Wanda’s new home in upstate New York has weathered more than a few storms. But things are about to get apocalyptic for the Scarlet Witch. Your Major Spoilers review of Scarlet Witch #1 from Marvel Comics awaits!

SCARLET WITCH #1

Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Jacopo Camagni
Colorist: Frank William
Letterer: VC’s Ariana Maher
Editor: Alanna Smith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: June 12, 2024

Previously in Scarlet Witch: The Scarlet Witch has carved out a haven for herself in upstate New York, but it’s all about to go up in flames. Wanda’s newfound peace has drawn the wrath of a primal force unlike anything she’s ever faced before, and it won’t stop until it razes Wanda’s world to the ground. It’s a clash of titans as Wanda and her allies fight for all she holds dear! What happens when an unstoppable force meets the end of all things?

A SWARM OF ENDLINGS

Things have been going pretty well for Wanda and the town of Lotkill, even taking into account recent attacks by The Wizard, a clash with Agatha Harkness, and a whole lot of drama with twin brother Pietro and adoptive dad, Magneto. It’s a bad omen that this issue starts with Wanda communing with Chthon, the elder god whose essence she has trapped within her soul. Her new appraiser and colleague, Mantor the Magician, is picking up a little of the slack at the Emporium, but when the sky rips open with a terrible roar, it’s clearly a job for the Scarlet Witch. But the creatures that swarm out of the rift are immune to her most powerful spells, and even the wards on her business won’t hold against their attacks. Mantor falls in battle, Darcy falls into the Dark Dimension, and Wanda herself is felled by The Griever At The End Of All Things.

R.I.P.: MANTOR

It’s a real bummer of an issue, but one that feels more important after fifteen issues of The Scarlet Witch kicking butt across the magical realms. Of course, the last four chapters of this story were actually presented under the title The Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, even though they continued directly from Scarlet Witch Volume Three and lead straight into this issue, something feels… off? Maybe it’s the part of my brain that wants a number one issue to be an actual introduction, or maybe it’s just the fact that Wanda’s fall is so sudden, so violent, and so complete that having this be called a number one feels a bit like an insult. Either way, even though Orlando’s script is solid, it’s bothersome. This issue features art by Jacopo Camagni, whose work is very interesting, but not quite as detailed as the last volume’s art. It’s still well-crafted (the sequence of Endling monsters crashing down from the sky is amazing), but with a lessened range of expression, I feel less of a connection to Wanda, Darcy, and company.

BOTTOM LINE: AN ISSUE OF NUMBERING

In short, Scarlet Witch #1 is an enjoyable comic with a lot going for it, with its biggest pain points being how it compares to the previous volume of Scarlet Witch, something that could have been avoided, at least in part, if it weren’t a #1, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. If everything in this issue is what it appears to be, the next couple of issues should be quite a show.

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SCARLET WITCH #1

70%

70%

Hate The Numbering

It's a well-written issue with interesting art, but having it be a number one just feels wrong, and affects my enjoyment just enough to be a problem.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  6
• Coloring

  7
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0