From time to time, the Scarlet Witch doesn’t just cast a new spell. She gets an entire redefinition. This fate befalls Wanda Maximoff because of many things beyond her control, like crossovers, trademarks, and sometimes conflicts between movie studios. Thus she was once a mutant, once the daughter of Magneto, then again not, then again… it doesn’t matter. She remains a popular character without roots but with magickal powers.
For her new series, writer Steve Orlando and artist Sara Pichelli do something magical as well. “If your need is great and your hope is gone, there you will meet the Scarlet Witch.” That’s the prosaic tag for Scarlet Witch #1, and it works. That’s all you need to know now about the character, and good thing because I’ve lost track. If this is a redefinition in the wake of newer fans uncomfortable with Wanda’s fate in the MCU, it’s a good one. It’s simple. It’s straightforward. Though I have little hope that it will go many issues without some major event interfering, this first issue is powerful and charming. No vexing, just hexing.
Wanda has opened a book and curio emporium with a mystic bent. Most of the day involves helping customers, with occasional sidesteps into fighting supervillains. In the back of the Emporium stands a special red door. If someone really needs the help of the Scarlet Witch, even if they don’t know it, they’ll walk through that door.
That’s a heck of a cool set-up.
Together Orlando and Pichelli give Wanda a new purpose, though they also remind us she still has her old brother. You don’t need to know anything about their history together. Quicksilver is still Quicksilver and to his own annoyance, not crucial to the story. Instead, Wanda welcomes Jarnette Chase, a woman living in a small town in Italy that has been overtaken by the Corruptor. There’s a larger mystery at play, but this introductory issue also works well as a reasonably self-contained story. For readers casually picking this up, that’s a good thing.
The better thing is Pichelli’s art, bolstered by inking assistance from Elisabetta D’Amico. The combination gives the panels a different look than Pichelli’s work on Miles Morales years ago. There’s plenty of action, but the characters look like real people, though many are ridiculously good-looking. Even the last page guest star looks plausible. Let’s add a special call out to artist Russell Dauterman for doing a character redesign that acknowledges the many looks Wanda has had, while being somewhat practical and nodding to creator Jack Kirby.
That last-page guest has me hooked for the next issue, but I still appreciate that this was one solid story. It could have been a one-shot to protect trademark, and it’s to our benefit that it will go on. My need is great for a cornerstone Marvel character to just have good stories told about her, without her being a catalyst for more trouble. Scarlet Witch was the best book in my stack this week, and I had some good ones.
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