The Magicians #1
Created by Lev Grossman
Written by Lilah Sturges
Art by Pius Bak
Colors by Gabriel Cassata
Letters by Mike Fiorentino
Covers by Qistina Khalidah, Alexa Sharpe
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: November 6, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

Lev Grossman made my year when he wrote The Magicians. But he made my millennium when he continued the series and made it a trilogy. Syfy went a step further and turned it into a (not so accurate) television series that is still ongoing. And a few months ago I reviewed The Magicians: Alice’s Story. I therefore felt that I should alert any and all fans of the franchise to The Magicians #1, the first comic in a five-part mini-series.

The Magicians: Alice’s Story
Based on the novel The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Hardcover
Written by Lilah Sturges
Art by Pius Bak
Colors by Dan Jackson
Letters by Mike Fiorentino
Cover by Scott Newman
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: July 16, 2019

Before I dive into the review of The Magicians: Alice’s Story, I would like to give you a bit of the history of the source material. I was a store manager for a Waldenbooks, but little did I realize how close to the end that company was. In those days we got ARCs (advance reader copies) of virtually everything and let me tell you, that is no small perk. So when an ARC came in that was touted as an adult Harry Potter-esque book about a magical college, I was intrigued. I have some vague memories of starting it during a lunch break and being swept away by the realism of it all. Lev Grossman‘s book grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. The book became a trilogy, then later a SyFy series that is spectacular in its own way. So yeah, this graphic novel only adds one more dimension to an already breathtaking franchise. Allow me to elaborate!

The Magicians
Season 2 Episode 13: “We Have Brought You Little Cakes”
Directed by Chris Fisher
Created by Sera Gamble & John McNamara
Based on the novel by Lev Grossman
Starring Jason Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy, Jade Tailor
Syfy
Air Date: Wednesday, April 19th, 2017, 9:00pm

Last time on The Magicians, Julia, Quentin, and Mayakovsky (Stella Maeve, Jason Ralph, Brían F. O’Byrne) successfully merged Alice’s (Olivia Taylor Dudley) shade with her Niffin, resurrecting her. But she was upset and hating Quentin, furiously writing down spells as she was losing her magical knowledge. Reynard (Mackenzie Astin) killed his son’s wife to get him on his side. What? Of course, that didn’t work. He forced Kady (Jade Tailor) to kill him to get the magic they all needed. Now that worked, although Kady was really messed up. They lured Reynard, but then the real Lady of the Underground came and Julia allowed her to take him. Kady was furious, but the reward for Julia was her shade. Penny (Arjun Gupta) and Sylvia find the book they need, and Sylvia sacrificed herself so Penny could take it. Q found the clock – the buyer was Umber, who was supposedly dead. He had no use for Fillory, and told Q that Umber doesn’t either, which was why everything was turning crazy (crazier) there.

Spoilers for the finale below!

The Magicians
Season 2 Episode 12: “Ramifications”
Created by Sera Gamble & John McNamara
Based on the novel by Lev Grossman
Starring Jason Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy, Jade Tailor
Syfy
Air Date: Wednesday, April 12th, 2017, 9:00pm

Last time on The Magicians, Julia and Quentin (Stella Maeve, Jason Ralph) made it to the Underworld via dragon, and spent some time with the real Richard (Mackenzie Astin) and the dead hedge witches to find where the shades were kept. They found Julia’s shade… and Alice’s too. They escaped taking the Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) shade also. Penny (Arjun Gupta) teamed up with his teen supervisor, Sylvia (Roan Curtis), to get into the Poison room. Senator Gaines (Christopher Gorham), horrified by his father, teamed up with Kady (Jade Tailor). After King Idri (Leonard Roberts) and others were turned into rats, Eliot threw Margo (Hale Appleman, Summer Bishil) in the dungeon because of the fairy deal, then got kicked out of Fillory for introducing democracy. Margo went to fairy land to rescue Fen (Brittany Curran).

Spoilers below.

The Magicians
Season 2 Episode 11: “The Rattening”
Directed by James L. Conway
Written by Mike Moore
Created by Sera Gamble & John McNamara
Based on the novel by Lev Grossman
Starring Jason Ralph, Stella Maeve, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Hale Appleman, Arjun Gupta, Summer Bishil, Rick Worthy, Jade Tailor
Syfy
Air Date: Wednesday, April 5th, 2017, 9:00pm

Last time on The Magicians, Penny (Arjun Gupta) got his first task, to retrieve a way overdue library book. The borrower had advice for Kady (Jade Tailor) and put a spell on the card, so another librarian killed himself rather than be forced to open the “Poison Room.” Eliot (Hale Appleman) was acting like “Groomzilla.” Margo (Summer Bishil) confessed to Fen (Brittany Curran), who told her to fix it before being kidnapped by the fairies. Quentin took drugs and saw Julia’s shade in a vision, who asked him for help. Dean Fogg (Rick Worthy) helped Julia and Q (Stella Maeve, Jason Ralph) talk to another version of Alice (Olivia Taylor Dudley) who knows about shades (they have all lived and died 39 times). She told Q that they are in the Underworld and they need an ancient one, a dragon, to get there and come back.

Spoilers below.