Yeah, I read this in one day. Incredible that this is a debut novel.

Very dark, but ultimately a story about abuse begetting abuse, understanding and breaking cycles of abuse, and whether forgiveness can or should be given to all. Love in all its forms - pure, joyous, soured, broken, rebuilt - is explored.

I'm so glad that those who have read and loved this are shouting from the rooftops that this is not romantasy - which isn't to put down romantasy, but to give this a chance for those of us who have found that romantasy isn't our thing. I would have completely skipped and missed this story otherwise.

Content warnings provided by the author in the book itself: physical and sexual violence, which includes physical and sexual abuse of minors and torture; substantial alcohol use; and violence committed by an intimate partner.

I DNF'd the Mister Magic novel that this is an adaptation of, and while the story worked for me much better in graphic form, I think it still lacked in some places.

This is a story about a children's TV show and the fact that nobody can prove it actually existed, about the last cast on that show and our main character Val, who doesn't remember any of it. Someone is making a podcast about the show, and gets the last cast back together as adults to talk about their memories of the show. Things are off-kilter from the very start, and the story and mystery of Mister Magic unfolds slowly.

The main thing I did like about this was the unveiling of themes discussing religious trauma and all the ways children are molded into "perfect" pure versions of what the world around them believes they should be. Unfortunately, it's an interesting theme that is buried among shallow character work and a storyline that isn't satisfying - and is a bit confusing and convoluted by the end.

Veronica and Andy Fish's art is pretty solid, with muted coloring that works for the story being told. While the art felt static for most of the story (which I attribute to how slow the story and character work is), it's allowed to breathe and really shine in the climax and in scenes exploring what the Mister Magic show was.

Overall this worked for me more than the novel did, but I don't know that there's enough in this graphic novel to warrant it being adapted at all.

Many thanks to Ten Speed Graphic and NetGalley for this eARC. Mister Magic: The Graphic Novel will be released June 9, 2026.