Mystic
Written by Ron Marz, artwork by Brandon Peterson and John Dell

It's no easy task to shoulder the burden of reinventing comics, and when CrossGen, a Florida-based company founded by an independent entrepreneur (with a little help from his family and friends) hit the market with a slew of new books and promises of quality, it was obvious from the start that the company's products would quickly be put under a microscope. The titles from CrossGen take place in a shared universe, one in which the "sigil," a mark of power, has mysteriously appeared on various characters on a vast number of worlds. The sigil is something like a cosmic plug, and those who find themselves marked with it are able to tap an almost unlimited power potential. It's akin to flipping a switch and becoming a superhero.

One such world in the CrossGen pantheon is that in which Mystic occurs, a world that is steeped so heavily in arcane tradition that magic and illusion has become commonplace. Magical ability is a way of life, and those who are not involved with it are seen as outcasts. Giselle, the quintessential party girl, is one such loner, as she has no interest whatsoever in mystical forces, while her sister, Genevieve has spent her life training to become an elite sorcerer adept in one of the seven magical guilds on the planet. So Genevieve is utterly shocked when Giselle becomes the world's magically-adept sigil bearer. Even more surprised, though, is Giselle herself, as she wants nothing to do with the world, save for its copious nightlife. And so the stage is set for a battle of wills and whims, as Giselle must learn to accept her newfound power while simultaneously dealing with the enmity of her sister.

While it's true that the premise is nothing terribly new, the nice bits of Mystic have more to do with character than plot, and it's to Ron Marz's credit that he instills Giselle and Genevieve with a life that lives outside the pages of the comic. Never pandering in his characterization, he presents the flipsides of each character without ever painting anyone as directly villainous. Despite being the denizen of an alien world, Giselle is a woman, and Marz remembers that, focusing on her personal issues, her insecurities, her fears. She's far less alien than the story would at first have you believe, and she must come to terms with the "great responsibility with great power" axiom. Her quest for understanding of her newfound powers is echoed in her quest for maturity.

Though the artwork has so far been the weakest spot of CrossGen's books, Peterson does a fine job here, mixing a jazz-age art deco style with art nouveau for the background work and a lighter touch for characters. His line works is graceful and sure, lending the art a magical quality that befits the machinations of the plot. Sure, some of the women lean toward the scantily-clad side, but there's nothing here that's even as risqué as a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Special, and the women here have well-defined personalities. How often does that happen in a comic book?

Judging by Mystic alone, CrossGen seems to indeed be making good on those promises of quality, and the storylines, though sometimes derivative, still possess that fresh sense of fun that has been so lacking in the products of Marvel and DC for years. I have a feeling that great things are on the horizon for this fledgling enterprise, provided that they continue to produce books of the caliber of Mystic.

-- David Rosiak

Mystic, published by CrossGen Comics, is currently available only through comic retailers.

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