Hot take: if you don't like the Princess Bride, we cannot be friends. I feel like that's a fair line in the sand for me to draw.
As a parent of three young children, I'm frequently asked to either read them a bedtime story, or tell them a story. Oft am I found embracing the amazing ability of Peter Falk to bring an engaging story to life (although I don't have a baby Fred Savage.....yet....).
"But what does The Princess Bride have to do with a comic book you are previewing" I may hear someone asking in a nasally tone...I present to you a preview of a new Mad Cave Studios title...
Potions Inc. (Mad Cave Studios)
By: Erik Burnham, Stelladia, Natasha Alterici, Micah Myers
Available on Previews: 3-23-22
Release Date: June 8, 2022
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The synopsis of the book is:
The call of adventure always seems to hang up whenever Randelgast Jones
tries to answer it, leaving him facing the dull future of working in his family’s
successful potion shop. But when a powerful artifact is stolen from his
parents and puts them under a terrible curse, Ran finally gets the quest he’s
been after his whole life. He and his siblings set off to find the missing artifact
– and its trail leads them from their homeland of Primaterra to the very
strange realm of…Earth.
The story opens with a simple request to a father to tell his daughter another bedtime story about "Pree-uh-terr." The father, as many do, is quick to cave to his young daughter's request and he introduces us to a world of magic in all of its forms and a young dreamer who's stuck in his parent's house because he doesn't know which dream he wants to follow.
What transpires across 22 wonderful pages is the introduction to a wonderful family of artisan potion crafters with various natural, arcane and potentially divine forms of magic at their disposal. While "the twins" enjoy staffing the potion shop, Randlegast knows that working the shop is not his calling, but he does not believe he's found his true destiny....until his Father wishes to give him a "lucky charm" which appears to be some sort of magical focus.
Quickly we meet who may be the antagonist of the series, a rival potion merchant whom not only steals customers, but also attempts to instigate an attack on the twins, which leads to another revelation...apparently Randlegast discovers a lucky charm...which may be more powerful or important to Primaterra than he or his siblings may know....and needles to say, our young dreamer may have now found the quest he's been looking for his entire life.
Who should pull this book?
I thoroughly believe this book should be successful with a wide audience. Naturally, if you enjoy any type of magic and dragons fashion fantasy tale, you'll be right at home in pulling this book. I also believe if you enjoy a heist style book, you will enjoy this by issue two (because they gotta get that stone back!). I also think if you are a fan of stories that blend fantasy with reality, you will really enjoy the last 4-5 pages of this book as well.
I really think the creative team has delivered yet another home run for Mad Cave Studios. Here's what the creative team has to say of their creation:
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"Getting brought on to Potions Inc. was a true pleasure for me - it mixed some of my favorite things (humor, fantasy, and 90s references) into one package. I was given so many tools to help build the story, and best of all, I got to collaborate with a fantastic team; editor Erica Schultz, artist Stelladia, and cover artist Natasha Alterici. Between the four of us we came up with a fully realized and fun little universe, and then we let the characters loose to play--it made the job feel like the opposite of work for me. I can't wait for folks to meet the Jones siblings and learn all about the magic of
Primaterra." - Writer, Erik Burnham
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“As a 90s child with a deep love for magic and humor this has been a dream project to me. These characters have been part of my family for a while now, a bright spot in the middle of this turbulent world we are living in right now. I hope this story brings you joy! I couldn’t ask for a better team, and Mad Cave is a great home for the Jones. Time to release some magic!” - Artist, Stelladia
I honestly do believe you can see the level of excitement from both Burnham and Stelladia throughout the first issue. It does an excellent job introducing you to all of the major players as well as quickly bringing you in to the world of Primaterra, setting us up for what may be a journey of epic proportions, and I'm thoroughly excited to add this book to my pull list!
Potions Inc. #1 is now available for preorder on the Mad Cave site, in Previews on March 23, 2022, and officially in stores June 8, 2022 - add Potions Inc. to your pull list to join the adventure!
Also....a little birdie told me you should definitely call the phone number on this business card!
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