Review by Kerey McKenna
Next up for a Swag Bag Review is The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina No. 1 appropriately hitting comic book stores for Halloween 2014. After last year’s debut of Afterlife with Archie, in which America’s favorite teenager and the Riverdale gang fight their way out of the a zombie apocalypse, we see the more mature occult treatment given to Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Set in the 1960’s (the decade that Sabrina stories first appeared in Archie Comics) the story takes its cues more from its horror contemporaries in the 60’s and 70’s like Rosemary’s Baby, The Little Girl that Lives Down the Lane and Dark Shadows than sit-com contemporaries Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie. While Sabrina herself is a lovely (dare I say, ENCHANTING) young witch, her origins as laid out here are a macabre tale of Faustian deals and double crosses.
With great artwork (the color scheme predominantly in the “Halloween Colors” of black, orange and white) and writing reminiscent of the creepiest pre-code Tales from the Crypt stories, this was certainly a treat to receive in the swag bag this year. In contrast to the action packed survival horror of Afterlife with Archie this book is taking its time brewing up a cauldron of horrors on a slow simmer that will pay off later.
The title is rated TEEN. So not the thing for very young readers who know Sabrina through her animated TV series or re-runs of the Melissa Joan Heart sit-com. But certainly worth a look if the premise of Sabrina the Teenage Witch by way of Roger Corman holds any intrigue for you.
Kerey McKenna is an avid comic book fan residing in Massachusetts. He delves into both the new releases rack and the bargain bin in search of interesting fare.
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