Title: Magyk (First in the Septimus Heap series)
Author: Angie Sage

I haven't read any books lately, or at least since the Harry Potter series, that involved wizards as the main characters, so I was itching a bit to get back into a world of spells and incantations. Magyk is about A princess, her adoptive brother, and a boy from the Young Army trying to survive when their lives are turned upside down by a Necromancer, named DomDaniel, who once again becomes the ExtraOrdinary Wizard.

The main villain of this book, DomDaniel, felt more like a glorified idiot than someone with powerful magyk and cunning, and I had to wonder how anyone could have feared him at all. The main characters didn't seem to have much trouble running circles around him - I didn't mind it to much at some parts he was, after all, different from the usual antagonist. Despite that I liked most of the main characters themselves, especially boy 412 and Niko, and I thought they were decently developed. There were some small things that didn't make to much sense to me, but they didn't pull away from the story overly much and I do plan to continue with this series to see how it plays out.

Final Score: 7 out of 10

Title: The Stuff of Legend (Book One): The Dark
Author: Brian Smith & Mike Raichet
Illustrator: Charles Paul Wilson III

When we were children our toys our are most loyal of friends. This comic shows how far one boy's toys are willing to go to save him from the dark when he is kidnapped by the Boogeyman. The toys entire the Realm of the Dark, where the Boogeyman is, but once the get there the toys are made life like (the piggy-bank changes into a pig, the teddy bear into a real bear, and so on). The toys bravery, loyalty, and willpower are put to the test in this unfamiliar world on their rescue mission and you can't help but feel slight contempt for one of the boy's toys for something that they do (or lack of actually doing anything) towards the very beginning.

The Stuff of Legend: The Dark is actually one of the first comics I have bought and read that wasn't Japanese and I have to wonder now why I don't branch out more often. It was a quick and fast-paced read that had me craving more. If the plot makes you think 'Toy Story' and you go into thinking it's a happy and light read than you will be surprised! The Stuff of Legend is actually a rather dreary and somber read. I think the color tone and character design help in setting this atmosphere.

Final Grade: 8 out of 10