Mage and the endless unknown / SJ Miller.

Select an Action

Title:

Mage and the endless unknown / SJ Miller.

Author:

Miller, S. J. (Illustrator), author, artist.

Pereira, Clint, editor.

Spike, 1978- publisher, editor.

Sheridan, Matt, art director.

Mardikian, Hye, designer.

Iron Circus Comics, publisher.

ISBN:

9781638991199

Edition:

First Edition.

Physical Description:

152 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

General Note:

"Author & artist, SJ Miller; editor, Clint Pereira; publisher, editor-in-chief, C. Spike Trotman; art director, Matt Sheridan; prepress, additional design, proofreader, Hye Mardikian"--Title page verso.

Abstract:

"Peek through the leaves, beyond the clouded mountains, and you will find a garden with a strange attendant and an even stranger purpose. A young mage, asleep in a meadow, wakes to delights and fanciful spells that open a door to unknown wonder. Then, they eagerly step through to find only horror and death. There is no swashbuckling adventure in store; this world means them cold and deadly harm, and they'll need all their resilience, wit, and magic to push it back. Gaze through fascinating silent windows into a terrifying dimension and follow the wordless Mage and their companions as they travel a shadowy fantastical land of monsters. Will they survive this endlessly curious mystery, or will the unforgiving darkness swallow them whole?" -- Amazon.

Subject Term:

Wizards -- Juvenile fiction.

Magic -- Juvenile fiction.

Voyages and travels -- Juvenile fiction.

Monsters -- Juvenile fiction.

Light and darkness -- Juvenile fiction.

Wizards -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Magic -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Voyages and travels -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Monsters -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Light and darkness -- Comic books, strips, etc.

Wizards -- Fiction.

Magic -- Fiction.

Voyages and travels -- Fiction.

Monsters -- Fiction.

Light and darkness -- Fiction.

Voyages -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Monstres -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Lumière et ténèbres -- Romans, nouvelles, etc. pour la jeunesse.

Voyages -- Bandes dessinées.

Monstres -- Bandes dessinées.

Lumière et ténèbres -- Bandes dessinées.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Fantasy.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Comics & Graphic Novels / Horror.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy.

YOUNG ADULT FICTION / Fantasy / Wizards & Witches.

Genre:

Bandes dessinées d'horreur.

Bandes dessinées muettes.

Added Author:

Added Corporate Author:

Iron Circus Comics,

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Teen Fiction Book Hardback	120791003085270	GRAPHIC T MIL	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

"Phenomenal." -- KIRKUS Starred Review

"Beautiful and terrifying." -- BOOKLIST Starred Review

"Unusual and unforgettable." -- FOREWORD

Peek through the leaves, beyond the clouded mountains, and you will find a garden with a strange attendant and an even stranger purpose. A young mage, asleep in a meadow, wakes to delights and fanciful spells that open a door to unknown wonder. Then, they eagerly step through to find only horror and death. There is no swashbuckling adventure in store; this world means them cold and deadly harm, and they'll need all their resilience, wit, and magic to push it back.

Gaze through fascinating silent windows into a terrifying dimension and follow the wordless Mage and their companions as they travel a shadowy fantastical land of monsters. Will they survive this endlessly curious mystery, or will the unforgiving darkness swallow them whole?

Reviews (3)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 9 Up--A young mage ventures forth from their pleasant, sunflower-filled homeland. Soon their surroundings grow dark and frightening and reveal the presence of hideous beasts. Mage's magic is of limited help against these creatures' saw-toothed gullets, slimy tentacles, sharp beaks, and too many eyes. Mage is harmed at each encounter, and escape exacts a horrible price. Over the five chapters encompassing Mage's travels, despite meeting other beings who become allies, the threats and danger don't end. Each chapter of this nearly wordless graphic novel has Mage starting their journeys with optimism but repeatedly having to fight fearsome, destructive creatures. Mage reaches home again and learns that what felt like solitary fights throughout their travels are part of a battle much larger than they could have imagined. The black-and-white art serves the story well. Despite a deceptively childlike look, it depicts the frightening lands Mage visits, as well as the horrifying monsters and their casual mutilation of bodies in scary detail. With panels often filling almost the whole page, readers will share Mage's terror. VERDICT Hand this one to horror fans who enjoy dark stories and have big imaginations; few words and evocative art will tell a different frightful story to each reader.--Carla Riemer

Kirkus Review

Young Mage is sent out to explore a fantastical world with dark sides. Titular Mage is an innocent magic-wand user. Their design is rounded and has a wholesome, vintage, ligne claire feel to it, giving them strong characterization from the start. Their happy exploration of ruins and use of plant magic are interrupted by a monster that swallows them whole--and that's only the beginning of the creatures they face. In this almost wordless graphic novel, readers make meaning and piece together the narrative by following the art. This narrative device effectively captures reader sympathy and induces a shared sense of exploration. The art is also a pleasure to follow all on its own, with exquisite linework and detail, especially in the surprises and horrors--some of them quite grotesque and embracing body horror--that Mage faces. Each page has a heavy border; while some have multiple panels, most are single-page, and the effect is as though readers are looking through a portal to Mage's world. What little text there is gives key insights to Mage's purpose, though it is ambiguous enough not to spoon-feed information. On his journey, Mage meets and bonds with two strangers, in particular, who remain unnamed until backmatter character sketches. One of them has an elven vibe with pointy ears and is a bespectacled, curious, book-carrying being with dark skin; other characters are pale or not humanoid. Phenomenal. (Graphic fantasy. 14-adult) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

In this (almost) wordless graphic novel, a gentle, curious Mage sets off on a journey that grows progressively darker, crueler, and more dangerous. At first, they whimsically use magic to make sunflowers grow over crumbling ruins, but this awakens a giant, terrifying monster with too many eyes. Mage loses an arm in the escape but regrows it into vine-like, flowering tendrils. Soon after, they find a boon companion in a bespectacled adventurer researching this otherworldly land, and together the pair wander into the darkest horrors imaginable. Miller doesn't shy away from the graphic misery and body horror inflicted on this innocent duo; instead, they emphasize the contrast to an uncomfortable degree by drawing Mage as a cute, childlike figure with a round face and big eyes. Mage's story is told almost exclusively in black-and-white single-page illustrations with intricately textured backgrounds, with shadows creeping at the edges of the light from their wand. Themes of regeneration, transformation, and corruption are underscored by the true purpose of Mage's journey, which is revealed at the bittersweet conclusion. Give to fans of anime series Made in Abyss or manga artist Junji Ito, or others who enjoy worlds both beautiful and terrifying.