Mantra Mondays: Mantra #10

Mantra #10

I am continuing with the Mantra Monday posts.  Just so happens that one of the two I found at HeroesCon was the next in line for the series as I am progressing forward.  This is a double-sized issue but not a double-sized story.  It contains the same amount of Mantra with a flip-book inclusion that has teaser panels for a new batch of series that were being produced at the time.

This does have the start of The Archimage Quest.  It opens with Strauss being attacked by a Hippie, and Pilgrim looking dude, and a reject from bald magician's school.  They force him to get Mantra to enter a trap and soon she is meeting Archimage's Son.  Like always they want her body, for its magic of course.  There is a twist at the end that is HUGE.  You will have to wait until I talk about issue #11 for details.

What is great about this issue is that we get more of Lukasz living Eden Blake's life.  He worries about weight gain and how his appearance will affect his job.  He deals with a pesky co-worker while snooping about Ultras at work.  Has to go buy feminine hygiene products and is so funny when a older lady asks his opinion on a product.  It is really what the book needed more of in terms of character.  Watching him deal with the kids is just sweet at times now.  You see a shift into a caring parent, even if he knows he isn't.  Working for the Ultra hunting Aladdin is something that should have been played up more, but always seems more plot device than character development.

The action is great and we get a better but still whiny Lukasz.  What is neat is seeing him adjusting to life as a female.

BDS