Conjure serpents, kisses, and secrets in Sabrina the Teenage Witch No. 3
By Alex Widen
Everyone Is More Than They Appear!
Sabrina herself may not care for the clash of genres, but it is this clash that makes the series so special. This isn’t a “chilling adventure;” there’s no gore, and there are ample doses of comedy here. Nor is it magically themed slapstick, either. Much as Mark Waid did on his epic three-year run on Archie, Thompson and Veronica Fish are crafting a new teenage witch for a new millennium. Sabrina is savvy enough to not be naive, yet inexperienced enough to still seem like all of this is new to her, despite her own considerable magical skills and spells. She also knows more about conjuring than school, or boys, which is easy to relate to.
Image from Archie Comics
As much as she always does on her better runs, Thompson is also quickly establishing a cast around Sabrina. While her aunts, Salem, and Harvey are franchise mainstays, everyone else is new. This is vital, as Sabrina’s cast never went as deep, or were as well known, as Archie’s. The theme of things being more than they appear to be is key for a magical series, but this story applies it in areas outside of magic too. There’s more to Radka than her angry demeanor would suggest, and she’s far from a one-note rival.
Image from Archie Comics
Speaking of more than meets the eye, Ren’s treatment here is interesting. The back cover describes him as a “bad boy” and, in theory, he’s supposed to fill that role in comparison to Harvey. He’s the Veronica to Harvey’s Betty, to make the comparison apt. Yet much like with Radka, Thompson has refused to cater to stereotypes. Yes, Ren is more confident and charismatic than Harvey is, and he went in for a kiss before asking Sabrina out, rather than vice versa. But none of this makes him “bad.” Ren delivers on witty banter, and more importantly, puts himself out there to help his friends. Just because he wears black leather and rides a motorcycle doesn’t mean he isn’t good.
Image from Archie Comics