Comic Review: Hexed #1
A vital theme repeated throughout the pages of Hexed #1 is that when magic is involved, there’s always a price to pay. For Luci Jennifer Inacio Das Neves, or Lucifer, as she’s commonly called, that haunting message is illustrated poignantly. Written by Michael Alan Nelson with art by Dan Mora, Hexed #1 is an entertaining opener from BOOM! Studios. More so for fans of the previous Hexed series, but newcomers will have no problem jumping on board and seeing what this supernatural heist book has to offer.
Issue one of the new Hexed series begins with Lucifer intercepting a robbery at a prestige art museum. Hired to steal a painting of high value outside of gold, the group of high-tech thieves don’t take too kindly to Lucifer’s sudden appearance. However, despite their fancy gizmos, the thieves soon discover they’re not dealing with an ordinary woman. After Lucifer takes care of the thieves with a little of her black magic, the museum’s security guard suffers a hear attack, upon seeing the awesome display of her powers. From there, everything begins to snowball, as Lucifer desperately tries to save the security guard’s life.
As stated in the beginning, the theme of magic always coming at a price is frequently demonstrated in the book. Just like the good ol’ saying “No good deed goes unpunished,” Lucifer finds her acts of heroism come at risk of the lives of others and herself. Though, Lucifer herself is no savior, as issue one slowly reveals. Best example of show, don’t tell, Hexed #1 drops readers in on the action, then provides tidbits of Lucifer’s life naturally through dialogue. As a new reader, I never felt lost in what was going on during issue one, and there was certainly a lot happening here. At the risk of slight spoilers, the ending of Hexed #1 is how a shocking ending meant to hook readers into a series should be done.
While Nelson deserves praise for writing an action-packed script, Mora’s artwork in Hexed #1 brings it all to life. The beauty and horror of the supernatural is present in Hexed, from Lucifer’s vicious snake-out-of-the-apple trick, to a deathly female figure creating a disturbing bouquet of eyeball roses. The brisk visual representation of the world within the sought-after painting conveys the eeriness the book establishes it to be. But even when it comes to simple fisticuffs, Mora can stage a pretty good fight scene with the necessary weight and swiftness. The alluring colors by Gabriel Cassata is also nicely done, with the warm intensity of magic contrasting the cool shades of reality. More of a slight annoyance, than a negative complaint on the art, the panels of Lucifer looking smug after a quip was overdone a bit.
At $3.99, Hexed #1 delivers on its retail price. The premise is intriguing; the characters are fun; and the the world of magic seen in the book is as mysterious and frightful as you would imagine. Overall, a successful first issue for what looks to be a great new series.