Magic Lurks Under the Surface in “Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy”
An angel gets its wings every time Ram V, Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer team up for a comic book series—ifyou tend to believe in the supernatural of it all. After previously combining forThe Swamp Thingin the early-2020s, the creative trio is back with DC Vertigo’sBlack Tower: The Raven Conspiracy,a new espionage-meets-the-occult thriller that’s high on intrigue and surprises.The action-packed first issue, which landed in stores last Wednesday, exemplifies the dark soul of early Vertigo, DC’s fantasy and horror-fueled imprint that, as you probably know, relaunched earlier this year.
I think we all, at least at one point, have dreamt of a hidden world of magic and wonder hiding justbeneath the surface. It’s fun imagining that people like John Constantine or Morpheus are real. Maybe we’ve passed them by on the street and didn’t even know it? And maybe, just maybe,we’ll one day find ourselves drawn into this alluring and fantastical world that’s hiding in plain sight. Well, for Daniel Burroughs, that dream of magic became reality, and it’s one that’s full of sorcerer spies and paranormal nightmares…
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracyfollows 23-year-old Daniel as he is thrust into a dark and deadly world full of magic, espionage and occult warfareafter he learns he has special abilities. He is an “esper,” a powerful psychic, recruited by a secret sector of British intelligence known as Division Nine, AKA “Black Tower.” Their job is to investigate supernatural and occult activities under the direction and supervision of their mysterious leader, Alistair Romeo. Mysteries abound, and one gets the sense that betrayals may be imminent in this slick mashup of urban fantasy and espionage that has a blast playing with the most beloved tropes of both.
As the first issue begins, Perkins and Spicer’s art transports you to a dark and paranoid world that’s seemingly much like our own. The pair—Perkins as illustrator and Spicer as colorist—make generous use of deep shadows and bold line work, as we start the story in the criminal underbelly of London. We’re introduced to a poor soul (it’s Daniel, though we don’t yet know him), captured and beaten, with a sack over his head, as he’s confronted by a well-dressed figure that we never get a good look at. But lest you think V, Perkins and Spicer are serving up the sort of by-the-numbers interrogation seen countless times in network crime dramas and mob movies, the figure takes off his glove to reveal an eye nested in the palm of his hand, which is scarred and veined and ominous. It’s all we need to see to know that The Raven Conspiracy’sworld, which we thought was so much like our own, is nothing of the sort.
As you turn the page, we begin to follow Daniel’s journey and we soon learn how he ended up with a sack over his head. V utilizes nonlinear storytelling with a series of flashbacks and perspectives, creating an action-heavy and twisty first issue that reveals Daniel’s surprising motivation for joining the Black Tower and introduces us to his colleagues, all of whom possess unique gifts of their own. The world feels lived in and full of history. While Daniel is new to the organization and offers us a way into it, everyone else in Black Tower has their own relationship with the organization and its members. You can sense their closeness, even if you’re not sure everyone is on the up and up.
Expertly, V has set up a story full of lore and mystery without a surplus of exposition. As Daniel discovers his new environment, so do we, and we can’t help but imagine what we would do in his shoes. (One bit of unsolicited advice, Daniel. I’d be wary of Nadia from 1B if I were you.) The young psychic gives us someone to relate to as we unearth this dangerous new world in which the Black Tower operates—even as he proves far quicker to adapt to it than many of us would likely be.
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1is a dark, gritty and sometimes shocking urban fantasy that feels right at home as a Vertigo series and is perfect for fans ofHellblazer,Books of MagicandThe Sandman.With a cast of unique characters and creatures—its distinct take on London being one of them—and an alluring magical world hiding beneath our own, there is a lot to love in the debut issue. V, Perkins and Spicer, as seen in The Swamp Thing,know how to bring the wonder and humanity to an otherworldly story. And if the Black Tower, which is a highly covert agency after all, does happen to exist…well, where do I enlist?
Black Tower: The Raven Conspiracy #1 by Ram V, Mike Perkins and Mike Spicer is now available in print and as a digital comic book.
Sami DeMonster writes about superheroes, horror and sci-fi for DC.com and discusses comics every week on social media. Follow her at @samidemonster on Instagram and TikTok.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Sami DeMonster and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
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