Becky Kumar has been abducted by a magical being. He’s a jerk. Took her all the way to the other side of Manhattan. She’s got a lot to deal with before she understands what’s really going on in the latest issue of Nomen Omen. Writer Marco B. Bucci delivers a pleasantly titled re-imagining of the traditional magical awakening found in so many contemporary fantasy stories. Artist Jacopo Camagni leans more heavily on the side of contemporary drama in an issue that is far less deeply rooted in magical events than previous issues. The interpersonal drama comes to the fore in an engaging story revealing a bit more about Becky’s personality. 

After a strange nags phantasmic miasma, it becomes fear to Becky that she has been taken to the ship graveyard in Staten Island by the Guardian of Central Park. He’s Irish. He’s a jerk. But he wants to make sure she gets her heart back. A supernatural creature quite literally took it from her. She’s not exactly worried about it. He’s going to take her to someone who will reveal more about the nature of the world. It’s going to be kind of a difficult journey with a difficult person for both Becky and her guide. 

Bucci’s approach to revelations of a larger world of magic is an interesting one. He’s decided that Becky’s really, really into fantasy fiction. So finding out that there really IS a world of magic just out of view of the rest of the world isn’t really all that big I a deal for her. Bucci gives Becky a compelling sense of identity as she demands that her guide cut the crap and tell her what’s going on so that she can get on with her life. It makes for a fascinating dynamic as she is brought deeper and deeper into a world of magic.

Camagni etches some serious intensity into the visage of an ancient Irish spirit who has taken on the mantle of Guardian of Central Park. Under the pen of Camagni, he’s grizzled and formidable. By contrast, Becky is weary and relatively unimpressed with the world she is walking through. The world itself is particularly breathtaking even if the magical space between worlds leans quite heavily on MC Escher-inspired imagery that by this time has become kind of a lazy shorthand for the fantastic. The white outline of impossible architecture asserts itself beautifully against Camagi’s vibrant colors. The dreamscape the opens the issue gives the astutely-rendered emotional drama between mortal and immortal a vividly fantastic lead-in. Once again, the interplay between colors makes for a beautiful story that is primarily told and blacks, whites, and grays.

It’s taken Bucci a few issues to really sink into the specific tone and voice that’s going to make Nomen Omen distinct. The conversation between Becky and her immortal guide this issue really brings out the distinct voice that’s going to give this series a personality that sets it apart from other contemporary urban fantasies.

Grade: A