History ComicBook / BlackMagick

* MisatkenForGay: In #6, Morgan is in a huff with Rowan because he thinks that Rowan and Alex are an item and that Rowan hasn't told him yet. This causes Rowan to burst out laughing.

* SignificantAlias: The man who attempts to incinerate Rowan is using the name 'Rowan White'. The other cops think this is just an odd coincidence, but Rowan knows that someone is sending her a message.

* AncientConspiracy: Multiple members of Rowan's family have been condemned as witches and executed by a group called Aira. Backmatter reveals that Aira is a witch-hunting organization that is religious in nature but exists outside the authority of the Catholic Church (and in fact has been around the time of Plato, over 400 years before the Church was formed).

Rowan survives through the use of magic--her Wiccan nature is not just religious, but real--by turning the man's flames upon him instead. Fearing that the persecution of witches is starting again, particularly by an ancient enemy known as "Hammer" (Or "''The'' Hammer"), Rowan and her coven seek to discover who it was that put up the man to kill her, and why.

On March 26, 2016, Rucka and Scott announced that having reached the end of the first arc, the book is going on hiatus to allow them to collaborate on the new series ''Wonder Woman: Year One'' for DC Comics. On December 17, Rucka stated that he and Scott had pushed the resumption of ''Black Magick'' to June 2017 instead of April, so that the new arc can run monthly.

* AncientConspiracy: Several members of Rowan's family have been condemned as witches and executed by a group called Aira. Backmatter reveals that Aira is a witch-hunting organization that is religious in nature but not under the authority of the Catholic Church.
* ArcSymbol: An organization which hunts witches(and whose history Rowan is very familiar with) uses a hammer as its symbol; their seal on the lighter used in the first issue visibly brings her up short and makes her realize that this is not an isolated case of insanity.
* BlackMagic: The backmatter journals of a sixteenth century [[TheWitchHunter witch hunter]] discuss that magic itself is not inherently evil, and it is not their duty as witch hunters to kill any and all magic users. It is only those who have fallen to black magic, characterized by those who use magic [[MindManipulation to control other people]], that need to be killed.

** Backmatter in the first issue contains a journal entry from a sixteenth century witch-hunter describing the first witch burning he attended as a child. [[DeconstructedTrope His witch-hunter father and grandfather took him to see the burning because they knew that the victim was]] ''[[DeconstructedTrope not]]'' [[DeconstructedTrope a witch, and they wanted to drive home the importance of not making mistakes or letting their duties be overcome by fear or paranoia.]]

* GratuitousFrench: Back in the 1600's, Rowan's family name was "du Noir", which means "of the black".

-->'''Alex:''' ...Enthroned, the judge of gods, of women...

* MagicIsEvil: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the series. Even the witch hunters of Aira do not believe that magic is inherently evil, it is like a tool: its worth depends on how you use it. However, they do believe that BlackMagic is seductive: Once a good magic user makes the first mistake of BlackMagic, [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil they will inevitably descend into villainy]].
* MaleFrontalNudity: One of the men in the coven is shown standing with his robe open like all the others, exposing his genitals.

* MundaneFantastic: The series opens with a Wiccan ceremony--which we later learn has real and direct magical importance--[[InconvenientSummons being interrupted by a cell phone call.]] The leaders of the circle in turn grumble about how much of a hassle it will be to redo all of the rituals and set-up before Rowan is called away for duty.

* ShownTheirWork: Rucka being Rucka, he did a great deal of research on traditional(Gardnerian) Wicca and lore pertaining to "witchcraft", and of course he's [[{{ComicBook/GothamCentral}} written stories about cops]] [[{{ComicBook/ThePunisher}} a few times before]]. Scott did a lot of research herself into Celtic rites and symbology, and came up with Rowan's tattoos on her own.

* SplashOfColor: The book is painted in gray wash, but scenes that feature Rowan using her powers are partially illustrated in color to showcase the "working her will" aspect. Certain other bits (such as the candles at the Mabon ceremony) are colored as well.

On March 26, 2016, Rucka and Scott announced that having reached the end of the first arc, the book is going on hiatus to allow them to collaborate on the new series ''Wonder Woman: Year One'' for DC Comics. On December 17, Rucka stated that he and Scott had pushed the resumption of ''Black Magick'' to June 2017 instead of April, so that the book can run monthly.

* ArcSymbol: An organization which hunts witches(and whose history Rowan is very familiar with) uses a hammer as its symbol, and their seal on the lighter used in the first issue visibly brings her up short and makes her realize that this is not an isolated case of insanity.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The series is drawn primarily in grayscale, [[SplashOfColor except for isolated scenes of particular importance]].

* FunctionalMagic: Of the "Rule Magic" style.

* IKnowYourTrueName: The hostage-taker's knowledge of Rowan's 'truename' is what first tells Rowan that he has some real connection to witchcraft and is not just insane.

* MagicIsEvil: [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[AvertedTrope averted]] in the series. Even the witch hunters of Aira do not believe that magic is inherently evil, it is like a tool: Its worth depends on how you use it. However, they do believe that BlackMagic is seductive: Once a good magic user makes the first mistake of BlackMagic, [[SlowlySlippingIntoEvil they will inevitably descend into villainy]].

''Black Magick'' is a creator-owned Creator/ImageComics series written by Creator/GregRucka(''ComicBook/{{Lazarus}}'', ''ComicBook/QueenAndCountry'') and illustrated by Nicola Scott(''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', ''ComicBook/TeenTitans''). The first issue was published in October 2015, and Rucka has said there are roughly 30 issues planned out.

On March 26, 2016, Rucka and Scott announced that having reached the end of the first arc, the book is going on hiatus to allow them to collaborate on the new series ''Wonder Woman: Year One'' for DC Comics. Rucka further stated that ''Black Magick'' would resume publication by April 2017, at the latest.

Rowan Black is a police detective in Portsmouth, a town in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. She is also a practicing Wicca, though she keeps this private from her fellow officers. While taking part in her coven's Mabon ceremony, the ritual is interrupted by her Captain calling her in to deal with a hostage situation: A man has taken several people captive and is threatening to kill them unless he is allowed to speak to Rowan personally, but even after hearing his voice and talking to him, she has no idea who he is. The man agrees to release the hostages if Rowan will meet him face-to-face, but after the civilians leave, he reveals that [[IKnowYourTrueName he knows her "truename"]], and that he knows she is a witch, then attempts to [[BurnTheWitch set her aflame with kerosene and a lighter]].

On March 26 2016, Rucka and Scott announced that, having reached the end of the first arc, the book is going on hiatus to allow them to collaborate on the new series ''Wonder Woman: Year 1'' for DC Comics. Rucka further stated that ''Black Magick'' would resume publication no later than April 2017.

* ArcSymbol: An organization which hunts witches(and whose history Rowan is very familiar with) uses a hammer as its symbol, and their seal on the lighter used in the first issue visibly brings her up short, and makes her realize that this is not an isolated case of insanity.

''Black Magick'' is a creator-owned Creator/ImageComics series written by Creator/GregRucka(''ComicBook/{{Lazarus}}'', ''ComicBook/QueenAndCountry'') and illustrated by Nicola Scott(''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', ''ComicBook/TeenTitans''). The first issue was published in October 2015, and Rucka has said there are roughly 40 issues planned out.

Rowan Black is a police detective in Portsmouth, a town in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. She is also a practicing Wicca, though she keeps this private from her fellow officers. While taking part in her coven's Mabon ceremony, the ritual is interrupted by her Captain calling her in to deal with a hostage situation: A man has taken several people captive and is threatening to kill them unless he is allowed to speak to Rowan personally, but even after hearing his voice and talking to him, she has no idea who he is. The man reveals that [[IKnowYourTrueName he knows her "truename"]], and that he knows she is a witch, then attempts to [[BurnTheWitch set her aflame with kerosene and a lighter]].

* ArcSymbol: The organization which hunts witches uses a hammer as its symbol, and its mark on the lighter used in the first issue is what makes Rowan realize that this is not an isolated case of insanity.
* ArtShift:The book is painted in gray wash, but scenes that feature Rowan using her powers are partially illustrated in color to showcase the "working her will" aspect. Certain other bits (such as the candles at the Mabon ceremony) are colored as well.

* TheWitchHunter: Aira is a witch hunting organization which kills those guilty of abusing magical powers. Unlike most examples of the trope, they explicitly state that magic itself is not evil and it is not their goal to kill all magic users, rather it is their duty to kills to have succumbed to BlackMagic and used their powers to corrupt the minds of others.

** Backmatter in the first issue contains a journal entry from a sixteenth century witch-hunter describing the first witch burning he attended as a child.

%%* SalemIsWitchCountry

Rowan Black is a police detective in Portsmouth, a town in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. She is also a practicing Wicca, though for various reasons, she keeps this private and none of her fellow officers have any idea. While taking part in her coven's Mabon ceremony, the ritual is interrupted by her Captain calling her in to deal with a hostage situation. A man has taken several people captive and is threatening to kill them unless he's allowed to speak to Rowan personally, but even after hearing his voice and talking to him, she has no idea who he is.

Rowan agrees to take the place of the hostages, but once inside the man forces her to strip to her underwear before releasing them, telling the police through her wire that if they try anything he will kill her, then he breaks the microphone, cutting them off from the outside. Rowan attempts to figure out what he wants, but then things take a twist: the man reveals that [[IKnowYourTrueName he knows her "truename"]], and that he knows she's a witch, then forces her to [[BurnTheWitch stand in a puddle of kerosene]]. Rowan asks him not to do this, he says he doesn't have a choice, then softens for a moment and begs Rowan for help; when she tells him there's nothing she can do, he gives up and fumbles out his lighter. A defiant Rowan looks him in the eye as he flicks it, and says this.

"By my will, from my breath, the flame you strike shall bring your death."

The man drops the lighter into the pool of kerosene anyway, and...the flames consume ''him'', while Rowan stands there unharmed. Turns out Rowan isn't just a Wicca, she's an actual ''witch'', part of a bloodline of power dating back centuries. In the aftermath, she calls the leader of her coven, and cryptically says "It's starting again."

* ActionGirl: Rowan qualifies, since she's both a cop [[spoiler: and a witch with actual magical powers]].
* AloneWithThePsycho: The main plot of the first issue.
* AncientConspiracy: Several members of Rowan's family have been condemned as witches and executed by a group called Aira.
* ArcSymbol: The hostage-taker has a lighter with what appears to be a warhammer on it. Rowan is visibly taken aback when he shows it to her.
* ArtShift:The book is painted in gray wash, but scenes that feature Rowan using her powers are partially illustrated in color to showcase the "working her will" aspect. Certain other bits(such as the candles at the Mabon ceremony) are colored as well.
* BikerBabe: Rowan.
* BurnTheWitch: What the unnamed hostage-taker tries to do.