Graphic Novel Review: Mage and the Endless Unknown by SJ Miller

Mage and the Endless Unknown: A Horrific Triumph 

SJ Miller's debut graphic novel published by Iron Circus Comics

 I picked up Mage and the Endless Unknown assuming it was something cute; the character design reflexively made me say, “aww, look at that little fella,” and I assumed the Endless Unknown was full of fun surprises, with some hardships sprinkled in. The “young adult * horror” label on the back made me reconsider my initial impression, but I held fast and assumed that just meant it was spooky. A closer inspection of the cover belies this naivety, with Mage’s disturbed look being readily apparent and the dozen other eyes observing them; but I was impatient and didn’t heed the warning

This graphic novel feels like something you’d get if you asked Junji Ito to adapt the Legend of Zelda through a queer lens (in the best possible way). Similar to Ito, SJ Miller’s visual horror style capitalizes on monochromatic colors and contrasting levels of detail to lend weight and danger to elements of the world. While reminiscent of Ito’s work, Miller creates a style of horror uniquely their own by wordlessly establishing the imbalance of power between the protagonist and the world through use and absence of shading. Compared to the rest of the world and its inhabitants, Mage looks fragile. While the rest of the world has shading, cross hatching, dot grids, and detailed linework; Mage is little more than an outline and a few solid shapes. Miller adopts contrasting detail in a similar manner to Ito, but moves past establishing dangerous elements of the world to establishing the world itself as threatening. 

By expanding the scope of the threat to encompass everything Mage might come across, Miller makes the fear-inducing page-turner a full book experience. The graphic novel itself takes a "connect-the-dots" approach to visual storytelling, with its wordless protagonist and static scenes providing a fragmented narrative. The reader's mind is left to fill in the skeletal outline, leaving each reader to decide whether Mage is enduring a horrifying ordeal or going on a hopeful journey. Read it as many times as you wish; the Endless Unknown will always be waiting.  

Want the book? Be sure to get it from your local bookstore or feel free to order it from the store I work at (this isn't sponsored, they're just lovely people) and check out the author's other work!

P.S. I have SO many thoughts on this book, but since they involve spoilers I’m going to hold off for a separate post. I’m doing additional research for the analysis (turns out I still have access to JSTOR) so there will be a bit of a delay, but it is forthcoming! In the meantime, follow me on Instagram @wordsaboutpics to stay up to date!