ARC Read - The UnChosen Volume 1: The Tower

I recently got the chance to read 'The UnChosen Volume 1: The Tower' that collects issues 1-4 of the miniseries drawn and written by David Márquez, whose art in the current Uncanny X-Men run I absolutely love.

At its core, it's a classic story about a girl discovering she has mysterious powers she cannot understand, who is taken to a special school so she can learn to control them. But even though this is hardly a new concept, the story takes a unique, interesting approach that breaks free of any tropes and creates a world and a mythology around how magic works in it that becomes very much its own thing.

The book starts by introducing Aida, finding herself amidst the aftermath of a massive explosion which she has seemingly somehow caused, shocked and confused, looking for her lost mother, as she is approached by two strangers with magical powers telling her they are here to help her. There's enough setup to get the reader invested without bombarding you with exposition. As the story unfolds, we get to discover things along with Aida, and start seeing the big picture through her eyes.

Aida as a protagonist is both likeable and believable. She justifiably doesn't know who to trust. She is assertive and determined, and despite being overwhelmed by everything that has happened to her, her heart is in the right place. She is written in a very human and realistic way, especially with how she reacts to the new supernatural things she is discovering, but also in the way she wants to find answers. She is not too eager to fully trust certain characters and she questions their motives as they hide information from her while she tries to make sense of it all. In many stories involving young characters there is an issue of making things too obvious, or too black and white, but this is certainly not the case here. We don't get too much background on the other characters, so we slowly get to know them, discovering their true aims and whether or not they are trustworthy, along with Aida.

The art is simply stunning, striking an organic balance between superhero comic aesthetics and modern-day fantasy elements. The action scenes are gorgeous and immersive, and the way magical powers are visualised is beautiful, and also very clever, especially in how certain spoken words are shown to hold power. Overall, 'The UnChosen' makes for a short but definitely fun read. It's a fresh take on the teen with special powers plot that can be enjoyed by young adult readers, but I'd honestly recommend it to any fan of the genre, regardless of age.

A big thank you to Image Comics for the advance review copy. The book is coming out on February 3, 2026.