Long one of the most under-the-radar beloved members of the X-Men (she was in the top 40 of our most recent Top 100 DC and Marvel characters countdown), Illyana Rasputin, the mutant known as Magik (who actually made her debut in Giant-Size X-Men #1, oddly enough), is receiving her own ongoing series from Marvel, and Marvel has now released a first look at the series.

The new series, which will debut in January (and is up for its final order cutoff this Monday, the last date that retailers can order copies of a comic to assure that they receive copies of the book, so basically the moment when a comic book order is “locked in”), is written by Ashley Allen, and drawn by Germán Peralta, and since retailers have to make up their mind on Monday, Marvel has decided to share what the series will look like.

The series will feature the mutant taking on mystical threats that the rest of her mutant teammates can’t deal with, beginning with a magic presence making itself known from underneath the ice in Alaska.

Allen is quoted in the Marvel press release announcing the first look as discussing the series (with AIPT), “Illyana is such an interesting protagonist. She’s a woman who’s gone through a dark past but refuses to let that stop her from doing good in the world. I believe the desire to leave the world a better place than before resonates with a lot of fans (myself included). While she’s snarky and has some walls up, she’s ultimately a sweetheart who loves her friends and family deeply.

She continued, “Since we are talking comics, I’d be remiss to not also discuss the visual elements of storytelling. Illyana’s powerset has so many great opportunities for cool visual moments that we can really have shine in a solo series. Her spells, her mutant ability to teleport through space and time, and, of course, her Soulsword. Who doesn’t love a woman with a sword?”

What happens in the Magik “First Look”?

In the first pages, we see Illyana struggling with her “Darkchylde” persona, who has slaughtered the X-Men (presumably a dream? Especially because it features some characters who are not on Magik’s current X-Men team).

We then see Illyana fighting some demons to protect innocent civilians, showing off both her magical skills, and, of course, her giant magical sword.

We then see Magik confronted with the new villain, The Demon Crow, who was designed by superstar artist, Peach Momoko!

If you’re interested in magical battles, or if you’re one of those fans who voted Magik into the Top 40, then this will be right up your alley!

Magik #1 is set to be released on January 8th.

Source: Marvel