Review: The Mystic World Surrounds Us In ‘Hidden Society #1’
by Josh Davison
Mild Spoilers Ahead
The place is New York; the year is 1979. We join a woman named Mercy as a cheating poker player tries to force himself on her and she defends herself through supernatural means. Elsewhere, a blind woman named Laura is ambushed by a trio of gangsters and she is protected by her pet daemon, Orcus. Finally, we meet a stage magician by the name of Jadoo who is promising to make the Brooklyn Bridge disappear for an audience and he accidentally really does it. These disparate souls are about to be united by a wizard named Ulloo in his Hidden Society. Their goal? To save the world.
Hidden Society #1 introduces us to a strange quintet of characters living in New York in the year 1979. Outside of Orcus and Ulloo, none of them have any direct connection, but each has at least one foot in the world of magic.
This issue does little more than hint at what the larger story will be. It’s more focused on letting us know who our lead characters are. Mercy is a badass drifter, Laura is a well-meaning woman who happens to have a mouthy pet daemon in Orcus, Ulloo is a mysterious and powerful wizard, and Jadoo is a garish and cocky stage magician with more power than he knows.
It’s charming and paced well and each of the characters have some engaging qualities. It does a solid job of getting the reader interested in what’s going on.
Rafael Albuquerque is the artist on the venture and he does not disappoint. The book is in constant motion, the characters are very expressive, there is a nice texturing work, and he plays with shadows well. The characters have solid designs that set them apart from one another and it’s all wrapped up in the moody and atmospheric color work of Marcelo Costa.
Hidden Society #1 is a charming and intriguing first step for this new Dark Horse Comics title. We are introduced to a band of strange and disconnected characters who will be united by a powerful wizard and inducted into the Hidden Society. It flows well and has excellent visual work and the overall book earns a recommendation. Check it out.
Hidden Society #1 comes to us from writer Rafael Scavone, artist and cover artist Rafael Albuquerque, color artist Marcelo Costa, letterer Bernardo Brice, and variant cover artist Matteo Scalera with Moreno Dinisio.
Final Score: 8/10
