Writer: Seanan McGuire
Art: Kath Lobo, Alejandro Mejias and Raul Angulo
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $8.99
Release Date: November 30th, 2022

Nahiri, Stone-Shaper and Planeswalker, takes center stage in Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer #1, as she goes on an odyssey across different planes across the multiverse after having an unexpected encounter on Dominaria.  It’s a fun issue filled with visits to several worlds and beautiful art throughout.

If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer #1 Review.

The Story

I wasn’t very knowledgeable about Nahiri the Lithomancer going into Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer #1, but the book does a great job of giving an overview of the character’s past, acquainting readers with her formidable abilities and setting her off on a course for future adventures.

The book starts 6000 years in the past on the water world of Ikoria and hurtles at high velocity through various time periods, stopping at various points in Nahiri’s past and finally stopping for a moment in the present, on Dominaria, where Nahiri makes a chance communication with a mountain and in a lovely few pages, has a conversation with it, demonstrating her stone-crafting powers and both impressing and delighting the mountain with her magic. From there, the bulk of the issue follows Nahiri as she collects stones from various planes, returning to Dominaria to gift the stones to the mountain.

At times the story moves from place to place at a dizzying pace.  At one point, Nahiri jumps to 11 worlds in 3 pages(!).  It gets a bit confusing at times, but it’s exhilarating also.  It makes the reader feel caught up in Nahiri’s travels, being swept away from world to world in the Magic multiverse, getting a whirlwind tour of the various areas. We see various points in Nahiri’s past:  her encounter with vampires on Innistrad as well as her battles to protect Zendikar.  It really shows how much she’s been through in her life and how it has forged her into her current incarnation.

Visually, she’s a stunning character.  When she forges a fiery sword out of stone to wield in combat, she takes on an almost Arthurian look, regal and powerful. I don’t want to give away the various surprises in the book.  Suffice it to say, it’s a great book for lovers of the Nahiri character or those who know little about her.

The Art

Kath Lobo, Alejandro Majias and Raul Angulo’s art on Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer #1 is beautiful from the first page to the last, reminiscent of some of the best manga and anime. Nahiri is drawn with a grace and nobility and the massive rocks that she crafts and wields to walk across the sky are nicely detailed. The various other creatures and characters that pop up throughout the book are drawn with style and the various worlds we visit throughout the story are each drawn in a unique way, spotlighting the differences between worlds across the multiverse.

Final Thoughts

Magic: Nahiri the Lithomancer #1 is a fun book that shows a comprehensive timeline of Nahiri’s past, present and future.  We get to see her powers and personality in full display and the book puts her in a great place for new adventures, should Boom! Studios want to do a series with the character.  I hope they do.

9/10