Charles Soule and Ryan Browne have done it as they created the modern wizard in the new comic series Curse Words. The comic focuses on a wizard, named Wizord, who was tasked with creating a spell that would destroy the modern world, yet he had a change of heart when he realizes that he could enrich himself by using magic. In doing this he has attracted the attention of his former employer Sizzajee, who has sent assassins after him. As Wizord is dealing with assassins we learn that he is not a “good guy” or a “bad guy” rather he is a wizard with his own motives.
The Good:
The comic does an excellent job with the development of Wizord’s character. In particular, he is established as an anti-hero as he has abandon his mission of destroying the earth in favor of granting people’s wishes for large sums of money. Throughout the 1st issue it is clear that he has alternative goals besides providing a service and being a good wizard. This plays to the complexity of his character as one good action of his is followed by an evil one either caused directly or indirectly by him. This occurs as an assassin sent by Sizzajee discovers him through his magic use leading to several evil actions to occur. This happens as the assassin explains that Wizord is granting wishes for his own benefit and that he is evil, this results in Wizord killing everybody who heard what was said, despite not wanting to. This lends itself to the complexity of his character as he does not want to kill and won’t use his magic when granting wishes to do so, but will kill to preserve his agenda. Throughout the fight that Wizord has with this assassin he begins to realize that he is free and is not a slave working for Sizzajee, but that comes at a price, which in this case was the people who heard and witnessed the fight. Thus this establishes Wizord as an anti-hero as he wants to do good things for people, yet he is also willing to do evil things as a means to preserve his way of life and the freedom he has achieved. Charles Soule and Ryan Browne have created a unique complex character that has many venues to explore.
The Bad:
The comic is not without flaws. The major one being that the comic has many elements of comedy interjected into it. Yet these elements are hit or miss. Throughout the 1st issue Wizord is stating how he enjoys horses. This leads up to a dark joke, when he is attacked and his possessions are damaged all he cares about is his horses. While this joke is funny, it varies for the person reading the comic. Furthermore, the comic before its release was hyped as being about a character attempting to be good, despite being a bad guy who is trying to put his past behind him. Rather the comic reads as if Wizord is an anti-hero who is doing both good and bad things, this is not what was expected upon its initial release.
The Verdict:
Curse Words is a dark, enjoyable, and fresh idea in the comic world , in particular in the magic genre. The comic is not your traditional magic themed book rather it is a combination of the Punisher, Harry Potter, and Aldan taking place in an uncensored NYC. With these three works combined we are following Wizord as his magic use attracts assassinations, which results in crazy elements to occur around him and in his world. Without a doubt Curse Words is a title that should be read if you love comics that combined unique elements with a twist of dark humor, as it will not be a let down.
You can pick up some of Charles Soule’s amazing work here.
