I am very grateful to have had a chance to review this early. I thoroughly enjoyed this graphic novel. This is the story of Tom Token, a young black teen who gets the opportunity to attend St. Ivory School of Spellcraft and Sorcery, an all white magical school. Of course things don't go well right out of the gate, but he handles it well. The plot starts to thicken once Headmaster Lynch is introduced.

The graphics in this are amazing. The writing is great as well, but the graphics just added that extra element to it. Plus, there were so many comparisons I kept making to the characters. Lindsay gave me Sailor Moon vibes, Alexis and Bryce gave me Team Rocket vibes, and the graphics gave me manga vibes.

The one thing I didn't like was that the story seemed to move a little fast. Seeing as it's a graphic novel kind of makes sense, but it did throw me off some because it just seemed like things happened back to back to back.. Overall, I enjoyed this and it did make me laugh at times. I'm more than likely adding this my bookshelf when it comes out.

First, let’s start with the things I loved. The art is absolutely stunning. I was gazing in awe at the wonderful artwork. Pure beauty. Also, the idea was brilliant. Taking a current and important topic as racism and trying to reflect about it in a fantasy world was a great idea. No doubt about it.

That being said, the story wasn’t my cup of tea. The story felt super rushed and the characters were one dimensional so I’m not sure that I cared about them. Sometimes I couldn’t even understand their motivations. But I do think that those issues could be solved in future volumes, so I still have hope for the story if it continues.

Like I said, I really appreciate what the author was trying to accomplish, and the graphic novel can be really useful as a conversation starter in families, schools, book clubs or group of friends about the problem of racism in our world. So it works as a conversation starter, but not sure if it works as a good, cohesive, enjoyable story. But, then again, maybe, it was never meant to be that.

3/5 stars

Absolutely amazing. Harry Potter basically meeting the hate u give since it discusses racism, references the civil war. Fredrick Douglas and Harriet Tubman doing magic. This was so amazing and the art made it read almost like a manga. I definitely want this series to continue!

The Black Mage is a fantasy, school-setting, adventure graphic novel, wrote by Daniel Barnes and illustrated by D.J. Kirkland. The plot is very interesting, including the American Civil War; the characters are memorable, especially their facial expressions; the art style is delightful. I was surprisingly pleasant to laugh so much at the little jokes and hilarious situations. I would highly recommend this book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The story was really original it addresses racism and institutional racism in a fantasy setting. The illustration is beautiful and rich in colour and the story manages to touch every emotion. I hope there will be more in the series because I'd be straight to read it!

eARC provided by Oni Press and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed this! One of my favorite things about this particular graphic novel was the discussion of institutionalized racism, particularly in the way it would make it easy for young people to learn about the importance of being aware of your own privileges and acknowledge how important it is to work against it because of the harm it could cause. One of my favorite things was seeing the historical figures come to life in this text - I hope we get more from this world to get a peak into the historical setting of this school.

Overall, I definitely recommend people pick it up! A quick, important read to start a conversation that I'm so glad is being brought to the table in the graphic novel world!

i was surprised by how much i liked the black mage. i really liked the illustrations (they were sorta anime but they also weirdly looked like the art from Totally Spies😂). i appreciated the diversity and the concept of the book and i really loved how racism and sexism were challenged, sadly unlike many books. overall a really enjoyable book!

I am absolutely in love with this timely and clever book. The creators have put together a beautiful, thoughtful book that is heavily influenced by manga and JRPGs, right down to the echo drops. Absolutely worth your time.

Very unique way of approaching the topic of racism, segregation, and the KKK! I loved the illustrations and the general story line. I think this would've done really well as a series, though it seems to be a stand-alone.

I think the premise of this graphic novel was really promising. However, everything was extremely rushed. This was one volume, but it felt like it should have been the overall arc of a whole series of graphic novels. The overwhelming plots left little time to connect with characters. The art work was great though!

The storyline and artwork in this graphic novel were fantastic. It is set in a school in a magical world (major Harry Potter vibes) and introduces, discusses and analyses racism in such an approachable and brave way. Tom Token (get it?) joins the school as the first black student and faces racism, stereotyping and segregation. I really hope this continues as a series as it is brilliant and shocking in equal measures.

definitely the most impactful graphic novel that i’ve ever read. i really enjoyed how it handled the subject matter of race and racial superiority. it was a really unique story that incorporates important themes into a fantastical school setting that i really enjoyed. the art style was wonderful and i suspect a little romance is brewing as well. overall would definitely continue with the series.

3.5/5*

**I was given a copy of this from the publisher for an honest review**

I thought that this was a lot of fun to read, the artwork was amazing and overall the story was intriguing and the mystery though predictable made a lot of great points. I think for a middle-grade audience this graphic novel would be well received.

I loved everything about this graphic novel, the story, the art and the discussion. The main character Tom was very likable and I admired his confidence and calmness.

The plot was not at all what I expected but I'm glad it focused a lot on racism through the characters' actions and words. It was uncomfortable at times but seeing Tom at the end freeing himself with the help of his new friend Lindsay made me so happy.

I wish we could have had some more explanations about the magic system.

The art was absolutely beautiful and I found myself admiring some pages while reading.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for the e-ARC .

This book is for anyone who wonders why Hogwarts is so white. As well as tackling racism in the fantasy genre, The Black Mage tackles real world racism. I liked how the story was put into a historical context featuring Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass and the folk hero John Henry. Its allegories aren't subtle, but it works well, especially for a YA audience.

5 Stars!
ARC provided by Net Galley and the publishing house in exchange for an honest review.

“This Hammer of mine glows with awesome power, tempered by the countless black souls that you’ve oppressed! And right now, they’re crying out for me to strike you down! Take this! Their love! Their anger! And all of their sorrow.

Wow.

This is the first graphic novel that I have read that covers such a big and extremely relevant topic, race, retelling stories from black history but intertwining it with a fantastical element. This #ownvoices graphic novel is being referred to black “Harry Potter” but it’s so much more than that. I honestly could not get enough! Tom, the main character refuses to stand for anyone's crap and isn’t afraid to call people out for being ever so racist, which makes your blood boil as the reader, truly you want to punch the characters as much as what Tom does. I honestly hope for a series even though it did end as a stand-alone, I’d love to see Tom and Lindsey take down racists one spell at a time.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review – thanks so much to Netgalley for sending this to me!

The Black Mage is a vibrant, speedy book with an epic art style that’s like a combination of Harry Potter and Little Witch Academia. It’s super action packed, blending different pop-culture references in a way that’s really fun – it’s like lots of little nods to things we know and love. The book follows Tom Token (an awesome wizard who takes no sh*t) and his new friend Lindsay (who’s very reminiscent of Hermione Granger in her younger days – pushy and a little bit socially unaware) as they seek to uncover a conspiracy that’s infiltrated the very depths of notoriously non-diverse their magical school, at which Tom is the only black student.
I can’t say too much about the subject matter of this book, since racism is a huge theme and as a white person that’s something I have no authority to speak on. What I will say is that this book is often uncomfortable, not shying away from the fact that members of the school board are blatantly racist and that the school’s antiblackness is insidious, driven in to the very core. This makes it hard to read at times, but I feel like it’s an awesome thing for teens to see – a black character kicking ass, tackling racists and winning.

While I enjoyed the book, I felt it was a little short for my liking (especially since I believe this is a standalone?) I just thought it could have been expanded to really strengthen it, because it was over so fast that I was quite taken aback by it – the book kind of felt like a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ kind of deal. I also felt that the anime-esque art style worked against it at times. Although I loved the art, the fight scenes were often confusing – something that would have worked really well on-screen just messed with the clarity a little bit for me, so that I wasn’t always sure of what was happening during times of conflict. The campy fights were fun to read, but I did get confused at times.

Overall I liked this book and I’m always happy to see more fantasy with POC main characters. Although I’d have appreciated a little more depth and character development, this was a quick and enjoyable read with amazing art – another great book from Oni Press.

**I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange of my honest review**
While I was reading it I thought it was a 4 star read but then , and after finishing it I only could have give it a 5 ; because this book was so important and that the story was interesting and that the designs were just AMAZING . And can we talk about the main character? Can we talk about the representation ?
I have read so many graphic novels in my life and so far this is one of the best surely .

Super quick read and full of action.

I enjoyed this story a lot, more than what I expecting. The similarities to Harry Potter are very present, but it doesn't make the story turn into a simple copy of it, in the contrary, the HP influences enhanced the comic book to another level.

The fact that Daniel Barnes decided to write a story that has everything to do with racism, segregation and even the so awful clan Ku Klux Klan was really bold. I've never seeing that in a comic book and I was very surprised in the best way possible. The narrative is super fun and so addicting that you can't the book down.
I also loved the manga drawing touches here and there, they totally fitted the characters.

All in all, it's a nice comic book that explores a deep subject in the coolest way possible. Worth reading it!

I have been waiting for this book for a while. I'm a huge fan of Harry Potter and video games, and this book looked like it would be right up my alley. I didn't know what it was about until today when I read the description.

I think the goal was to be satirical. Be sort of a cross of Harry Potter and The Boondocks, with a sprinkle of Final Fantasy and Magical Girl-style manga and anime. As many people know, satire is a hard genre to pull off in any medium. And this book unfortunately doesn't have the range to do it.

This book feels like the first draft of a story that still needs time to form. The relationship between Tom Token and Lindsay isn't as deep or complex as I would have liked. Lindsay is supposed to be a character who has her eyes opened to the realities of inequality and oppression at her school, but doesn't really grapple with her own contributions to this toxic climate. The only clues we get are early on when she is confronted by her ex, who happens to be Tom's main antagonist. He's clearly racist, and Lindsay isn't shocked by this. However at no point does Lindsay explain why she was dating and obvious racist. Because everyone in the school where's KKK hoods.

The story also has so many dialogue moments that I would cringe, get up from my computer, and walk around the house. From character names like Atticus Lynch, to Tom's pet crow, Jim, I understood what the creators were aiming for, but they completely missed the target.

I wanted this to be good, but it is shockingly bad. Not even the artwork can save this story, which is actually very colorful and energetic,with some nice character acting. The pacing cranks up in the last chapter which made the ending feel abrupt.

It feels like a book that was made to be meme-ified on social media, but not for reasons either creator will like.