Illyana Rasputina is familiar with dark forces that want to manipulate and control her, demonic enemies of other dimensions. Before she was known as a mutant named Magick, Ilyana was a small girl living with her parents and sibling Piotr at the UST-Ordynski collective farm in Siberia. Ilyana was then brought to the US in a scheme organized by the Arcade, an eccentric assassin. Immediately after being rescued from the arcade, Ilyana was re-ebducted. This time, he was accused by the demon Velasco, who took Ilyana to the hellish dimension of Limbo.
During Ilyana’s Limbo days, she was abused and tortured by Velasco. Velasco was intended to corrupt Ilyana’s soul and free him from Limbo and take over the earth. Eventually, Ilyana was able to abdicate Velasco and become Limbo’s new ruler. She also acquired the ability to create her signature weapon, Soulsword, and teleport using stepping disks that allow for interdimensional travel. Because Ilyana’s soul was connected to Limbo, he could only teleport while stopping at Limbo between each destination. After fleeing Limbo, Ilyana returns to Earth and the X-Men. It’s not long since she lost her, but Ilyana has returned ten years ago.
After returning from Limbo, Ilyana became a prominent member of the new mutant and later joined the X-Men. In her publication history, Ilyana took on the role of teacher at Doctor Strange’s Magician School in the Strange Academy series, served as war captain in the Mutant Island nation of Krakoa, and was one of the swordsmen in the tournament “Sword X.” Ilyana also regressed to the age of seven during the event at the “Inferno” event and later died after contracting with the legacy virus. During the events of Krakoa, Ilyana abandoned Limbo’s control of the goblin queen, aka Madeline Pryor, and stated that she no longer wanted her to be restrained and defined. Throughout Illana’s publication history, she has also struggled with the Dark Child Persona. This demonic side of Ilyana must be restrained. Otherwise, she may lose herself completely to her dark nature.
Much of Ashley Allen’s Magic series involves Ilyana facing and reconciliating her past with her Dark Child side. In this first arc of the series, we see Ilyana being challenged by Demon Liminal, an entity trapped in five magic seals centuries ago. Ilyana saves a boy named Karen Isaacs from Riminil’s minions. Cal is derived from a magical pedigree trapped in a magic seal. Kal’s grandmother has distrust of Ilyana due to her connection to the Dark Child. Kal also hesitates to trust Ilyana completely and fears what the Dark Child will do if she is released.
First, seeing Illana meet Liminal face to face in Magic #3, Liminal presents Illana with an attractive deal. If she can turn into Dark Child in 3 weeks and resist defeating Liminal, Liminal accepts defeat and if she fails, she can permanently drive Dark Child out of Ilyana, Ilyana belongs to Liminal, and Dark Child rules on his side. Liminal makes him make this offer, believing that Ilyana will join him from his own free will. In this series, Darkhild manifests itself as another persona or personality, allowing you to speak directly to Ilyana. Ilyana begs the literal demon on her shoulder to be released. The dark forces that attempt to seduce Ilyana are motifs that repeat throughout her publishing history. We have seen this play while Ilyana was Velasco’s prisoner, but we have only seen this dynamic in Ilyana and the Dark Child. The series raises the question of whether Ilyana can really resist the Dark Child and what happens when Ilyana can’t resist and succumbs to the temptation of the ultimate demonic power that the Dark Child represents. Allen also suggests that dark children are fundamental and permanent parts of the unresectable Illana.
Dani Moonstar, aka Mirage, will be taking part in the book Magick #4. Ilyana and Dani both have history together as they were teammates of new mutants. This issue reveals that Dani has joined an organization called “Eternal Dawn Society.” The group’s main goal is to prevent an imminent apocalypse, where the benignity of Liminal has been released. The mites are equipped with a magical bow called the Dawn Piercer. This changes the mites’ pionic arrows to repel demons. There is a lot of tension between Ilyana and the Dani. In Ilyana, Dani and Kal overlook a conversation with Kal in case Ilyana becomes a Dark Child again. Feeling sadness and betrayal, Ilyana questions whether she can trust Dani again.
Ilyana and Dani Moonstar will face the demon together. There’s tension between my former teammate and my friend
In Magik #5, Ilyana continues her battle with the demon known as the Liminal. She also knows that if she fails, Liminal not only has more control than Dark Child, but her friends and allies such as Cal and Dani are also at risk. It is a risk of succumbing to the Dark Child’s pose, and Ilyana does not want to be held responsible for harming her innocent life. Ilyana knows that she is the only person who can prevent the Dark Child from being unleashed, so she must resist the Dark Child. With one seal remaining and an unprecedentedly higher interest, Ilyana struggles to defeat Liminal completely without turning into a dark child.
In this issue, I see Ilyana admitting, “If I could become normal, the Dark Child must be destroyed.” Ilyana’s connection to Limbo and the Dark Child has been haunting her for much of her life. Limbo was in Ilyana’s house, her territory, and her prison. It is a place of strength for Ilyana and her biggest trauma. Her relationship and history with Limbo is complicated, and it is the first place she fell into her powers, and the place where she was forced to revisit frequently and encountered unimaginable horrors that she truly could not escape. Ilyana is more than a badass warrior with a huge sword. She is also a survivor of trauma, and for a long time her trauma has been a point of shame for Ilyana. In many ways, the series is about Ilyana realizing that her past does not define her and does not determine her future. Ilyana fears that she will become like Velasco, a soulless demonic being who will harm a helpless innocent person to fight back. Another lesson that Ilyana learned from this issue is that her past is just one aspect of her identity. Ilyana also has to come to realize that her qualities such as compassion, empathy, loyalty and willingness to protect others are what makes her own, and not the trauma of her being burdened with everything in her life. Magick is a thoughtful investigation of what trauma does to someone and what you can do to overcome your trauma and begin the healing process. Ilyana is also forced to accept that she does not have to endure the weight of her trauma alone, and leaning towards others for support does not weaken her, which makes her human.
Magik #5
Magik #5 sees Ilyana Lastina reconciliation with the Dark Child in a healing and cathartic test of confronting her trauma and taking and overcoming the painful parts of her past.
Ashley Allen nails Ilyana’s voice, balances Pathos and Badassery, becoming a character we can sympathize with and relate to, and is also exciting to watch.
The art of Germán Peralta and Arthur Hesli perfectly matches the atmosphere and tone of the book
The dialogue between Ilyana and the Dark Child recontexts the relationship between Ilayan and the Dark Child in a deeper and more meaningful way
The conclusion of this issue teases the interesting character development of Ilyana on the horizon and the long-awaited return of Goblin Een, aka Madely Pryor, who promises to bring Ilyana back to familiar terrain.
