'Sabrina The Teen-Age Witch: 60 Magical Stories' is a fun collection of 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' comics throughout the ages, past to present. Therein lie the many varying interpretations and incarnations (and incantations) of Sabrina, from 1962-2022. Sixty years, and sixty stories.
It's all just so funny, goofy, random, and charming, especially the 60s-90s 'Archie Comics' starring Sabrina. Screw morals, let's be silly and have a good laugh!And seriously, how many friends and rival girls has Sabrina had? None of them have stayed consistent. None of them have stuck*. Except Harvey. It's interesting and incredible to see how much Aunt Hilda and Aunt Zelda have changed throughout the decades, too. Salem the cat has always been the best.
I might check out the 'Sabrina' manga from the 2000s now, even though the art and the love triangle drama still bother me (but Sabrina wears the most fabulous outfits there - in fact, she always wears the the most awesome clothes - her fashion sense is as iconic as she is as a timeless character!). Included at the end are issues from the comic runs by Ryan North (for 'Archie' and its spinoffs), Kelly Thompson, and Nick Spencer, Mariko Tamaki, and Jenn St-Onge (Josie and the Pussycats are in that issue!) I also didn't know Tom DeFalco wrote for Sabrina!
I'm surprised that no issue from 'Chilling Adventures of Sabrina' is in this. Then again, she never really had any agency, nor did anything, in that series, did she? Heh.
Most bizarre: I don't think her surname, Spellman, is ever mentioned once in any of the issues in the collection. Nor are her parents. There's no mention of her being a half-mortal witch anywhere.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch is such a popular female icon. She still resonates with people, and is still loved to this day. She's like if Marilyn Monroe was a fictional teenage witch. Or, and I'm reluctant to admit this is more appropriate and likely intentional, she's like the star of 'Bewitched' for a kid and teen demographic.
For a cartoony (in more ways than one) witch, from her inception to the modern times, Sabrina remains relatable to so many girls and women everywhere. She's flawed; she's clumsy, impulsive, often selfish and thoughtless, and is juggling different selves and lives for other people - she's torn between different worlds - and we wish we could be like her, magic or not, even though her magic gets her into trouble and causes more harm than good 90% of the time! But hey, no one is perfect, and she is young. No woman should be put on an impossible, goddess-like pedestal.
For more of my fangirling, read my reviews of:
'The Magic of Sabrina the Teenage Witch'
'Sabrina the Teenage Witch (2019)'
'Sabrina: Something Wicked'
'Sabrina The Teen-Age Witch: 60 Magical Stories' - a magical recommendation by me, Artemis Crescent, the Fantasy Feminist Witch/Sorceress!
Final Score: 4/5
*Do Archie and his gang count? Do Betty and Veronica?
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