The Agent by Mathieu Gabella and Fernando Dagnino
Blurb:
For some, magic is a myth. For others, it is a weapon.
What if witchcraft really existed? If our beliefs, superstitions, and legends were material? This is what Rhym, a young narcotics lieutenant, must question when she finds herself confronted with the impossible. While staking out a subway deal, a suspect magically kills his informant and drives the entire station into madness with just a handful of weed. Rhym miraculously escapes unscathed. She's unaware, but she is a witch, and that fact arouses the interest of a very particular unit of the French secret services. A group of special agents who, like the criminals they hunt, have mastered the art of sorcery…
Welcome to a world where it is better to wear an amulet than a bulletproof vest and where a simple curse by email can destroy you more surely than a bomb. Between thriller, espionage, and fantasy, Mathieu Gabella and DC Comics artist Fernando Dagnino (Suicide Squad, Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Teen Titans, Justice League) present a powerful adventure!
Review:
Talk about sheer intrigue at first glance… The cover, the premise, and a quick look at the artwork had that effect on me instantly, believe it or not. Lemme share a quick bite…
What if witchcraft really existed? If our beliefs, superstitions, and legends were material?
Welcome to a world where it is better to wear an amulet than a bulletproof vest and where a simple curse by email can destroy you more surely than a bomb.
An espionage-thriller with fantasy/supernatural elements, you say!? I AM TOTALLY IN, trust that!
And boy was it an amazing read… Can’t thank the authors, the publisher – Ablaze, and Edelweiss Plus enough for providing me with a digital copy of this super fun adventure!
What’s it about?
For some, magic is a myth. For others, it is a weapon.
Paris, France… present times.
Meet Rhym. A young Arab cop overseeing narcotics. When a drug deal bust-up operation at a subway goes from bad to a whole lot worse, she’s immediately on the radar of a very particular unit of the French secret services. A group of special agents who, like the criminals they hunt, have mastered the art of sorcery...
Unaware of her powers of witchcraft, she’s contacted by Sebastian, a fellow wizard.
And what starts off as a drug deal gone bad, quickly and calamitously turns into a “witch-hunt” to track down and put an end to a very powerful drug dealing sorcerer in possession of a deadly, magical drug… for he is a much worse breed that meets the eye…
“…our powers feed on fear.”
Buckle up, ya’ll! This is one heck of a ride…
The good:
Honestly, loved every bit of it!
Firstly, the artwork was just superb. A job very well done indeed.
The story was really enjoyable to say the least, and I really LOVED IT! It just hooked me in from the start, and just never let go till the very end.
The witchcraft/supernatural angle simply added more goodness to it all.
The MMC’s past is also present/depicted in b/w, which added a certain layer. Also, the subscript bearing a “*” was also present to add info. on certain stuff, which was a great touch as well. Would be interesting to see how the FMC’s story unfolds for sure.
Overall, it was honestly a well-made graphic novel with solid tropes and well-used elements. I would certainly be down to continuing this journey!
The “not so” good:
I seriously can’t think of anything to complain about. End of discussion!
Highlights:
“We’re a sort of anti-terrorism unit. Highly classified, et cetera, et cetera…”
“And you have superpowers.”
“We have better than that. Good old witchcraft.”
[Sebastian and Rhym resp.]
“Witchcraft exists. It’s a formidable weapon. And in today’s world, who would use this power? Everyone.”
[Sebastian]
“I’ve killed a lot of people. It’s part of the job.”
[Sebastian again. No surprises here…]
Other info.
Originally a 5-part issue, now collected into Volume 1/Book 1, aptly named – Initiation.
There’s a pretty cool cover gallery at the end which was a treat to behold.
Plus, there’s a bonus “confidential folder” added in for good measure! Nice touch indeed.
Not to forget the additional sketch gallery and the interview with the authors.
And lastly, the quite brilliantly-put author note! Here’s an excerpt:
THE AGENT WAS BORN FROM TWO DESIRES.
…
Between espionage and witchcraft, there is a whole possible world that I wanted to build and reveal with The Agent.
And lemme tell you what, peeps, that has been achieved indeed!
Final thoughts:
The Agent by Mathieu Gabella and Fernando Dagnino is not only a super fun, total blast of a read, but also a very solid one at that. The artwork was just superb all round, and the story was engaging, highly enjoyable, and thrilling from page one until the very end. If you’d tell me that the next volume was up and about, I’d snap at it this very moment! Honestly, it was THAT good a read for me. HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT!
