Origin
Hank Medley is a Las Vegas stage magician with a unique magical ability that actually allows him to perform real magic. Hank has the ability to teleport and uses this to aid his stage performance. He performs regularly, one of his dancers is also his girlfriend Alle, he is also attached to his beloved pet Sparkles as well as close with friend, mentor and former magician Hector. Hank has his world turned upside down when the ancient and powerful sorcerer Samsun opens a portal and uses the non magical humans to power his spell relocating them to the Void realm where he was imprisoned allowing him to return to Earth. Hank and Sparkles being magical remained on Earth however Hank’s close loved ones Alle and Hector were transported to the mysterious and deadly Void realm. Hank does find aid in the form of the mysterious and attractive druid Sudana who is aware of Hank’s powers and generally well versed and knowledgable in all things magic. Sudana also have visions of magical events and has a intuition about helping Hank understand his powers and what he has to do. She sets a course to take him to met the wise and powerful Kon to help figure out how to stop the threat of Samsun and save humanity.
Hank is a bit unsure about this sudden and dramatic shift, having always preferred to keep his magical abilities hidden. Somewhat naive about magic he never really took an interest in the subject despite Hectors insistence. Hank however would also start to learn how powerful and brave he actually could be and exert himself more as far as forge a close friendship with Sudana as well as discover his long time pet Sparkles could actually speak with as much fluency and understanding as any human.
Creation
Hank Medley is an Aspen MLT published character and was created by writer Vince Hernandez and artists Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez. The character first appears in the first volume of Charismagic in the issue Charismagic #0 – The Void released in 2011. Hank is the main protagonist of the series and of the second volume as well.
Character Evolution
Hank Medley is the protagonist in the Charismagic series. Exploring the idea that the Earth has a long and varied history of magic and magical users Hank is one human with an affinity for magic with the inherent ability to teleport. The character is a Las Vegas stage magician and uses his real magical abilities to supplement and aid his on stage persona. The character has many different types of interaction with his supporting cast, his pet, his girlfriend and his mentor and a lot of his story focuses on his growing bond with fellow protagonist the druid Sudana. Where as Hank is naive to the world and history of magic, Sudana is an expert. Sudana also provides an additional romantic context to Hank’s character.
Over the course of two series Hank’s confidence in himself and his ability to survive and his belief in his powers increase as he is challenged and tested by threats, enemies and powerful magical creatures.
Major Story Arcs
High Stakes
Hank Medley is a performing Las Vegas stage magician, and doing well for himself. During one such stage performance Hank notices his old time friend and mentor Hector in the audience which startles him slightly. Visiting Hector with his girlfriend Alle, Hank is warned by his old time friend that upheaval is coming and that a dangerous sorcerer Samsun is threatening Earth. Hank jokes around at first, whether by ignorance or because its how he copes causing Hector to chide him. Later on that evening at Hank’s stage show, Hector’s warning bears fruition as during the performance the majority of Earths humans suddenly disappear. Samsun had unleashes his spell.
Sudana being infused with magic is immune to this event and continues towards finding Hank. Initially Hank was spooked by Sudana as he and Sparkles were traveling by car to find Hector, Sudana standing in the middle of the road and glowing with an ethereal jade glow. Almost crashing into her Sudana would bring the automobile to a stop. Hank is informed by Sudana of the current situation and decides to trust her and travel with her and Sparkles.
Flight Plan
Hank, Sudana and Sparkles need to get to Costa Rica so head to the Los Angeles airport in order to charter a plane. However they come across a gang of magical creatures who try to intimidate them. A fight ensures with Hank being astounded by Sparkles fighting prowess. They manage to find a plane and make way to Costa Rica where Sudana informs Hank that the power and ancient sorcerer Kon will know what to do. Hank and Sudana get to share and learn about each other during the flight. In Costa Rica they arrive outside Kon’s home with Sudana realizing something is wrong. The trio eventually encounter Dalgo, a giant black panther and also magical guardian who informs them of Kon’s defeat by the hands of Samsun and a coven of Witches. Shortly after Hector and Alle still trapped in the Void dimension manage to contact Hank and Sudana through the use of a magical portal with help from a mysterious stranger who wished to remain anonymous. Discussing what needed to be down, Hank realizes how important he was to the mission to defeat Samsun and save Kon. Despite sounding like impossible odds, with Sudana Sparkles and Dalgo the group is victorious.
Smoke and Mirrors
In the aftermath of the final battle with Samsun, a new threat emerges, when the powerful Serke capitalizes on the power vacuum left by Samsun and emerges in an effort to take over Earth. Serke has managed to use Alle and Hector, closed friends of Hank as puppets to aid his return. Sudana travels with Hank and Sparkles to learn the nature of this new threat to Earth. Speaking with Kon, Sudana learns of the gravity of the danger. Her and Hank are to travel to Las Angeles. The group must separate as Sudana and Sparkles head to a place known as the House of Illusions where they defeat some dark insectoid creatures and meet a small fairy creature Haven. Regrouping with Hank they leave for the Golden Realm to escape from Serke, Torgan and a possessed Alle and Hector who are tracking them. In the Golden Realm, the group is taken into custardy by the Golden Guardians and their ruler Sha Lux.
Powers and Abilities
Hank has magically sourced powers and abilities, primarily the ability to teleport. Hank manifested these powers when he was young and over time his ability has strengthened and grown. In order to teleport Hank must focus, and the place and range of the teleportation may depend on Hank’s knowledge, confidence and familiarity with the place or era designated. Various artifacts can aid this process as well, and Hank’s mental and emotional state can factor in as well. Hank is not limited to transporting just himself, he may also teleport himself along with others too, although non magical beings may be disorientated and there are size limits to Hank’s ability.
Hank possessing magical qualities also made him immune to Samsun’s original spell which affected all other non magical beings.