REVIEW: ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch,” Issue #1

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1, published by Archie Comics, is a new telling of Sabrina Spellman’s life in Greendale. Starting from the beginning, from writer Kelly Thompson with art from Veronica Fish and Andy Fish, and letters by Jack Morelli, this brand new series focuses on the familiar character and her life in her new town with her aunts Hilda and Zelda and pet cat/former warlock Salem.

In it, Sabrina is trying to make the best of being the new girl in town all while also having to hide her true self from everyone outside of her house. This theme has been prevalent in her other incarnations and is one that makes Sabrina so relatable for many. In a world of magic, regular mortal high schoolers are the monsters and the issue starts with Sabrina’s declaration of confidence while also taking magical measures to stomp out any difference in her appearance.

High school is hard enough but dealing with being the new girl, flirting with two potential love interests in Harvey and Ren, starting an instantaneous rivalry with Radka, and forming a new friend with Jessa, there is a lot going on for her first day. When a supernatural event happens it looks like high school might only be a fraction of the monsters entering her life.

Thompson’s dialogue is perfect. It’s young, it’s believable to each character, as well as being humorous and intentionally awkward at times. It reads like real teenagers speaking. The pacing is well done and the spells are cute and on the nose. It’s a refreshing comic to read and Thompson immediately writes Sabrina as a relatable teenager who just wants her first day to go well.

As a number one, there is no need to know anything about the previous incarnations of Sabrina, of the chilling or Melissa Joan Hart variety. In this issue, we’re introduced to our cast of characters in small but well done ways. In addition to the new story, if you were a fan of the Netflix series, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, the art is extremely accessible to existing imagery you may have.

The house and even the illustrations of Hilda and Zelda take characteristics of the show. While it isn’t exact, which is to be expected as this is its own story, it is close enough to draw in fans of the character who may not have picked up a Sabrina title before.

The colors are vibrant and where they need to be all while being dark and ominous. The balance between Sabrina’s high school life and her magical one in the opening and closing of the book is perfect. And what little we see of our monster is a horrifically great start to a magical series.

Overall, Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 is a treat. It’s light, airy, and has just enough magic to hook you into the next issue. With a wendigo making itself known, we’ll have to pick up issue number two to see how Sabrina gets out of this supernatural first day of school.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 is available wherever you get your comics.