DC's Misfits of Magic

Continuing my look at spooky themed books this month, today I look at DC's Misfits of Magic, which is from the latest series of their graphic novels for YA readers. This one is focused on a summer camp for adolescent magic users and stars teen-aged versions of quirky characters like Deadman, Blue Devil, and the Enchantress that I enjoy. Their ringleader is Rikki, an orphan with no last name, who is a riff on Dr. Occult the Ghost Detective. Together this motley bunch does arts and crafts and the like until mysterious things start happening in the library. Behind the back of their counselor Zatanna, they do the Scooby gang thing and investigate, uncovering quite a few surprises.

What I liked about this book was its whimsical artwork, snappy dialogue, and use of interesting, fun characters. The book is very colorful and uses it to great impact in its sound effects and depictions of magic use, creating an otherworldly atmosphere. I have long been a fan of the "Justice League Dark" characters (long before they got called that), and how they are portrayed here is rewarding to a long-time fan like me or to new readers, because they are introduced in quick and informative ways. There are also references to other DC characters, and I feel these would also be quite accessible to even casual fans. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would like to see more stories set here.

DC's Misfits of Magic was written and drawn by Matthew Dow Smith, a comics artist who has done work for most major US comics publishers. He also has worked on a number of webcomics and series published by small publishers over the years, and a couple of them, October Girl and Amelia Shadows and the New Head Ghost, will be published as graphic novels soon. He serializes his works in progress on his Patreon page.

I was not able to find many reviews online, but the ones I read have been positive. In the most substantive one I saw Too Dangerous for a Girl concluded, "So if you know a small person who enjoys colourful, imagination-expanding comics, buy them a copy of DC’s Misfits of Magic. They’ll love it, and chances are you will too."

DC's Misfits of Magic was published by DC Comics, and they offer more info about it here.