Magik (Illyana and Storm)

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Magik (Storm and Illyana Limited Series)

Illyana fights a corrupted Nightcrawler.

Publisher	Marvel Comics
Schedule	Monthly
Format	Limited series
Publication dates	1983–1984
Number of issues	4
Main character(s)	Magik

Creative team
Writer(s)	Chris Claremont
Penciller(s)	John Buscema
Inker(s)	Tom Palmer
Colourist(s)	Glynis Wein

Magik (Storm and Illyana Limited Series) was a four-issue comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics in 1983–1984, starring the fictional character Magik. It was written by Chris Claremont, and illustrated by John Buscema and Tom Palmer.

1 Publication
2 Continuity
3 Plot
4 See also
5 External links
6 References

[edit] Publication

Because of the popularity of the Uncanny X-Men during the 1980s under Chris Claremont, a number of mutant related properties were created, most notably The New Mutants. One of these X-Books was Magik (Storm and Illyana Limited Series).

[edit] Continuity

The main plot takes place in mere seconds of canonical marvel time, but covers 7 years of Illyana's life in Limbo. The events occur during The Uncanny X-Men #160 (August 82) and The New Mutants #13-14 (March-April 84). In X-Men #160 Illyana is kidnapped by Belasco at age 6 and returns in the same issue at age 13.

[edit] Plot

Magik (Illyana and Storm Limited Series) details the transition of Illyana Rasputin from a 6 year old child to a 13 year old mutant/sorceress. The narrative takes place as a flashback on Illyana's 14th birthday, which would have been her 8th, had she not travelled to Limbo.

[edit] "Little Girl Lost" December 1983

Belasco, demon lord of Limbo, wants to use Illyana to help the Elder Gods destroy Earth. To do this he has to place five bloodstones in a pentagon locket he has given to Illyana. When he first captures her at age six, he takes part of her soul and remakes it in his image, creating a bloodstone which he places this in the locket. Other dimensional versions of Storm and Kitty Pryde (Cat) then rescue Illyana. The old, sorceress version of Storm is a former apprentice of Belasco's and the three of them end up at Storm's garden sactuary in Limbo. Storm explains the magic of life to Illyana, showing her a massive oak while they are in an ethereal state. When they return to their corporeal forms, Illyana is one year older (seven) and has unspecified magic powers. Cat, who is part beast, then kidnaps her.^[1]

[edit] "Cold Iron Hot Blood" January 1984

Cat takes Illyana to a replication of the Savage Land in Limbo and teaches her to sword fight. This takes roughly two years, and Illyana is nine when they finish. They then storm Belasco's tower. It is protected by a corrupted version of Nightcrawler whom Cat kills. Cat then attempts to use her phasing power to take her and Illyana to Earth, but Belasco intercepts them. Belasco turns Cat into a feline demon and gives Illyana a knife. Illyana then cuts herself, and the blood forms the second bloodstone in the locket.^[2]

[edit] "Soulquest" February 1984

Illyana has now spent an unspecified number of years learning magic from Belasco, plotting his downfall. One night in her bedroom, Illyana wonders if she is a mutant like her brother Piotr. "His powers didn't show themselves 'til puberty and that, for me, is still two years away."^[3] Her mutant power manifests itself soon after; she can create teleportational light discs. Illyana uses a disc to travel to the tunnels below limbo. There, she briefly meets an automobile containing Dani, Sam, Bobby and Rahne from The New Mutants #14. She returns to find Storm battling Belasco. When Cat attacks Storm, Illyana kills the demonic version of Kitty Pryde.^[4]

[edit] "Darkchild" March 1984

Illyana kills Storm to save her soul and teleports to Storm's Limbo garden before Belasco can react. A failed attempt by Illyana to return to her Russian parents leads to capture by Belasco and the extraction of another bloodstone from her essence. Illyana wakes up in Storm's garden, where everything has died except for the massive oak. An unspecified amount of time passes and she grows "a head taller"^[5] trying to create a living acorn. Illyana realizes that creating life was part of Storms's beliefs but not her own. She uses the last of her power to create a "Soulsword". The enchantment that held her in Storm's garden is banished in the process and she takes a stepping disc to confront Belasco. While fighting Belasco she realizes she will become irrevocably evil if she kills him, so she spares his life and he escapes. She then uses a light circle to rejoin the X-men, seconds after she had left them. Illyana is now approximately 13 years old.^[6]