This is my ideal graphic novel format with an interesting story, not too much prose and great artwork. The story has a good pace and it is certainly creative and interesting in the way it manages to address institutional racism in a 'Harry Potter' format. I really enjoyed the artwork and the colouring.

It is an interesting and contemporary story about a young black mage who is invited to join a school for mages which had previously only allowed white students. When he gets there he encounters all kinds of racism and then subsequently uncovers a sinister plot and the school's deeply racist roots.

The story manages to combine historical characters, magic, battles and contemporary experiences about race, because the discrimination illustrated here is alive and flourishing in many societies and institutions. This story doesn't hold back, showing the complexity of institutionalised racism and what it takes to recognise and confront it.

I think this would be a very interesting book for a younger audience because it lends itself nicely to follow up discussions. I hope this series continues because it is good to see a strong black character in a graphic novel who works alongside a white female character in order to achieve justice. It is refreshing to have both a main female character and a main black character who are actually the centre of the story and shown in an empowering way.

Copy provided by Oni Press via Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The magic wasnt explained all that well, but I loved the magical school setting and the whole fighting against oppression plot. The underlying theme of the book was featured in a very literal way despite the fantasy elements so a younger audience should be able to grasp them easily. I enjoyed the art style, but the boxes werent in order in the egalley I received so it was a little confusing at times. The balance between fight scenes and dialogue wasnt completely to my taste, but it made for a quick read.

Ill share all the links soon.

Thanks to Netgalley and Oni Press for an electronic galley of this book. 

As the result of a "Magical Minority Initiative," Tom Token is the first black student at St. Ivory academy - or is he? After his pet Jim (a crow) appears with an ID card from another black student missing from the school's history, Tom finds himself uncovering the mystery of how Atticus Lynch, the school headmaster, built his school on white supremacist ideals and the literal lives of African American slaves and heroes of the past. 

This book is marketed towards teens, but it's a middle-grade read more accurately, or a teen-read in the hi-low category. The naming conventions are spot on, with Tom as the "token" black student, Jim crow pet, St. Ivory Academy (he takes the train to "Alabaster Station"),  a spell which "enslave[s]," etc, but unfortunately, the story doesn't dig deep enough for teen literature, in my opinion. It has some exciting fight scenes and I think for those alone including the presence of Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and John Henry kicking some butt, the book deserves props and would be a fun read for younger readers who want an action book - but in terms of the story, something is to be desired. The pacing is breakneck, including a jarring cut-to in which the main character summarizes the evil plans of the headmaster instead of allowing the reader to discover it for his/herself.  For a book which throws its hat at Harry Potter, it feels like there are not enough moments of magic - classes barely occur except to introduce how Tom is seen as Other by not only students but teachers alike. 

I was really excited to read this graphic novel. It started with great promise but ultimately feels like an extended version of a political cartoon - nearly all of the characters are one-dimensional, including Tom. It makes a valid statement regarding systemic racism, but in ways which, for me at least, had little impact. 

Recommend for POC who want to experience something relatable but fun, with black empowerment in the face the of deep-set racism. Yet somehow - not a deep read.

Harry Potter meets Sailor Moon meets Dread Nation, or so I’ve heard! I wanted to like this graphic novel but had a hard tone getting into it. The graphics are a bit too computerized for me - I tend to prefer a rougher, more hand drawn style. The colors and characters are great, and the concept is fantastic. Admittedly, I’m not a huge fan of manga or anime so that might be why I had a harder time connecting. I enjoyed the few call outs I saw to the aforementioned pop culture phenoms (including a giant chess board and some familia le wands). However, I had a hard time with the overt use of the Klan and found it to be almost too focused on the past coming to life - rather than acknowledging the ways it is less... overt these days. There was a definite Get Out feel but without the horror or built up suspense that could have taken it a little further. I can always get behind John Henry and would be willing to give future volumes a go!

I don't really know what I was expected when I started reading, but this was not it, and I mean that in the best possible way. The story was very quickly paced and definitely kept my attention. The artwork was very well done. I think young adult readers who loved Harry Potter will definitely enjoy this comic.

Surprisingly fun for a comic book about racism and the KKK.

** Trigger warning for depictions of racism. **

When teenager Tom Token is accepted into the historically all-white boarding school St. Ivory Academy as part of its “Magical Minority Initiative,” he’s understandably skeptical. Sure, the facilities are state of the art, and the education can’t be beat, but at what cost? His melanin-challenged classmates assail him with aggressions both micro and – in the case of the Headmaster’s rich jock son Bryce – physical. Tom’s pet bird, Jim the crow, is even injured in the crossfire (though happily not beyond magical repair).

But race relations at St. Ivory are far worse than Tom could imagine (or maybe not: the Headmaster’s robe bears a suspicious resemblance to a KKK hood). When he receives an anonymous tip that he’s not the first black mage to walk St. Ivory’s halls, Tom embarks on a journey to find out what happened to his predecessors. With the help of the ghosts of Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass, and do-gooder fellow classmate/student liaison Lindsay Whitehorn, can Tom get justice for the other black mages sacrificed to keep St. Ivory afloat – or will he, too, be fed to the racist machine?

The synopsis describes THE BLACK MAGE as “THE SCHOOL FOR GOOD AND EVIL meets DREAD NATION,” but I got a ton of Harry Potter vibes. I half expected Barnes to swap the race of one of the more minor characters halfway through the narrative, a la Lavender Brown. It just feels right, given Barnes’s sense of humor (and I mean that in the most awesome way possible).

Some readers will undoubtedly describe the book’s racial politics as heavy-handed – and the references are pretty numerous and not terribly subtle – but I think it’s done in a clever and engaging way: rather cheeky with a “I said what I said” kind of energy. The comic is remarkably fun for a book about racial violence, which I suspect is the point: disarm your audience with charming artwork, plucky sidekicks, and a plethora of pop culture references so that they absorb the message before they can say “Riddikulus!”.

This was such a fun read. I loved the art style, it was so colourful, and this book was just filled with so much fun and adventure.

What is not to like? I want to describe this as a mixture between Harry Potter meets avatar the last air bender. The magic system was really cool but what I really liked was that this showed the blatant racism that you would find in real life done in a satirical way.

This was about a boy named Tom who gets accepted to St ivory’s school for sorcery. He is the first minority in this school which causes some ruckus amongst the other students. Through this he develops a friendship with Lindsay, who ultimately befriends him after his badassery shows through.

I loved the ties between the Underground Railroad and the kkk in this graphic novel and it showed a whole different perspective to its readers.

Overall enjoyed and I hope many more enjoy as well!

This was an interesting story dealing with racism that felt a little reminiscent of the ideas of <i>Get Out</i> and that was neat to see in this format with this kind of story. A lot of things were super on the nose though (St. Ivory, Jim the crow, Tom Token), and those things felt almost a little trite? It wasn't all bad, like those things definitely help point the story in your face, but maybe some things just needed to be a little more subtle?

Tom was a great protagonist, and I liked Lindsay, though she often also felt like...white savior-y? I mean, I get that Tom opened her eyes to everything that was wrong at St. ivory, but she was the first student to raise her hand and ask a racist question when he first arrived, and I guess I just wish she had already been more open-minded than the rest?

Harriet and Frederick were the greatest, and I liked seeing the alternate past with everyone as wizards. It was overall an interesting way of talking about racism, and it was a cute story, and Tom was so grand, I loved that kid.

This is an interesting fantasy adventure story, with a very fast paced plot. However, I found that the speed at which everything moved meant that this came off rather shallow for me - I would have liked more exploration of the world and how things had gotten to be the way that they were. This undermined the impact of the racial issues the book was trying to discuss, by reducing everything to its most simplistic form. The mystery aspect was solved far too quickly, and at times I was lost between chapters as the story shifted ahead without properly explaining things. The art style is nice, with very expressive character faces and nice colouring, but for me, the plot was really lacking and overly simplistic.

This book gives me all the Harry Potter feels., from the introduction letter to Tom welcoming him to the school as well as visually in the comic. It definitely has it's difference with the castle actually floating above ground versus Hogwarts which is visually hidden from Muggles and meant to repel them.

Similarities and differences to Harry Potter aside, the thing I was most looking forward to with reading this story was to see how they handled different political and racial issues. It's refreshing to see the main character as something other than the standard white male and I hope that other stories will follow in this path. I also enjoyed being able to see the reactions to questions that are associated with a certain race and how it comes across to a person of that race and seeing just how crazy some of those questions might be. I feel like it also ties so well into what is actually happening which is both amazing to see, but also really sad when you think about it. A white person is telling the black person that they must be so happy to be breaking down barriers and how society is changing but at the same time, is it really changing?

This really packs such a punch and hits on so many issues that we as a society should not be dealing with any more but unfortunately we still are. It was overall a very original idea and flowed really well together. I think when the ghosts were first brought in the flow was slightly disrupted but not enough to really make it hinder the story in anyway.

The art style was fantastic! It was all done so beautifully and I very much enjoyed seeing the visuals of the comic come alive with the story. I wish I had something more to say regarding the art style but honestly all I can really say about it was that it was fantastic.

THE BLACK MAGE is a fun and quirky graphic novel that addresses racism within expressive action scenes and bright colours. The art was cartoony and vibrant, if a little wonky at times, and the story itself was too condensed to get a proper sense of the characters, setting, and magic system, but overall a speedy read that entertained me for a few hours.

Review: Black Mage by Daniel Barnes and D.J. Kirland.
Harry Potter meets Final Fantasy in this subversive original graphic novel where race, history and magic collide.

I couldn’t stop reading this story, as I feel it’s a comic that has never been more relevant and been more needed. The metaphor used in this story throughout even with the obvious is incredible, they go to school literally in a ‘ivory tower’ I feel like in these small touches, the writer really does do a fantastic job when it comes to the detail, right down to the fact his character’s surname is ‘Token’.

The plot in the story moves really quickly, and makes for really captivating reading and bringing in historical characters such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass adds so much more to the story. I don’t really understand the ending and feel like it made very little sense (spoiler: how do you get kicked out of a school you just destroyed? I don’t know). These characters are really well thought out and are built up really well, if not a little bit rushed in this standalone and I feel this book really does deserve more volumes.

To go with this story is some incredible artwork too, which goes with this tale so incredibly well, with bold fonts and bright colours that really make an impact. I so want more of this series as I feel Token & Whitethorn make for such a good team that really do bounce off one another well in this comic.

More of this please!

(I received an ARC from Netgalley for honest review).



This comic reimagines the world if Harriet Tubman, John Henry, and Frederick Douglas were magicians fighting the KKK in US history and how the modern magical world would reflect that. The main character Tom transfers to an exclusive academy called St. Ivory on a Magical Minority scholarship and gets to deal with racists, bullies, and assholes along the way, while making friends with Lindsay (friendly guide to the school).

I can see that this comic was inspired by many things - the manga-esque inspired artstyle, a student antagonist duo ala High School Musical, the chess battle fight was inspired by Harry Potter, fight sequences between girls inspired by Sailor Moon, and even a final power-up mode inspired by Undertale. Unfortunately, with the various inspirations, it seems like just a plain origin story after the character tropes and inspirations. Like after the first chapter, you realize that Tom is basically in a hellish Klu Klux Klan school with teachers and headmasters wearing white hoods. It definitely makes you uncomfortable and aware that every move could end up really, really badly for our protagonist. Nothing actually gets that bad besides brainwashing, but the subtle parts of evil are the everyday racist dumb remarks by fellow students and general bullying.

I didn't end up liking the story - it had a lot of buildup to the final fight but it didn't seem to engage me overall. I might be expecting too much after all the hype about this comic on Twitter, but it's definitely a comic made by a newcomer. The magic part of the worldbuilding seems to rely on elements and weapons, it was ok but I thought it could've been more in-depth.

The art was solid, I just wish there was more dynamic panelling or zooming in for some angles. There were still some panels were solid colors or gradients that I thought could've had some background details to ground the characters in the scene. One thing worth noting is the excellent battle scenes!

Overall, some people will like the comic as a whole, but I would NOT buy it on a whim for your permanent collection. I am happy that Oni Press took a chance with black creators and they managed to create a good story for fans who want more diversity on their bookshelves. For black & white manga-inspired comics by black creators, I would recommend checking out Noir Caesar.

*Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I have received an e-ARC via Netgalley, in exchange for my honest opinion.

I have never read that many graphic novels, when I read the description of this one it definitely sparked my interest!

Harry Potter was definitely an inspiration, the magical school itself and the train ride and the bird companion are just a few of the obvious.
You can hate those details, but I would not see why.

This story combines the magic with the first interaction between white mage students and Tom; who is the first black mage we know.
It deals with wanting to do good but it does not come out the way anyone feels comfortable with and also the very, still existing, real disturbing view on how the world should (still) look like according to too many people.

Honestly I think this story deserves to be told more detailed and extensive in an actual cartoon show.

story :4/5 A lot happened in this short graphic novel, it deserves more of it being told and the characters deserve way more good things happening to them.

characters :4/5 Didn't like Bryce; nasty little brat;showing up Jesse&James style.

writing :4,5/5

art style :4 Anime style; at times very disturbing.

audio/paper :I read the e-book.

reread? :Yes I will.

I would like to thank #Netgalley, the writer, the artist and of course the publisher for the e-ARC I received; Thank you!

I was given an e-book of this graphic novel for free for review by Netgalley.
This was a very quick read, but it still had a lot of great points and topics covered in the short amount of time. I enjoyed this and I think that it could turn into a good series. The artwork was more of a very colorful anime, which I liked. I hope there will be more to come!

3.5 Stars

I quite enjoyed this graphic novel. I very much appreciated the concept of seeing the theme of racism explored in a fantasy setting. There are definitely similarities between St. Ivory Academy’s headmaster and his colleagues and the members of the KKK, this much was pretty obvious and I think it was explained fairly well.
Tom was a very likable main characters and I admired his confidence and also his bravery. I’m glad he got Lindsay’s help and that the two became friends. And also I’m very glad that Tom managed to free himself, defeat the headmaster and escape.
I wish we could have had some more explanations about the magic system and I would have loved for this book to be the first in a series. I think there could be more to explore in this story.

5 stars!
ARC provided by Net Galley and the publishing house in exchange of an honest review.

This is an amazing graphic novel, that manages to combine racism,magic and fantasy in 153 pages. My copy was personalized, something I immensely adored.

The story follows Tom,a teenage boy who gets accepted into St.Ivorys school of sorcery and being the first minority accepted in this school.
I really liked Tom and enjoyed his behavior and manners very much (he was a badass so that helped 😂) and loved his friendship with Lindsay.

The similarity between the schools staff and the KKK was very frightening for me, especially since I wanted to dive into the pages of the book and be with Harriet and Fred.

I really liked the graphic novel, and I can’t wait to get a finished copy when it’s released!

I really liked the premise of this and the art style was cute, but the story was really rushed and I think it would have profited from a lot more pages.

** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

~

The Black Mage, by Daniel Barnes
★★★★☆
144 Pages
Content Warning: racism, mild violence


This graphic novel goes a long way to providing a fun but educational view of racism, and how it can impact the generations, how thoughts/ideas can be passed from one generation to the next, and how the past should never be forgotten.

With beautiful, colourful and exciting illustrations, that sometimes appear in a video-game style, the story is told with great visuals and important text, that come together to make a graphic novel that can help kids understand the harm racism causes, while also showing the varying degrees – such as inherited racism, passive racism and how you shouldn't stand by and allow others to be treated badly when you see these behaviours. Targeted at school kids, this story is suitable for 13+, with some mild swearing and violence.

The only draw-backs for me were that there were so many double pages that it was hard to follow, because they weren't always obvious. Some of the single pages had colour right to the edges, while some had the white gaps; and because of that, some of the double pages had the same. There was a lack of consistency in this that meant I sometimes had to re-read a page or two to make it fit together. But, other than that, it was a good comic with a lot of potential. I do wish that the school had been permanently dismantled at the end, but the snippets of the letter in the last few pages suggest otherwise and that was a bit of a disappointment.

A powerful story of acceptance, racism, and friendship that has a touch of fantasy, magic, and ghosts to help tell the story.