DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel #6: Larry Niven's "The Magic Goes Away"

Download DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel #6






Once there was magic in the world, but hordes of selfish, short-sighted magicians have used up the mana that moved the world, and now the magic goes away. Even the most powerful spells are fast becoming futile, and so Orolandes, the sad Achaean with half a sword, goes on a quest in search of the lost power.

But all the gods and Fair Atlantis are dead. The creatures of spirit, the unicorns and centaurs, are dying. Soon all the sparkling things will be gone from the world and only clay will remain—and those damned stupid swords will win after all...

I read the original Magic Goes Away in novella form around 1978 and was thrilled to learn that DC Comics was adapting the story into a graphic novel, which I immediately bought upon publication. While the interior of the novella contains beautiful illustrations by one of my favorite artists, Esteban Moroto, the graphic novel adaptation does not disappoint on any level as Jan Duursema's illustrations are simply outstanding. While I am ordinarily not a fan of writer Paul Kupperberg's work, I must admit that his adaptation here is quite good, but it does omit the misadventures that Warlock and Clubfoot suffer at the hands of the Frost Giants, probably for reasons of space limitation. Whether you're a fan of the original or not, I strongly urge you to give this a read because this story is great-great-great!