In a magical world, a trio of magical siblings will have to travel further than they ever have in order to save their parents. Your Major Spoilers review of Potions Inc. #1 from Mad Cave Studios, awaits!
POTIONS INC. #1 (OF 5)
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Stelladia
Colorist: Ian Tags
Letterer: Micah Myers
Editor: Erica Schultz
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: June 8th, 2022
Previously in Potions Inc.: The call of adventure always seems to hang up whenever Randelgast Jones tries to answer it, leaving him facing the dull future of working in his family’s successful potion shop.
EVENTFUL DAY AT THE MARKET
Potions Inc. #1 opens up with a father trying to put his son to bed, who in turn is demanding a story about the land of Primaterra. The father obliges and tells the story of how a powerful mage tried to increase the amount of magic in the land but was thwarted. Things then shift to the land of Primaterra itself. Randelgast or Ran, is awoken by his parents who say he has to go work at the potion stand that day. The three of them have a talk about what Ran is going to do with his life, before he leaves for the shop. At the shop, Ran’s siblings have a confrontation with a business rival and accidentally hit Ran with a magical spell. This reveals a stone pendant he has in his possession, which draws the attention of the business rival, who plots and manages to steal it. This has unforeseen consequences on Ran’s parents and forces the children to leave home to fix things.
LACKING FLOW AND COHESION
Potions Inc. #1 has the makings of a competent classic fantasy story, in the vein of The 10th Kingdom or Once Upon a Time. A relatable (if a bit cliche) character motivation, a straightforward quest, clear cut villains, and plenty of magic, all come together here to lay the foundations. Unfortunately, what the creators build on top of that foundation here is shaky at best and lacking a measured plot progression. For example, we never get to see how or why Ran gets the magical pendant. This sudden appearance of such a major plot element forced me to check to see if I missed a page somewhere. The issue is filled with very quickly and conveniently explained things in order to rush things towards the final pages that reveal a “twist” that lacks any punch, mostly because of how nonchalant the characters treat it.
A GOOD LOOK, MOST OF THE TIME
Potions Inc. #1 uses a sketchy ‘rough” style that lends itself to the fairytale/fantasy elements of the story. This is especially potent when combined with the hand painted coloring look. Even while reading this digitally, the panels look like they have texture to them. Where this style hurts the book is with the facial expressions, which shift from outright cartoonish to inexpressive, leaving everyone in the book either appearing bored or manic.
THE BOTTOM LINE: TOO ROUGH AROUND THE EDGES
Potions Inc. #1 is a comic book that is entirely too focused on getting to its next chapter, which results in a chapter that’s filled with convenient plot developments, poorly explained situations, and lackluster characterizations. There are elements here that will seem familiar to many readers, but they just aren’t utilized in an effective way. Even the art style seems to poorly serve this book by making it difficult to read the characters emotions. 2 out of 5 stars.
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Potions Inc. #1
Potions Inc. #1 is a poorly put together book that misuses some promising early elements and then drowns them in a poorly plotted and paced story that just falls flat.
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Writing3
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Art4
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Colors5
At a young age, Jonathan was dragged to a small town in Wisconsin. A small town in Wisconsin that just so happened to have a comic book shop. Faced with a decision to either spend the humid summers and bitter winters traipsing through the pine trees or in climate controlled comfort with tales of adventure, horror, and romance, he chose the latter. Jonathan can often be found playing video games, board games, reading comics and wincing as his “to watch” list grows wildly out of control.