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Mage and the Endless Unknown by SJ Miller is a super cool fantasy adventure that had me hooked from start to finish! The story follows a mage named Zeke who’s trying to figure out his place in a world full of magic and danger. He’s not just dealing with regular magic stuff, there’s an endless unknown lurking, full of mysterious creatures and dark forces that could destroy everything.

What I really loved about this book is how unique the world is. There’s so much magic, but it’s not all just spells and enchantments, it’s about the risks and consequences of using power, and Zeke is constantly questioning what’s worth fighting for. He’s a relatable character because he’s strong, but he also struggles with self-doubt and figuring out what’s right.

The plot is fast-paced, with plenty of action, mystery, and moments that make you feel for the characters. The world-building is super detailed, and there are a lot of cool twists that kept me guessing. Zeke’s journey is full of growth, and you can’t help but root for him as he faces down impossible odds.

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Beautiful illustration style, hard to know where to place in the library as the age range seems blurred. But I can imagine my library patrons would enjoy this!

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It's a horror comic, so I thought I'd give you a warning, because I should have known that too. The cover makes it seem more charming than the story itself. There's a black blob-monster at the beginning, but there's also a monster slipping out of a ghostly body and a skeleton crow cutting hearts - I didn't really need that dissection. The book contains minimal text, mostly told through black and white pictures, so you can enjoy everything from the front row. I was surprised by the twists and turns, but I wasn't expecting the final twist at all. If you like horror, you should definitely give it a try. Being a scaredy bunny, it was too much for me.

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SJ Miller's Mage and the Endless Unknown is a sparely told graphic novel that sits comfortably amongst the likes of adult picture books (think Shaun Tan), the landmark no-dialogue video game Journey, and manga like Witch Hat Atelier, The Girl From the Other Side, and The Ancient Magus' Bride in their mix of both the delight and the grotesque horror elements of a folk-magical world. Dialogue is sparse, and used only as a framing device, in this story about a little mage traveling a corrupted world, being accosted by some truly grotesque monsters, and making some new friends.

Sympathetic characters (named only on a character page at the end of the book) are drawn in a spare cartoon style, with the bulk of the emotional interactions being between Mage and newfound friend, the elf-like Fortune, as the two save each other throughout the adventure. The spare cartoony style's kid-friendly look is subverted to strong effect by the detail of the grotesque monsters and the horror of their actions, which adds to the narrative tension of the story. Make no mistake, this is a teens-and-olders narrative that leverages a cutesy style with body horror to create a dark fable that enchants (though I certainly found myself covering my mouth in shocked surprise at some parts of the story).

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This graphic novel takes a "connect-the-dots" approach to visual story telling, with its wordless protagonist and static scenes providing a fragmented narrative. The reader's mind is left to fill in the skeletal outline, leaving each reader to decide whether Mage is enduring a horrifying ordeal or going on a hopeful journey. Read it as many times as you wish; the Endless Unknown will always be waiting.

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Oh, this was so much darker than I expected. Sweet, fantastical illustrations quickly give way to nightmarish horror. This story is told almost entirely without words but is easy to follow. Beautifully illustrated and quite unlike anything else I've read.

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** A copy of Mage and the Endless Unknown was provided by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review **

Well, I was expecting something cute and whimsical. I was not expecting something filled with horror and gore. But I can say that this is masterfully illustrated.

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Beautifully illustrated and mostly wordless, this graphic novel is a visual stunner that follows its protagonist on a journey through a world of monsters and danger to come out on the other side with an unexpected and moving ending.

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⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
I asked for this because I thought the cover was super cute and I was expecting this to be lighthearted and sweet! Boy was I wrong haha. There’s so much gore and monsters and mayhem going on. The art is SUPERB, and I actually loved this so much. Truly horrifying but incredible. I was completely enthralled by the story and by the art.

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I really wanted to love this but it was NOT what I expected. The art and story is confusing in a sensory way for me, as mage is a cute character who is surrounded by a lot of body horror and no dialogue to help bridge the gap. I think this could have benefitted from more story, dialogue and just general explanation for things, but I also just think its target audience isn’t me. This is a horror story with little plot, and a lot of gaps left to fill in. I could see this type of choice working for some, but I couldn’t get into it.

Thank you toLetter Better Publishing for the eArc of this!

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What a great little story. No words, just images. Touches of Ghibli intertwined with Hilda, and a great deal of Junji Ito style horror. A quick read but a great one.

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This graphic novel is a unique and visually captivating experience. But don't be fooled by the cute aspect of the book! It was really gorey and gruesome. The complex artwork vividly portrays that feeling and the fantastical world with its eerie inhabitants. While the wordless storytelling adds an air of mystery, it can be slightly confusing at times. Only 3 pages had text which left me wanting more context. The gore added intensity to the story, although it might not be for everyone.

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The cover looks so innocent and sweet. And it definitely starts off that way. With a magical frolick in the woods when the monsters appear and it gets quite scary. I really enjoyed this almost no words graphic novel. It was somehow both whimsical and gorey af.

Thanks to NetGalley and Letter Better Publishing for an eARC.

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This was an absolutely beautiful book that is told almost entirely in illustrations. In it a small mage goes on adventures, but keeps running into horrifying beings that he has to try and survive against. This story does not shy away from the horror, instead using the sweet simplicity of the main character's design to emphasize the horror and grotesque nature of his foes. While the idea of loss is a consistent theme, there is definitely a strong presence of hope woven in as well. While I read this as an ebook and greatly enjoyed it, I think it would have been even more powerful in print.Unique and beautiful, I highly recommend checking this one out.

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In an idyllic valley, a silent mage awakens to adventure forth with their magic. But what they discover is only death and horror.

I picked up Mage because a friend read an early copy and knew I would be baffled and intrigued by the premise. I love when graphic novels push the boundaries of the medium, and Mage certainly does it with a flourish. In the media kit notes, this novel is described as Junji Ito-esque - which is EXACTLY what you need to know going into this. The charming illustrations that introduce the world (and are featured on the cover) are completely turned upside down once the reader is introduced to the actual world contained.

I didn't dislike this. I also... feel like I need about ten more reads to fully sink in and understand what I just experienced. The plot slowly unfurls in a horrific manner that honestly turned my stomach multiple times (and I'm fairly good with gore), but the capability of this artist and illustrator to connect me emotionally to Mage and the small cast is WONDERFUL. I found myself flipping to the next page hoping (stupidly) that the worst was over for these characters and they would be able to rest in the pretty field and never have to face anything horrible ever again.

My only gripe with this novel is that it's for a very specific reader-set. I think the reader-set exists in the YA space, but a lot of teens who I feel would enjoy this will need someone in their life to push it into their hands. This is clearly the type of graphic novel for fans of manga, anime, and the teens who don't normally pick up anything lighthearted. I do feel like the journey of self, the ouroboros concept, and the limited dialogue will hopefully draw in this audience naturally!

Overall, this is wonderfully weird. It's a beautiful art piece, but also contains layers about sense of self and sacrifice. I enjoyed it! I think. Once my nausea fades from some of the panels, I'll probably have clearer feelings.

Thank you to NetGalley, Letter Better Publishing Services, and Iron Circus Comics for providing me a copy of this book for an honest review.

Content warnings: body horror/gore, death

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I am honestly baffled at what I just experienced it. Going in I was shocked that the mage didn’t talk but I thought it would be an interesting experience. There are maybe 2-3 pages with words in this 150 page novel. At some points the drawing did communicate what was going on but overall I was left confused. The plot of the novel was for the mage to experience things and I felt all they experienced was extremely graphic gore and death. There were hanging scenes and it was incredible unpleasant. I saw that this would be disturbing but I didn’t realize the extent. Perhaps if that level of gore interested you more you would enjoy this but this novel was not for me. Plot and everything else aside the artwork was beautiful. Thank you for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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It was amazing. Thanks to netgalley for the arc copy of the comics.
The drawing boards are in black and white and are decidedly very expressive, there are no words but everything is expressed without problems.
Every emotion is well defined and fully understood, there is discovery and travel but also horror and death.

A gaze into this dimension where this wizard and his companions journey, through a mysterious land filled with monstrosities

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Don't be fooled by the cover, this is not a cute book. However, I did really like it!
Everytime I read a comic or graphic novel, I tell myself I should read them more often. I'm an author with a background in animation and I feel like graphic novels live in the space where books and movies meet.

"Mage and the Endless Unknown" is a graphic novel with (almost) no text.
This will give you a tendency to speed through the story the first time, but I encourage you to pick it up again and spend some time looking at (really 'seeing') the images. The author gives a lot of room for interpretation and that makes this dark story really interesting for every type of reader (who can stand a bit of gory imaging) and the art style is beautiful. The clash of cute character designs and dark surroundings works so well. The full-page stills also make it very convenient to read this story on any device, even small ones like I experienced on my phone.

I can definitely recommend this book!

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We begin with our sweet protagonist bringing magical flowers into the world, only to have that world soon after turn against them as a truly dangerous journey begins. And that basically sets the tone for the rest of the story. Told in an almost entirely wordless format, the charming artwork balances out the horrifying things that are in store for our young mage. Everything was clearly illustrated without being too realistic, which would have made this tale much more gruesome. I loved the artwork in this and had no trouble following along with the story without the help of narration or dialogue.

Even with limited time to get to know the characters, they were easy to get attached to and root for. I worried about Mage and their companions with every encounter, hoping they’d make it through unscathed. Definitely recommend this graphic novel. I wish there was more.

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CONTENT NOTE: MAJOR warning for body horror! Death, gore, blood, chasing and abducting, violence, loss of limbs and organs, surreal environment, body doubles. Seriously, if these topics make you queasy at all, this may not be the book for you.

Mage and the Endless Unknown is a fantastic black and white comic exploring themes of love, disability, renewal, and endurance as well as the absolute horror of existence, the unknown, and the inevitable while hardly uttering a word.

What Worked for Me:
Gods, this book was amazing! I'm sure it won't be for everyone, but damn, it was right for me!

✦ I am a huge fan of wordless comics, and this was no exception! I love that this comic takes its time to explore the art of visual storytelling-- the limits and the possibilities of it-- without using many words at all. I think going wordless was an excellent approach for this comic that explored so many things that we just don't have words for, whether it be delightfully terrifying creatures or the heavy complex emotions that arise when dealing with the subjects that arise in the book.

I especially appreciated this as an autistic person whose mind works visually. I don't think in words; my mind thinks in visuals, textures, sensations, feelings, and more. Words are a kind of second language for me that I have to actively translate, so reading this kind of story felt comforting and deeply familiar. I connected with this story very much.
✦ I also connected with the story on its disability themes, too-- while I haven't experienced the type of disabling events that occur in the book (trying not to spoil anything!), I have dealt with my mobility and body losing so much of its functioning that I become a different person entirely. So to see this kind of thing represented in a comic means a great deal to me.
✦ I loved the illustration style of this comic-- I love the contrast of the simple to the gory, the soft features to the bristling thorns. It was remarkably effective in getting me to immediately feel attached to the characters and to immediately feel absorbed into the fear of the story's other creatures.
✦ Speaking of creatures-- those designs? Fantastical! Mesmerizing! Horrifying! I loved them! SJ Miller has an incredible touch with finding ways to tap into the baseline survival instinct and poke it with a stick, and I love that lol. They reminded me a lot of some yokai I've seen in manga and anime, but they didn't feel
✦ I love the message of holding onto kindness and hope even-- or perhaps especially-- during difficult times. The idea of maintaining hope through generations, even, and recognizing that not all of our work is accomplished in our age alone was especially poignant.
✦ The story was very clear most of the time, which I think is a testament to SJ Miller's illustration skills and the thought they put into the plot. There were a couple of moments that I thought could use a little more clarification, but I don't think that's due to the comic being wordless since I find these kinds of moments in many comics that I read with or without words.
✦ The relationships between the characters were very strong, and I really enjoyed them. There were some gut wrenching moments in the story, and I think that says a lot about how quickly SJ Miller is able to establish a connection with these characters who largely don't speak.
✦ I enjoyed the black and white palette, too! It's so fun to see comics that utilize this style, and I think it worked really well here, too, for forcing the focus onto certain elements and themes in the story.
✦ I greatly enjoyed seeing a character in there that called to mind the Mari Lwyd of Welsh folklore! It's clearly not a horse, given that it had fangs, but it was a delightful connection for me nonetheless.
✦ I really liked the way SJ Miller drew the few speech bubbles that did appear throughout. Their lovely, loose forms fit so well with the rest of the imaginative setting, and the lettering was easy to read, which I always appreciate.

What Didn't Work for Me:
✦ I think the ending could have used a little more clarity. While I think I understood the message for the most part, I felt like there were a few things I didn't quite get and would have loved some more information about. But who knows, maybe we'll get a sequel that answers some of these new questions!
✦ While the story fairly quickly went in a more hopeful direction, there was a shock moment in the comic with the darker skinned character that I felt... was possibly more graphic and shocking than necessary. I don't want to spoil anything since it does end up being a pretty big part of the story, but I did wonder how readers who are darker skinned would feel about that moment, regardless of what happens afterward.

I think SJ Miller overall made sure that horrific things don't discriminate in who they attack, but I did feel uncomfortable with the fact that one of the more horrifying incidents in the story happens to the character with darker skin to serve the story of the lighter skinned character, and I could see how that might could be triggering for some readers.

Overall
I give Mage and the Endless Unknown 4.5 out of 5 speech bubbles, rounding up to 5: While this book certainly isn't for everyone, it's definitely an amazing read! Exemplary of the strengths of visual storytelling and filled with imaginative landscapes and creatures, it will delight and horrify you in equal measures. I highly recommend picking up a copy for yourself!

How to Read It
You can get a copy from Iron Circus Comics when it's released on July 18, 2023, or you can pre-order a copy through Bookshop or Barnes & Noble.

Hardcovers provide higher royalties for writers and illustrators, but a royalty is a royalty, so go forth knowing your purchase will support them either way!

Read This Next
If you liked this, check out Shades of Fear Horror Comics Anthology from Balustrade Press, Neighbors from Boom! Studios, Squad by Lisa Sterle and Maggie Tokuda-Hall, and The Nice House on the Lake from DC.

If you enjoyed this review, I have a monthly comic review series called More Comics Please! on my website with interior page excerpts and additional information not shared here on NetGalley. You can sign up to receive them in your inbox by subscribing to my newsletter Into the Bramble at jbeoin.com/newsletter.

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