Review by Ian Keogh
Mystik U may concern the first university year, but the spirit of Harry Potter is indelibly imprinted upon it as a group of mystical teenagers convene in a spooky university featuring some lecturers more threat than comfort.
While the inspiration may be obvious, with the exception of Zatanna that doesn’t apply to a young cast Alisa Kwitney has sourced from the mystical obscurities of the DC universe. Additionally, some are modifications of older characters and others her own creation. They’re mixed with faculty staff most prominently including Doctor Occult, Mr. E and Madame Xanadu, whose procedural disagreements are vast.
Kwitney generates interest from the beginning by opening with a disastrous possible future before rolling back time. Zatanna is the entry point, seemingly lacking any extraordinary ability when involved in an incident that sees her magically talented father dragged to another dimension by a demon. Most children would be desperate to rescue their father, but reflecting the occasionally strange characterisation Kwitney applies, Zatanna accepts the word of someone she’s just met that her father has faced much worse and wouldn’t she like to attend Mystik U? She’s part of a new intake numbering five, one of whom the staff realises is an existential threat, except they don’t know which. Mr. E’s extreme solution is to kill them all.
Attractive, detailed and naturalistic art from Mike Norton defines a story about teenagers finding their way in a confusing and often dangerous world. Rather than being a metaphorical gloss about teenage experience, Kwitney treats the threats as additional to the problems of growing up. Norton conveys the personalities well, and they’re the strength of Mystik U, being understandable and sympathetic.
Even allowing for the random effects of magic, though, the plot twists can seem without foundation, and serving the needs of the story rather than holding water. An example is the world’s finest mystics over several disciplines being unable to determine which of five children is the threat. However, such is the appeal of the cast and their gradual growth and trust in each other that it patches over the plot holes leaving a readable adventure.
