Comic Review: Scarlet Witch (2023-) #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Steve Orlando

Artist: Sara Pichelli

Inking Assistant: Elisabetta D’Amico

Color Artist: Matthew Wilson

Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit

As a comic neophyte, I feel ill-equipped for the rundown of how dirty Marvel has done Wanda Maximoff. She’s carried the burden of being the woman who killed mutants, a mantle she wears both in-universe and out, for decades. Years of cheerless X-books often featuring no more than a dozen super depressed children of tomorrow could always be traced back to a single utterance from the Scarlet Witch, though “No more mutants” was less Wanda’s master plan and more a corporate mandate as Marvel realized their Iron Man movies would be going head to head with Fox’s X-verse.

Wanda’s rehabilitation started as early as The Children’s Crusade. But instantaneous genocide is hard to wash away, even in comics. Yet the dawn of the Krakoa age brought many miracles, and Wanda has been one of them. The Trial of Magneto brought Wanda into a healthy place in the Marvel world, shedding the “pretender” curse and, after creating the heavenly Eldritch Orchard, earning a new name from her former mutant family: redeemer.

That brings us to Scarlet Witch #1. To say writer Steve Orlando, artist Sara Pichelli, and the rest of the Scarlet Witch team hit this debut issue out of the park would be an undersell. What’s perhaps most beautiful about the issue is its tone. Wanda is not a giddy, guiltless child, nor is she a woman utterly broken by her past. She’s strong, but still healing. The Scarlet Witch is unafraid of wielding her immense powers, but Wanda Maximoff is there at her side, armed with empathy and compassion.

Wanda’s mini-adventure with Jarnette Chase, an Italian woman whose town has been corrupted by –you guessed it– The Corruptor, is charming, sad, and a little creepy, a perfect aesthetic for a Scarlet Witch solo book. Orlando efficiently introduces Wanda’s new business and goal of helping those in need, the concept of the shop’s magic door, brings in Pietro along with newcomer Darcy, gives us an in-medias res action sequence followed by a self-contained story, and all in time for a most delicious cliffhanger!

Pichelli’s art is a fitting match for Wanda, who Pichelli imbues with equal shares of youthful energy and seasoned wisdom. The smokey red witch effect is beautiful and Pichelli’s sense of layouts is effortless, particularly in their use of negative space. Pages dazzle with epic magic or the grounded beauty of the Italian countryside, yet never overwhelm readers or distract from Wanda herself, the constant focal point. Matthew Wilson provides more than colors; he brings a distinct texture to Scarlet Witch, an aspect missing from so many modern books.

Scarlet Witch #1 is an enjoyable read created by people who not only understand the character of Wanda as she is but in terms of who she needs to be and where she needs to go. I can’t wait to see where they take her.