A New Comic of Magic and Blackness: Excellence #1 Review

Writer: Brandon Thomas / Artists: Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett / Image Comics/Skybound I almost skipped on Excellence. The world is full of comics and believe me, I’ve got so many on my reading list that something gets missed every week. But my comic shop guy pressed this comic into my hands with the look of a man changed by a comic, so I gave it a shot. Dang, my comic shop guy is the best. Excellence #1 is a chilling introduction to a new reality, the first step into a world that is magical and futuristic, while still being deeply grounded. Oh, it is all Black as you can imagine. I’m talking Nakia in Wakanda reading Native Son, listening to Kendrick and getting her hair braided while someone tries to sell her incense, Black. The references and implications sprinkled throughout tell me this is a book that takes that Blackness seriously. They are going to take us new places, and I can look forward to the trip. One: Kill The Past Spencer Raymond Dales is a Legacy. He’s a Black boy born into a line of Black magicians, all members of The Tenth. These magicians are sworn to protect those who are worthy, never to use their magic for their own benefit. But Spencer has some challenges, not the least of which is living up to the expectations of his father. You know how it is when your father is the president of the local (name your favorite fraternity here) chapter, and he’s expecting you to go to Morehouse, but you’re not sure you’re bout that life? Yeah, like that…