DISNEY VILLAINS: MALEFICENT #1, from Dynamite Comics on 5/17/23, recounts a tale of a young traveler who encounters Maleficent in the forest and fails to recognize when he should leave well enough alone.
The Details
- Written by: Soo Lee
- Art by: Soo Lee
- Colors by: Soo Lee
- Letters by: Jeff Eckleberry
- Cover art by: Jae Lee, June Chung
- Comic Rating: All Ages
- Cover price: $3.99
- Release date: May 17, 2023
Is It Good?
DISNEY VILLAINS: MALEFICENT #1 is dark, amusing, and super-quick. Soo Lee’s take on one of the most iconic villains in Disney’s history depicts Melficent as a force of nature, like a mighty wind that could blow for or against you at any moment, and that’s a big positive.
Soo Lee’s script centers on Raynard, a young man with wanderlust, courage, and a poor sense of judgment. When Raynard accidentally encounters the famous sorceress, he gets away from the encounter better than he started until he decides to press his luck.
We like this depiction of Maleficent because she’s mostly evil, but she can be merciful when it suits her. That said, crossing Maleficent is always a bad idea, and she makes no bones about making you pay for your mistakes. At a high level, Soo Lee’s story is a morality tale with one central message – mess with fire, and you’re going to get burned. In that way, this Maleficent is a little closer to the original source material than the recent films, which paint the sorceress as a mistreated character who acts out against her abusers.
Soo Lee pulls double duty as the writer and artist, so almost all of this issue’s output rests on Lee’s shoulders. Overall, Lee captures the right panel angles, Melficent’s presence, and the right dramatic tone. However, the pencils/inks are very rough, and you get an overall lack of polish. Much of that lack of polish is smartly hidden in woodland backgrounds and dark castle stairways, but in the close panels where details matter, it’s hard to miss.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at the covers, or Click Here to jump right to the story description with some spoilers.
What’s It About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with a young man running through the woods as he’s chased by wolves. Eventually, the wolves catch up to the young man, but before the wolves pounce for the kill, Maleficent appears and commands the wolves to disperse.
The young man, Reynard, expresses deep gratitude to Maleficent, he begs for her to explain how her powers work and if he could ask for a token of his first meeting with her. Maleficent appears amused by Reynards reckless courage and decides to give him a magic compass that will lead him to his heart’s desire. Reynard accepts the gift, but when Maleficent leaves, he secretly hopes for something more substantial, such as Maleficent’s staff.
We conclude the issue with misusing a gift, a chase, and a more appropriate gift.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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DISNEY VILLAINS: MALEFICENT #1 delivers a pitch-perfect capsule tale about a reckless young man who encounters the world’s most powerful sorceress. The tone, style, and vibe of the story match Maleficent to a tee, and the ironic ending reminds readers what a villain can do when provoked. That said, the art lacks a significant amount of spit and polish.
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