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Review – Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches’ Road

18th May 2021

Review – Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches’ Road Publisher: Marvel Writer: James Robinson Art: Vanesa Del Rey, Marco Rudy, Steve Dillon, Chris Visions, Javier Pulido, Jordie Bellaire, Frank Martin, Vero Gandini, and Muntsa Vicente Release Dates: 2015 – 2017 Scarlet Witch has taken the world by storm these last few weeks thanks to WandaVision. Fans of her literary and live action appearances are very aware that daughter of Magneto is not perfect. She is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. She can rewrite reality with a single thought; however, she cannot control everything or everyone around her. Wanda Maximoff has committed unspeakable acts that changed the world forever. She carries guilt for those acts to this day, but must push it aside to face a looming threat. Enter the Scarlet Witch. Story Scarlet Witch Vol:1 Witches’ Road follows Wanda Maximoff’s return to fighting evil. But instead of facing purple-skinned tyrants and her technical father-in-law Ultron, she faces a silent threat. A “broken” magic is surrounding the world. Dark forces are forming at work, and old villains vie to become our hero’s new rival. The world may not want the Scarlet Witch, but she is the best they got. The five issues together follow Wanda’s trek to confront the witchcraft that permeates the globe. However, each issue can be treated as a stand-alone story as each issue puts Wanda to a completely different location and in touch with completely different people. This is what makes Scarlet Witch Vol: 1’s such a fantastic read; James Robinson gives his readers a story wherein Wanda is constantly confronting herself and the forces working against her. But by approaching the story as a loosely tethered anthology of short stories, Robinson adequately toes the line between lore-building and having fun with Wanda’s character by placing her in ever-changing circumstances. This philosophy of giving readers short stories with a beginning, middle, and end is descriptive of Scarlet Witch Vol: 1 as a whole. Previous knowledge of the Scarlet is not required. The story provides you everything you need from the get-go, and it is not a lot: Wanda Maximoff is Scarlet Witch; she has a disembodied mentor called Agatha Harkness; Wanda is living with the sins of her past and she is ready to atone for them. Readers who find their way to the end of the volume are invited to continue journeying with Wanda into Volume 2, yet Robinson’s cohesive storytelling also allows readers to stop their journey at the final page, satisfied with what they read. Art The absolute best thing about Scarlet Witch Vol: 1 is the art. Every issue contains a different illustrator’s art. Each artist uses light, shadow, color, dimension, shapes, and even panels differently. However, none are bad; in fact, it is very difficult to pick out which is best as this will depend on the reader’s preferences. This shotgun approach of having different illustrators illustrate their own issue of a 5-issue arc serves two accomplishments: 1) First, it resonates with Robinson’s loose-anthology approach to Scarlet Witch Volume: 1 in that each issue can be treated as its own short story. 2) Second, it gives readers of different artistic preferences something to like. If a reader did not like the overuse of darkness in issue #1, that’s fine because more than likely that reader will like the bright colors of issue #5. Everyone will like something. While this shotgun approach is risky for sacrificing artistic consistency, I believe the risk was well worth it as each illustrator is no doubt talented in their given style. Scarlet Witch Volume: 1 Witches’ Road is a cohesive, fun story comprised of smaller cohesive, fun stories. Scarlet Witch fans will watch Wanda grow beyond the sins of her past. New fans who only know Wanda from the MCU will be treated to a fun time and may come to respect her comic book counterpart. Come for the Scarlet Witch; stay for the eye-catching artwork. If you enjoyed our Review of Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches’ Road then leave a comment or rating below. Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc – linktr.ee/BGCPComicCon [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE

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Avengers Disassembled Review: How It Changed Marvel Forever

Review: Avengers Disassembled – The Day the Heroes Fell Publisher: Marvel Comics Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Penciller: David Finch Release Date: August 2004 – January 2005 Avengers Disassembled is infamous. Written by Brian Michael Bendis in 2004, this story arc ended the classic Avengers era. It also paved the way for the modern “New Avengers” line up. The story remains controversial. Bendis treats fan-favourite characters with brutal indifference. At the time, this caused an uproar. The repercussions shook the entire Marvel Universe. But does it hold up today? A Controversial Classic I missed this arc when it first dropped in 2004. I finally read the trade paperback ten years later. Perhaps that delay helped me enjoy it more. Fans took the destruction of their heroes personally at the time. With the benefit of hindsight, we can view it through a historical lens. We know where the characters end up. However, the book is far from perfect. I generally enjoy Brian Michael Bendis’ work. I appreciate his goal here. He wanted to strip down a bloated history. He wanted to clear the crowded roster. This allows characters to have fresh starts. It is similar to DC’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, but on a smaller scale. Unfortunately, the execution feels heavy-handed. The intention is rarely subtle. Chaos Erupts I am glad I read the collected edition. If I had waited week-to-week for single issues, I might have quit. The first few chapters offer inexplicable chaos. There is no clear explanation for the madness. However, the main title is “Chaos.” You certainly can’t accuse Marvel of false advertising. Seeing the team thrown into total disarray is fascinating. The Avengers are usually in control. They protect Earth’s citizens with confidence. Seeing them lose that control so quickly is a shock to both the characters and the reader. The problem is the pacing. Crazy events play out consecutively. There is no time to breathe. We never see the heroes process the gravity of their situation. Major characters die, yet the story breezes past them for the next big shock. This makes some of the boldest story beats feel hollow. Not for Beginners A quick word of advice: Do not start here. If you are new to Marvel comics, this is a terrible entry point. I know Marvel’s convoluted continuity well. Even I struggled to follow certain sections of this story. You need a firm grasp of pre-2004 Avengers history to truly understand the impact. The Art: Dark and Gritty I have mixed feelings about the artwork. David Finch’s pencils capture the grand scale of the story brilliantly. He shows the magnitude of destruction perfectly. However, the intimate moments suffer. The way Finch draws faces often feels out of place. It takes away from the emotional gravity of the situation. Frank D’Armata’s colors don’t always help. His style is bright and bold. I think certain scenes needed a muted palette. The garish colours clash with the darker story beats. Issues with Age Revisiting this book in the modern era reveals some flaws. Specifically, the costumes haven’t aged well. This is especially true for the female characters. We have seen shows like The Boys parody the “closet lasciviousness” of comic art. In that light, the impractical leather and spandex designs stick out like a sore thumb. The Highlight The artistic highlight comes in the finale. The surviving Avengers gather to reminisce. We get a beautiful series of two-page spreads. These show a highlight reel of the Avengers’ greatest moments. Different artists draw each flashback. We see Captain America’s revival. We see Wanda and Vision’s wedding. This savvy decision recaptures classic moments for a modern audience. It allows each artist to put their own spin on history. Final Verdict I have given Bendis’ writing a bit of a bashing in this review. Despite that, I still enjoy this book. I can’t fault the unflinching boldness of the writing. It is refreshing to see our favorite heroes out of their depth. This story had to happen. It set up the massive success of New Avengers and House of M. I understand the fan backlash. But I appreciate the guts it took to publish this. If you know your history and want to see the Avengers break, you will enjoy Avengers Disassembled. Score: 4/5