Pius Bak

I didn’t know there were any graphic novels based on The Magicians, until I found this one at a library sale. I liked reading it well enough, but there were some disappointments. It’s basically the first novel, just told from Alice’s point of view. Except- it doesn’t really give you any more information on Alice, her background, what she was thinking, any new tidbits to the story, nope. I did like that Quentin wasn’t the centerpiece, I find Alice much more relatable, but still. Visually, it was okay- not all the characters were as I had pictured them from the novel (especially Penny- his personality seemed right, his appearance not really)- but the scenes of the magic school, the place-between-worlds, the landscapes in Fillory, those were pretty close to how I had imagined. The ending felt a muddle. Huge chunks of the novel are left out entirely, or condensed down to just a few panels here- which makes sense, as it’s a much shorter page count- this didn’t bother me too much but I think if you haven’t read the original, you’ll be missing a lot of what’s going on and why things happen. Don’t get me wrong, there’s parts I liked. I especially liked more explanations of the original Chatwin, of the sister who hid the last button, of the novel series that led these kids to want to go to Fillory in the first place (wishing deeply all over again that it was a real set of books!) If anything, refreshing my memory by reading this graphic novel adaptation, made me want to read The Magicians series all over again, and maybe also Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell too, because that one has a similar vibe- albeit different timeframe and setting entirely.… (meer)

First off, I'm entirely the wrong person to review this. So basically, discard everything I'm about to say. I've never read the books. I loved loved loved that TV show. And that's so backwards for me. It's literally the only time i can think of that I've liked a screen version more than a paper version.

If you fall into that category (I can't imagine there are many of us) this might not be the right choice for you.

The characters that carry over into this story are the versions from the books, not the show. Dean Fogg will be a jarring change if you are used to the television version.

The story on the whole was actually pretty good. There were a couple twists that felt very magicians-ish. And enough that I'd like to know where it goes. As long as I can get it from the library.

And there's a piece of the graphic novel I'm having a hard time putting to words. It was both interesting and bothersome. I'm still rolling it around in my head a bit, so first off and foremost, I apologize if anything I say is offensive. Like I said, I'm still rolling this around in my head a bit, and my own thoughts have not solidified yet.

It's the inclusion in the story. I'm to a point in my life and especially in my consumption of fiction that the lack of inclusion/diversity stands out to me and diminishes my enjoyment of the experience.
It's who I am, it's where I live, it's what I read, it's what I love.

But......
This story felt like it was checking off boxes rather than feeling natural.
Case in point. The trans character frequently reminds us that they are trans. Even wears a t-shirt announcing they are trans. And there was this one panel that bothered me. I stopped cold on it and it took a bit for me to figure out why it bugged me. It's all of the characters walking down a hallway. I didn't notice it at first, but the male characters were drawn with a very specific leg position, and the females with a distinctly different leg position. The trans character was drawn with the male leg position. Why did that bug me so much? I don't know. Should it have? I don't know? I'd be curious to know if other people noticed and what you all think.

There was something we watched recently, I cant' remember what it was now. Recent in pandemic times might be the past month of the past 3 years anyway... Where there was a trans character that was never identified as trans in the show. It wasn't hidden, it wasn't a secret. It just wasn't called out every 10 minutes. We weren't reminded every 10 minutes lest we forget. And it wasn't literally written on a t-shirt.

That's harsh. Am i being too harsh? I think i'd rather have fumbled inclusion than no inclusion. Right? I honestly don't know. Still mulling it over.… (meer)