Excellence #5 // Review
In the fifth installment of Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph's Excellence art and dialogue converge to create a meticulous world of magic around Spencer Dales and further develops its main characters. Spencer Dales obviously hates his father. However, the hate Spencer has for Raymond Dales has actually grown into a patriarchal dividend that's helped him ascend the ranks of the Aegis. Despite Aaron's contempt for the system, the sacrifices he's had to make, losing Nicole and his freedom, he's maintained that patriarchal relationship with Raymond.
Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez's pens and colors are consistent, bold, and feel like an indispensable part of the Excellence storyline in this issue. We can feel what the art is trying to convey without reading a word.
There has always been an intense effort to lay out the rules. The Four Walls that are to be adhered to and the consequences and repercussions for not following the laws. Thomas is just as diligent if not more so in breaking down these Walls in the newest installment. In the past, The Overseer's threat to deem the Wizards powerless if they break the law kept the 10 Families in check and in abidance to the Four Walls or suffer the consequences.
Those consequences are apparent from the first page as Aaron Mills is still incarcerated. The fact that Brandon Thomas decided to call the jail Aaron is in the Oubliette is just another intricate detail. To signify that Aaron is now a political prisoner of the Aegis. An oubliette is an underground dungeon found in castles during medieval times, used to hold political prisoners and were built narrow and dark to increase the psychological damage on the prisoners. Spencer has risen through the ranks of the Aegis in the months since the fight in New York. He is also figuring out that when he and Aaron fought, their wands must have cast a spell that has bonded them cerebrally. Spencer sees Aaron's past but also able to feel Aaron's fears, pleasures, and his physical pain. Spencer is starting to feel like Aaron is replacing him in his own head somehow. While Aaron has had multiple visits from Raymond Dales in the months since he has been at the Oubliette, he still refuses to see Spencer despite numerous attempts.
Raymond Dales is revealing himself to be a calculating operator by using Monique, a young female to surveil Spencer. Raymond has also altered Aaron's memory to hide his attachment to Nicole.
It has been drilled into Spencer his entire life that women are not allowed to use magic. Raymond Dales is not the institutionalist that Spencer thinks he is. Raymond is more of a consequentialist. He believes that a moral act is one that will produce a good outcome for him and his family. Brandon Thomas uses some adult language, but the dialogue is very palatable. It's urban, it's contemporary, it's how black folks casually talk to each other, seamlessly. Not forced 'jive-talking' or a writer trying to be edgy but missing the mark. There are a couple of 'N' words tossed around, but they don't feel gratuitous or placed in to be outrageous. They are used for continuity, to engage the reader, and let you know from the jump; this is something deeper and more political. The authoritarian society of left-behinds, those above, those below, misogyny and powerful wizards with no power is intriguing. Spencer is convinced the Aegis are corrupt to the core, so he has been systematically creating his own archive away from their control and influence. He finds his way into a secure vault in the column called the "Floe." In an attempt to deactivate the aura on Aaron's wand and break the spell that has left them connected. Once again there is some outstanding artistic work by Khary Randolph, especially in the characters faces and the detail in their accessories. The esthetic is hip-hop cool with superhero sharpness that adds a clean feel to every page. Emilio Lopez uses bright, vivid colors to add sparkle in the magic scenes. And two-tone greens for flashbacks help to correlate the story with art so good you can follow the story through it. In the end, there are revelations from Raymond Dales that will change the dynamic between them all going forward and the introduction of a powerful new Sorcerer
