Written by Kelly Thompson
Illustrated by Andy Fish,
Veronica Fish, Jack Morelli
Published by Archie Comics
Have I ever mentioned that I love Sabrina? The first Archie comic I ever read was an issue of Archie’s Madhouse with Sabrina. Being a Bewitched fan already, nine-year-old me thought she was wonderful and just SO cute!
Then came the cartoons, her own title, Sabrina as horror host, a long-running live action sitcom, a manga series, a very dark comic book reboot, a very dark TV reboot, and now…
This one is, believe it or not, something new. On the one hand it ties in with the recently more realistic Archie Comics but then it really isn’t quite as realistic as they’ve been. It’s definitely not as silly as the old-school versions of the character, though.
And school is where this series thrives. Sabrina is the new girl in town and in school and she’s at that age where she just doesn’t fit in, amplified a thousand times by the fact that she is, of course, a teenage witch.
Along with our heroine, we meet the usual mix of students—the mean girl, the bullied girl, the jock, the brain…The difference here is that no one seems to be able to be taken at face value. Stranger Things are happening. “We didn’t come here by accident, Sabrina,” says her surprisingly sexy Aunt. “Greendale is a place of historical significance and supernatural power.” You know, a Hellmouth. Like Buffy, they’re setting up future stories.
The story in the first two issues, written by Kelly (no relation) Thompson, is well-paced and a good mixture of light and dark. The artwork by Veronica and Andy Fish, while decidedly modern, brings back that “cute” look to Sabrina while capturing the moods of the script just perfectly.
Despite similarities, this isn’t Buffy and this certainly isn’t Kim Possible. No, this really is our old friend, Sabrina the perpetually teenage witch, done up magically for a new generation.
Booksteve recommends.
