After the appearance of an old friend with some bad news for Kevin, the two run across a rare Questing Beast. They show up seemingly when one is on an odyssey of epic importance.
Mage the Hero Denied #6
Writer: Matt Wagner
Artist: Matt Wagner
Inker: Matt Wagner
Colorist: Brennan Wagner
Letterer: Dave Lanphear
Cover Artist: Matt Wagner and Brennan Wagner
Publisher: Image Comics
What You Need to Know:
Joe Phat and Kevin Matchstick are not new to the Hero business. They have seen many a wonder of the magical world, but this is a rare occurrence indeed. A Questing Beast, in Kevin’s own neighborhood! Kevin tells Joe that “this is rare, Unicorn rare, and they appear to those on a Mystical odyssey as a beacon that guides”… he is interrupted by the Beast leaving in a whirling dervish!
They have to pursue it, but Joe is not convinced that he wants any part of this quest, and he tells Kevin that he only came here to tell him about Kirby’s Death. Kevin is on his own, but he thinks the Beast will lead them to the Fisher King. Joe takes off, and Kevin finds a clue. A very gross Clue at that!
What You’ll Find Out:
After turning up nothing in his search, Kevin returns home empty-handed. He wakes up Magda, who tells him he has been gone for hours. She takes them into the kitchen and casts a Silence Spell so they can speak in private.
They speak about Joe showing up and how he told Kevin that Kirby has died. Kevin discovers that Magda has been teaching their daughter Miranda or “Randa” how to cast simple spells. That she has wild magic in her and she needs to learn to control it. Kevin is not impressed. They have a bit of a rout about Kevin using a Magic ATM card, and that turns into how Kevin hasn’t had a job since he was Twenty-two. They finish up their discussion and head off to bed.
What Just Happened?
The Umbra Sprite examines the progress of their plan in her absence. She takes a tour of the facility Acheron Insurance, which now has a housing program for the homeless and Elderly. An elaborate ruse to find the Fisher King and kill him. They examine several candidates as they hang in large bird cages suspended in the air. To pass her judgment she unleashes the Sluah Sidhe, who would be repelled by the Fisher King’s virtue, but devour the flesh of any regular man they come across. The subjects do not fare well.
The search continues for the Umbra Sprite, but now armed with limitless resources of her corporate front company, they are primed more than ever to find the Fisher King and defeat the Pendragon once and for all.
Kevin researches how to find the beast. He promises Magda that he will be available tonight for the school’s Charity Auction. He asks The Magical Herbologist Heavy Jefferson for some help.
Jefferson makes a potion (eye drops) to track the beast with the remnants that Kevin found where the beast took off. In return, he will be able to ask Kevin for a favor down the road.
Kevin, against his better judgment, takes this opportunity to track the beast. He puts the drops into his eyes and is able to track the path that the Beast took when it ran away.
Meanwhile, Magda is waiting patiently for Kevin at the Charity Auction. She is getting agitated, and fending off the other guests who have questions about where her husband is. She sends off a messenger via a small spell to locate Kevin but is seen by a mysterious Man.
Kevin is hot on the trail of the Questing Beast, and Magda has a slight problem. She is confronted by a sleazy looking man who backs her up against the wall and tells her that he is the Superintendent, and “she is one fine little witch!”
Rating: 8 / 10
Final Thought:
The plot thickens, as we start to see all of the support for Kevin falling apart. His friends are dead or unwilling to help, and his family is in turmoil at the moment. He argues with Magda about magic and money and then does not come through for her at the auction. Man, that last panel even made me uncomfortable. I am liking the small B-plot stories that we get with the Umbra Sprite and their plans. It’s just enough to teas interest for me, without overexposure. Issue six is probably a turning point for Kevin, as it takes us to the halfway point in the series. I hope you are enjoying the book as well as I am, and as usual, I cannot wait to see what’s going to happen next month.
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