ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Sabrina the Teenage Witch : Something Wicked,’ Issue #1

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1 is published by Archie Comics, written by Kelly Thompson, with art by Veronica and Andy Fish, and letters by Jack Morelli. Trying to balance life for an average teenager is challenging enough. But when you have the world of magic as well…. things can get wicked. But it’s ok. Even if there is something strange preying on the people of Glendale because Sabrina Spellman has a handle on it. Right?

There is a lot to chew on in Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1. With old plotlines being reestablished, and some new ones introduced, the story here doesn’t have long to linger on any given moment. This ultimately holds the issue back. Most notably for Thompson’s writing.

While I’ve always enjoyed her writing as a whole, her greatest strength is in her characters, and how she plays them off of each other. There are a few shining moments where Thompson gets to show off her strengths, but unfortunately, there is so much movement in the story here no one hangs around enough for this to truly shine. The best example of her wonderful characterization comes through Sabrina’s aunts. The natural banter and playfulness they show in their scene is probably my favorite part of the book.

And while Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1 is a bit busy, it remains always clear and easy to follow. Even having never read an issue of Sabrina before, I still had no trouble following along. Characters are introduced in a way that felt natural and the town of Glendale certainly feels like a living place throughout all the scene changes. The art here was a pleasant example of some classic comic-style presentation. This surprised me, to be honest. With all the modernization that the Sabrina as a brand has gone through recently, seeing the art lean into the more classical comic style made for a lovely surprise. The quaint small-town charm is in full effect in this issue. The Fish’s do a wonderful job melding the moments of the fantastic in with the everyday.

Also present in the visuals of Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1 is some wonderful colorwork. The colors in several scenes really pop. The color contrast is very well executed, and simple one-color backgrounds are used to fully emphasize the characters. Rounding out the wonderful visuals is Morelli’s solid work on letters. Just as with the art, the lettering is full-on the classic comic. And that’s not a bad thing. It’s easy to try to get too fancy, leading to difficult-to-read text. The simply applied text boxes are always right where they feel they should be. Never clashing with the art, but augmenting the presentation.

All in all Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1 is a solid start to a new story. With all the introductions out of the way, I hope subsequent issues can bring a greater focus to the tale.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch: Something Wicked #1 is available April 1st wherever Comics are sold.