Magik #1

History

Writer Ashley Allen came to this assignment on the strength of her well-received X-Men: Blood Hunt – Magik one-shot, which functioned as an audition for the ongoing; Marvel's editorial team — led by editors Darren Shan, Noah Sharma, and Tom Brevoort — greenlit the ongoing series as part of the sweeping 'From the Ashes' relaunch that followed the conclusion of the Krakoa era. Germán Peralta, whose prior Marvel credits include Black Panther and Loki, was paired with Allen to supply the series' dark supernatural visual tone, with Arthur Hesli on colors and VC's Ariana Maher on letters. The cover program for the issue was notably expansive, with a main cover by J. Scott Campbell and variants from Peach Momoko (who also designed the Crow Demon), Jeehyung Lee, David Nakayama, Dike Ruan (foil), and Jay Anacleto, reflecting the high commercial priority Marvel placed on the launch.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First issue of Illyana Rasputina's first-ever ongoing solo series, published January 8, 2025 — roughly 50 years after the character's debut in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (May 1975).
• Written by Ashley Allen with art by Germán Peralta, colors by Arthur Hesli, and letters by VC's Ariana Maher; edited by Darren Shan, Noah Sharma, and Tom Brevoort.
• First appearance of the Crow Demon (Demon Crow), a new villain whose visual design was created by cover artist Peach Momoko.
• First appearance of Callen (Cal) Isaacs, a young boy whose family has a generational duty to protect mystical seals, who becomes Magik's new series co-lead and companion.
• First appearance of Agnes Isaacs (Cal's grandmother, a magic practitioner who dies in this issue) and the Society of the Eternal Dawn (unnamed), as well as minor character Ren.
• The story establishes the overarching threat of the demonic entity known as Liminal, whose followers are kidnapping mutants in Juneau, Alaska for a blood ritual — the series-long villain arc begins here.
• Issue depicts Magik's Darkchylde persona beginning to resurface as an internal antagonist, framing her struggle between her human self and her demonic corruption as the emotional spine of the new series.
• The issue received a second printing, and the launch cover program included a Marvel Rivals variant cover tie-in produced by NetEase Games, reflecting the character's concurrent prominence in the video game.

Cast · 40 characters

Full credits

Key issues in Magik

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#2 1st appearance — Liminal

Variants (9)