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Magic 7 starts off with what seems to be something of an explanation for what might be happening as we see a robed figure giving seven individuals magical powers in an unspecified point in the past. Each of these seven is being given the powers of one particular school of magic. I'm guessing that these will be the ancestors of the seven powered teens we're sure to meet over the course of this series, but we have little other info. It's nice that the book starts with this tease, as it really didn't need to, as it shows us that this is a bigger story than just these magical kids, and that there is a history to things.
Of the three main kids we spend the most time with Leo, and he's definitely our lead character. We learn that he and his mother moved to town not long ago, and that his mother is having to work a lot of hours to support them both; leaving Leo alone a lot of the time. We discover that this is because Leo's father died. Leo admits that he tried to use his powers to talk to his father's ghost, but for some reason it doesn't work for him. I expect that this will be something that the series will revisit at some point in the future. Leo is pretty withdrawn because of these issues, but begins to become more and more outgoing as the book goes on.
Hamlin is something of a social outcast, and is treated pretty poorly by most of the other students at school. He lives alone with his father in a run-down trailer filled with animals, and their family don't really have much money. Because of this many people look down on him, and assume that because his family are poor he must be the thief. Whilst this does upset Hamlin, and we see him dealing with the prejudice he experiences, he finds solace in his animals. Hamlin's gift allows him to understand animals, but there is a slight drawback as they can only understand him if he plays a musical instrument. As a result, Hamlin is constantly experimenting with different musical instruments, seeing which ones let him talk to which animals.
Farah is the school rebel. She dresses like a goth, doesn't seem to care about the rules, and just does whatever she likes. However, there is a different side to the character that begins to pop up every now and then. When Farah gets picked up by her parents after school she's dressed like the other girls, looking all prim and proper. We learn that her parents are both very religious, and Farah maintains the lie that she's a well behaved Christian girl around them. But it turns out that she's not only hiding her rebellious side, but some magical powers too. Farah has the ability to produce and fire flames whenever she wants to.
There are two other magical children introduced in the book, but who they are and what their powers are are better left unsaid so as not to spoil too much of the book. I will say that the hints we get about them and what they're up to are pretty interesting, and have me excited for future volumes.
The art on the book is provided by Giuseppe Quattrochi, and looks really good. The book has an exaggerated, almost animated feel to it. Quattrochi isn't trying to make things look realistic, and is taking a much more dynamic approach to the art. The characters all have distinct looks to them, making them instantly recognisable, and the action sequences are bright, colourful, and really dynamic. There's not a single panel in the book that looks dull, boring, or ugly, and the art works well with the story to create a book that is a genuine pleasure to read.
I had a lot of fun reading Magic 7, Volume One: Never Alone. It was a series that I'd seen a lot, but not had a chance to pick up. Whilst I'm not upset with myself that it took me so long to actually read this book I do get the added bonus that I can jump straight to the next volume now; and I'll definitely be doing that, as I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next.
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