Summer Magic 2000 A.D.

  

'Summer Magic: The Complete Journal of Luke Kirby'

2000 A.D., 2017

The character of Luke Kirby, boy wizard, was introduced in 'Prog' 571, April 23, 1988, of the UK comic 2000 A.D. The initial series, printed in black-and-white, was titled 'Summer Magic,' and written by Alan McKenzie, with artwork by John Ridgway.

 

The series is set in the UK in 1962. When his mother becomes ill, Luke is sent to live with his Uncle Elias for the summer. Elias lives in 'Lunstead,' in the country, and its bucolic setting seems (at first) to be placid and peaceful.

Luke soon discovers that Uncle Elias is a practitioner of magic, and Elias teaches Luke some 'alchemy' involving the transmutation of metals. Luke also learns that wild animals have been attacking the sheep at Brock's Farm. Joining the men folk on a night-time hunting trip, Luke has an alarming encounter with the 'beast' responsible for attacking the sheep:

Further confrontations with the dark forces haunting the woodlands bring a loss of life, and revelations about his family, that show Luke a path forward to being a wizard in command of strange powers and abilities. But these powers have their costs, and can corrupt the unwary.....

Other story arcs, first published in 2000 A.D. in the mid-to-late 1990s, see Luke investigating rumors of vampires ('The Night Walker'), those unfortunates who are trapped in the depths of Hell ('Sympathy for the Devil'), and strange goings-on in places of myth and magic ('Old Straight Track'). Interspersed with these adventures are several shorter, one-shot stories.

Starting with 'The Night Walker' in 1992, the series was printed in full color, using a 'retro' palette designed to evoke the color schemes used in the British boy's papers of the 1950s and 1960s.

 

With 'Sympathy for the Devil' (1993) and following stories, Ridgway was replaced as artist by Steve Parkhouse, whose art decidedly is more 'cartoony.' In my opinion, Parkhouse's art (below) is less effective than Ridgway's carefully rendered line work.

Blurbs about Harry Potter aside, in the Luke Kirby episodes, Alan McKenzie's scripting is much darker than the Rowling franchise. British media in the horror and suspense genres, intended for what is nowadays called the 'young adult' (YA) readership, historically tends to be grimmer and more sophisticated than its American counterparts (i.e., R. L. Stine's 'Goosebumps' franchise).

The 'Night Walker' storyline, in particular, aims, and succeeds, in communicating an atmosphere of grim and disturbing things taking place in suburban neighborhoods.

Aside from ardent 2000 A.D. fans, who will want a copy of 'Summer Magic' ? The series' deliberate pacing, and its carefully tended evocation of the UK of 60 years ago, likely will be underappreciated by modern-day YA readers. However, adults who appreciate a 'classic' approach to horror and the supernatural will find the book rewarding.