Source: pastemagazine.com
3. Mage
The fact that the majority of you in the audience haven’t read Mage is a tragedy. I myself only found it fairly recently, but it immediately earned my love.
Written and drawn by Matt Wagner (better known for his work on Grendel) and inked by Sam Keith, the story follows Kevin Matchstick, an average disaffected man given superpowers by a mage named Mirth. He is sent off to face the forces of darkness alongside his band of misfits. But that’s not really what the story’s about.
The story really picks up when Matchstick discovers he’s really (SPOILERS) a reincarnation of King Arthur. And his Excalibur? It’s a magic baseball bat.
Oh, hell, yeah.
If that didn’t sell you, nothing will.
Odds of returning: 1 in 7. The series originally published as two 15-issue miniseries, Mage: The Hero Discovered in the late eighties and Mage: The Hero Defined in the late nineties. The third and final announced volume, Mage: The Hero Denied is still on the way, but since it’s all Wagner’s baby, we have to wait for him to make it on his own time. I certainly don’t want him rushing it. But whenever it’s done, I will definitely be eagerly waiting, money in hand.
