Overtaken #1
Written by Frank Mastromauro
Illustrated by Marco Laurenzana
Colored by Wes Hartman
Lettered by Josh Reed
Covers by Marco Laurenzana, Peter Steigerwald and Siya Oum
Aspen Comics
Release Date: August 28, 2013
Cover Price: $1.00

Aspen Comics continues its ten year anniversary with the seventh comic book in their 10 for 10 — ten comics for one dollar — deal with Overtaken #1. The new title is Written by Frank Mastromauro and illustrated by Marco Laurenzana and Wes Hartman. Read on to find out if Overtaken has what it takes to succeed in the ever-evolving comic book industry.

When the universe was created, many alien races existed, all sharing some bit of DNA but evolving still. Those races fought one another; survival of the fittest. Today, Will and Jesse Harden have just moved from Chicago to the small, country town of Turtle Creek, MN to be near Jesse’s parents and for Will’s new journalism job. They may reside in a small town, but the cosmos is infinite, and it seems as though a universal history is beginning to repeat itself.

Charismagic: The Death Princess #1
Written by Vince Hernandez
Art by Emilio Lopez
Colors by Emilio Lopez, Jocelyn Dunn, Ivy Beth Gladstone
Letters by Josh Reed
Covers by Emilio Lopez, Khary Randolph, and Siya Oum
Aspen Comics
Release Date: November 7, 2012
Cover Price: $3.99

Charismagic: The Death Princess is a spin-off miniseries from the original series. It introduces a formidable supervillain named Orlana, a powerful magician who can manipulate and control the minds of others. She uses this ability to enslave her kinsmen and build a kingdom. Kon and his ally Serke make a foolish and ill-fated attempt to invade Orlana’s kingdom. In defeat, Kon abandons Serke and runs off into another dimension and vows to return. Meanwhile, Orlana ensnares Serke into her web of influence and corrupts his mind. On his return Kon reaches out to some fellow warriors to join him on his quest to take down the evil princess.

The first portion of Charismagic: The Death Princess #1 is a prologue to the actual story. Personal bias: I’m not usually a fan of prologues and tend to skim them whenever I read a novel or comic. Writer Vince Hernandez introduces Orlana and Kon to the readers with a brief, narration-heavy opening that flies through Orlana’s childhood and Kon’s over-ambitious attack on her empire. I had difficulty paying attention to this section. The magic world and its backstory are intricately planned and detailed, but much of this information might be better conveyed if it’s sprinkled into the action.

Charismagic #5
Created & Written by Vince Hernandez
Character Designs & Illustrations by Khary Randolph
Additional Pencil Assists by Lori Hanson
Colors by Emilio Lopez
Letters by Josh Reed
Covers by Khary Randolph & Emilio Lopez, Siya Oum, and Nicola Hwang
Aspen Comics
Release Date: March 7, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

One thing you can always expect from Aspen Comics is that they will be visually appealing. Charismagic #5 is no exception that rule, not on any level. I have never read nor reviewed any other issues in this series, but it definitely looks like an Aspen book and one that would have pleased the founder, Michael Turner (R.I.P.).

In the sky above Costa Rica, we find Samsun doing battle with a phoenix (one of the Guardians of the wizard Kon). We quickly move to see Hank, our hero, being directed by Sudana to focus his magical powers. After a small, but meaningful, mistake he finds that his abilities are far beyond anything he had ever imagined. Sparkles and the Guardians make their way towards the Temple, meeting up with Hank and Sudana on the way.