Plenty of Magic: The Gathering players have never set foot in the comics aisle of their local shop, and that's a completely normal way to enjoy the game. Cards, flavor text, and the occasional story article on Wizards' site are usually enough.
Untold Stories—Liliana is the kind of release that might actually change that, at least for one afternoon in October. It's a short, self-contained entry point built around a character most MTG players already care about, which lowers the usual barrier to trying comics for the first time.
This guide is written specifically for card players weighing whether four issues and roughly twenty dollars is worth spending on a format you don't normally read.
We'll cover what makes this a good first comic, what might not land for you, and the smartest way to try it without overcommitting.
Unlike jumping into an ongoing superhero universe with decades of continuity, Untold Stories—Liliana is a self-contained four-issue story about a character you likely already understand. You don't need any comics background to follow it — you need Magic lore, which you probably already have.
That self-contained structure is also why Dark Horse built the whole Untold Stories line this way: each miniseries focuses on one planeswalker's specific story, with a clear beginning and end.
Part of what makes a first comic intimidating is not knowing who to root for or why anything matters. That's not a problem here — if you know Liliana's cards, you already know she's trying to free herself from a demonic pact, and you already know Innistrad is a plane crawling with undead and gothic horror.
Walking in with that context means you can focus on enjoying the art and pacing instead of catching up on who everyone is.
A planeswalker card gives you a name, a mana cost, and a few lines of flavor text at most. A four-issue comic gives you roughly 128 pages of actual scenes, dialogue, and visual storytelling dedicated entirely to one character's arc.
If you've ever wanted more than a two-sentence glimpse into why Liliana does what she does, this is a genuinely different and deeper way to get it than anything a card can offer.
If your interest in Magic is purely mechanical — deckbuilding, tournament results, the numbers on the card — a character-driven comic might simply not be for you, and that's a fair place to land. The story is the entire product here; there's no gameplay content or new card previews packed into the issues.
It's worth being honest with yourself about which kind of Magic fan you are before spending money on four issues of narrative fiction.
At $4.99 for issue #1, trying the first chapter costs less than a single booster pack, which makes it one of the lowest-risk ways to sample comics as a format. If issue #1 doesn't grab you, you're not out much, and if it does, you've got three more issues to look forward to.
That low entry cost is exactly why issue #1 of any miniseries is the right place for a curious card player to start, rather than jumping into a longer-running ongoing series.
Local comic shops are the primary market for single issues like this one, and preordering through one guarantees you get a copy on release day rather than hoping for leftover stock. Most shops will also help a first-time buyer figure out which cover they're actually getting.
If you're buying your first-ever single issue, ask the shop how bagging and boarding works — it's a different system from anything you're used to with cards.
Untold Stories—Liliana is the third entry in Dark Horse's planeswalker-focused line, following Untold Stories—Elspeth and Untold Stories—Jace. If the format works for you, both of those earlier minis are already fully released and collected, giving you a backlog to explore rather than a long wait for more.
That makes this a rare case where trying a new format comes with an instant library attached, instead of waiting months for a second entry to catch up to.
Before you go further, it is worth keeping a couple of essentials on hand: EVORETRO Magnetic Deck Box and EVORETRO Top Loader Binder 3x3 both help keep this collection in solid shape long-term.
No, familiarity with Liliana's Magic lore is the more useful background to have.
No, it's a standalone narrative story, not a card preview product.
$4.99 for a standard single issue.
Yes, its self-contained four-issue structure makes it a low-commitment entry point.
Whether you're adding comics to your collection or sticking to cards, keep your Magic decks organized with a magnetic deck box from EVORETRO's Magic the Gathering Collection.
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