Street Magik
Original Graphic Novel from Dynamite Entertainment 
Written By: Luke Lieberman with Kevin McCarthy
Art By: Rodney Buchemi
Cover By Miguel Montenegro
Review by Brian "Dynamite Guy" Hofacker

There is a notion that by standing on a New York City street corner, a person can watch the whole world pass by. Anyone who has had the opportunity to visit New York City can certainly attest to that statement; and for those that haven't but are familiar with the Big Apple through movies, magazines and other mediums, it is an easily imaginable experience. The streets of New York City are an amazing ecosystem motorized by diversities that are fused together and thriving through bonds of necessity and spite. The city is constructed of tall buildings and even taller tales, each wrought with neon sensation and everlasting potential. Nothing is out of place in New York; the naked cowboy with his guitar can be as usual or spectacular as the Empire State building.

The latest yarn being spun on the streets of New York is one of "Magik", as presented in Luke Lieberman's original graphic novel Street Magik from Dynamite Entertainment. Comprised of all the prime ingredients that have become necessary for contemporary fantasy literature, Street Magik is the story of Jake Conner, a young adult whose life is overshadowed by the murder of his father, which has left him with the burden of caring for his younger brother while their mother drowns deeper into alcoholism. Jake seems to accept the tough hand that life has dealt him; that is, until an unexpected card is dealt, and he is charged with unlocking a magical legacy within himself and inherits a part in an age old battle of good versus evil. At first glance, mixing a "coming of age" story with monsters and magic of fantasy fiction gives Street Magik a familiar texture, but as the story progresses, it is quite apparent that Lieberman has done a fine job of differentiating his tale from that of other contemporary fantasy plots to create an easily enjoyable, exciting and even inspiring tale.

Although the thick of Street Magik is crowned with magic, mystery and mayhem, it is perhaps the first pages of the tale that are most rousing to the imagination as they ideally demonstrate how little consideration is given to the veiled potential of the world around us. The story opens with an ordinary street scene of New Yorkers hustling through the quiet desperation of daily routine. The "magik" begins unsuspectingly when a homeless man tosses a marked coin upon the sidewalk; the coin is picked up and its trail is followed through the panels, being exchanged by various means until returning back to the homeless man by none other than the story's protagonist Jake Conner.

While this opening scene holds no mystifying spell casting or death defying heroics, it demonstrates the precarious notion that we are strangely connected and our actions, no matter how simple or contrived, can resonate into great consequences. Additionally, the trail of the coin creates a sense of credibility for a tale such as Street Magik, as readers can easily imagine themselves walking on the very same street and performing parallel acts of fashionable charity and daily routine without paying mind to how they are affecting the lives of others. Overall, the scene presents the idea of how easily happenings of magical guidance can be viewed as simple coincidences, suggesting that the remainder of the story be looked at through multiple points of view.

The overall adventure of Street Magik isn't far off from other coming of age fantasy tales and should be enjoyed for the pure adventure and fun it supplies in the same fashion that one would watch a Saturday morning cartoon or their favorite Disney film. However, for the more cynical reader, Street Magik is distinguished in a few ways; for instance, Lieberman has urbanized the fantasy by taking it to the lively streets of New York as opposed to a hidden school or distant mystical land. This urban setting places the potential of Street Magik on the reader's front sidewalk or down a nearby back alley, granting the story a more familiar sense. Furthermore, Street Magik utilizes its characters, both main and supporting, to create a wide perspective of the story's events with the intention of opening the eyes of the reader to the phantasmagoric potential of the world around them; ranting homeless people, quips of street performers and even unexplainable homicides are presented in a fashion that presents them in both realms of the ordinary and the extraordinary.

For the visually-minded, the art of Rodney Buchemi is more than enough reason to make Street Magik worthy of a prime spot on any bookshelf. The design of the settings and distinct characteristics of the cast, including background extras, is reminiscent of the strictly edited black-and-white pages of classic comic magazines such as Creepy and Eerie. For a seasoned comic book collector, the look of Street Magik is almost a relief as Buchemi seems to take very few liberties in presenting the tale. There is a tantalizingly realistic look to Street Magik, which suggests that there is more going on in the world than the story Jake Connor and his magical companions, yet it also compliments the private and forlorn nature of Jake's battle.

On the whole, the plot and action of Street Magik is straightforward and easily enjoyable. Lieberman has constructed the plot without the over thought abstractions that tend to complicate fantasy stories and distract from the fun and adventure. For the less cynical and analytical reader, Jake's discovery of inner strength, acceptance of responsibility and inevitable battle against dark forces is the perfect means of escape that most readers seek. The plot has a flawless progression that builds into a climatic battle, as well as a conclusion that suggests there could be more Street Magik out there.