You may like Magic of Myths if you like… May 1, 2011

Describing a new series is always a tricky thing. People like what they like, but sometimes it’s the problem of getting them to try something new to like it in the first place. A good way to do that is the classic word of mouth method of “it’s a bit like…” – which is what this little post is designed to do.

While Magic of Myths is its own entity, one of the main themes of the miniseries is mythology. Not just classic mythology across various cultures, but that of modern mythology, fictional, urban or otherwise. And as such, it’s a melting pot of different influences that should be clear if you’ve ever read a number of books, watched various films, taken in some comic books, enjoyed TV series’ and so on.

For example, Issue 1 (‘Lord, What Fools These Mortals Be‘) references William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream and Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to name but the two obvious examples, along with other pieces of fiction such as Neil Gaiman’s Sandman. And that’s all just in the first chapter.

So, this is a quick guide to give you an idea of the sort of titles Magic of Myths: season one is similar to, to give you a better idea of the story on a whole. Take in mind, we’re not saying Magic of Myths is the same as or as good as these titles (hubris can be a terrible thing!), merely explaining that they share common elements. It also acts as a reference point for some of the many influences on the series to date. So, without further ado:

You may like Magic of Myths: season one if you like:

These kind of books:

• The Chronicles of Narnia; Alice Through the Looking Glass (exploring strange new fantasy worlds; themes of growing up)
• Grimm’s Fairy Tales (dark tone; fairy tale elements)
• Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (use of mythological creatures and lore)
• The Wizard of Oz (escapism; finding your sense of self while in unfamiliar surroundings)

These kind of films/TV series:

• Clash of the Titans – both versions – (use of mythological creatures and lore; classic quest structure)
• Labyrinth (exploring strange new fantasy worlds; themes of growing up)
• The Never Ending Story; Pan’s Labyrinth (the blurring of lines between fiction, fantasy and reality; exploration of story narrative; shaping your own reality)
• Return to Oz (twisted warping of reality; escapism)
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer (coming to terms with your own condition/destiny; female empowerment)
• Sucker Punch (escapism through imagination; exploration of genre motifs and conventions)

These kind of comic books/graphic novels:

• Fables (use of well-known fantasy archetypes and tales)
• Promethea (breaking the fourth wall through use of panel border references; existentialism; the blurring of lines between fiction, fantasy and reality; exploration of story narrative; shaping your own reality through the power of imagination)
• Sandman (exploring the power of story and mythology)

Magic of Myths: season one will be released on May 14th – expect more news on where you can buy it very soon.

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