***SPOILERS LIE AHEAD***
Now that William is Maestro, he begins putting his plans into action. He shakes the foundation of everything he’s inherited and does so with a childish sarcasm. It’s satisfying to no end, similar to watching Jude Law toy with the Vatican in The Young Pope.
This issue, we meet his arch-nemesis. Rygol is a traditional asshole who was behind the murder of William’s family. The new Maestro has plans as well, revenge on the tormentor of his past in spectacularly annoying fashion.
Maestros‘ world is being fully populated, making it feel even bigger. Not just focusing on the hierarchy, we get quick little insights from the people of various classes.
Every brilliant character design toes the line between goofy and deadly serious. Little details, like the small galaxy contained in a puff of smoke, add unique layers to a book already so much it’s own.
When Maestros gets gruesome, it catches you off-guard. There’s an underlying horror to this book; it’s masterfully tucked away and only peaks it’s head out when it’s meant to shock you.
The flashbacks, when William was a little meatball, are a funny way to fill out the rest of how and why the new Maestro is the way he is. It’s a painfully accurate depiction of an awkward kid thrust into an entirely new landscape.
Maestros is one of the best new books to come out late this year. These first two issues have everything a comic book reader needs. Dressing wizardry up in a sci-fi atmosphere is providing a unique experience.
Even if fantasy isn’t your thing, I urge you to give this series a try.