Monsters run amok in Sabrina the Teenage Witch No. 2
By Alex Widen
A Great Premise and a Spirited Cast Make This a Winner!
Thompson captures the spirit of Sabrina, as a girl with a rich heritage who simply doesn’t want to embody it all the time. Her aunts may be content to live as witches proudly, but they also are a bit detached from the “mortal” world beyond obligations. Sabrina is still young and sees herself as belonging to that world as much as she does the realm of magic. She’s adventurous yet inexperienced, at least in matters of the supernatural. Yet compared to “muggles,” she operates on another realm. She may be a novice with magic, but she still has to learn how to interact with people.
Image by Archie Comics
Almost as importantly, Thompson has quickly assembled a cast around Sabrina. This is a talent she displayed well in Hawkeye and makes it look effortless here. While Hilda, Zelda, Harvey, and Salem the cat have long been part of the franchise, Jessa, Radka, and Ren are new characters. It wouldn’t be surprising if Allen proves to be a misunderstood monster and joins the cast as well. In some titles, like Mr. & Mrs. X, Thompson can seem too distracted by spectacle to do this. Yet when she does, she can quickly establish an entire world that readers can dive into in just a few issues.
Image by Archie Comics
Harvey is the sweetly handsome “every man,” the cute boy next store. He’s usually been that, and Thompson wisely avoids having him be the only boy in Sabrina’s life. Ren is more dashing and clever with wordplay, yet he’s also just as morally upstanding. The premise of even Radka the “mean girl” having a secret and a potential commonality with Sabrina keeps her from being a cartoon bully, while Jessa rounds things out as that shy person who often is on the fringes. In other words, a natural for a witch’s best friend.
Image by Archie Comics