The Arcane Cocktail Enthusiast, written by Jeff Rider and drawn by Davide Puppo and Lesley Atlansky, centers around Lark, a wizard. She and her coworkers scour magical realms for special ingredients to use in making drinks. Though if it were that easy, there wouldn’t be much of a story to tell. Lark’s enemy is Mace Dantzari, a wizard and human-turned monster who hunts magical creatures for their meat and parts. The plot revolves around Lark’s attempts to stop Mace from causing more destruction. Issue #3 focuses on Lark’s realization about her father, who left her and her mother long ago. It also focuses on her coworker and friend Naomi. Naomi is a mermaid, a magical species which Mace has hunted almost to extinction. Mace’s presence looms large over this issue.
Lark’s father isn’t in her life due to him, and all the hardship that occurs in this comic is traceable directly to Mace. Lark has a lot on her mind during this issue. Not only is Mace trying to capture Naomi, but he also wants other magical beings that Lark has under her protection. The comic places emphasis on his hunger and how that works as a corrupting force. While magic doesn’t divide along the lines of good and evil, a difference shows between magic used to benefit others and magic used to benefit the self. Mace uses it to get what he wants at the cost of everyone else. Lark has to watch as he does what he wants, seemingly at no cost to himself. He tears holes in her life that she can’t fix on her own. Lark is at her best when she and her friends work together, but she spends the majority of this issue turning them away.
At times, the narrative is confusing. There are many different plot threads and a couple of plot holes that are difficult to believe on close inspection. The comic would do well to keep its story more contained. A more concise explanation of the magic system would be helpful to the reader as well. But overall, the story is well told, and Lark works very well as a protagonist. She’s an easy character for a reader to identify with, and she keeps the story from getting too heavy.
At its heart, The Arcane Cocktail Enthusiast is about the exploitation of resources, particularly animals. The magic, while interesting, acts as window-dressing in a way. The story’s true message is against poaching. Magic acts as an analogy for the effects that humans have on our natural world, and through Lark, the author condemns exploitation. Lark advocates for a world where spell components are freely given. She believes in choice and equal exchange, where humans have a part to play beyond killing for their self-interest. Through Lark, it’s possible to see a future beyond the destructive narrative humanity binds itself to. However, her hatred for Mace binds her to this narrative too.
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