I'm nostalgic for magical girls and magical girl shows and comics from my childhood again, and one of them I'm revisiting is 'Winx Club'.
Aah the colourful, cosmic, glittery, girly, fashionable fairy goodness!'Winx Club Vol. 1: Welcome To Magix' contains no comic stories (there are three of them) I haven't read before in 'Winx Club: Magic Collection', and it's not exactly a great starting point for newcomers or nonfans. Still, as a revisit after so many years, it is something to be treasured. It is a classic 'Winx Club' time capsule product. It is colourful, vibrant, sweet, funny, silly, surprisingly thoughtful, and so darn charming. Its action and excitement are diminished, however, when we only see Bloom transform into her fairy form here (the cover is a liar).
Speaking of, Bloom is a sweetie, and creative, caring and loyal, and is no pushover. She is a determined and assertive heroine who will always fight and strive to do what is right. And you've got to love sensitive yet glamourous redheads with good taste. The comics really give Techna a much-needed edge and attitude, too. Stella, the spoiled, thoughtless diva and troublemaker fairy princess who cares not a butterfly's wings about consequences, is a strong, dynamic, dynamite presence on every pages she's in. Hooray for imperfect heroines! Sadly Musa and Flora aren't given nearly enough presence and personality in these stories. But it's early days here.
Much attention is given to the boys - the future boyfriends, the Red Fountain specialists. But not enough to take away from Bloom and the fairies of the Winx Club.
The translation from Italian in this edition is different from the future collected 'Winx Club: Magic Collection', which is interesting. One notable difference is the keeping of Prince Sky's and Brandon's switched identities, as at the beginning their true identities are not supposed to be known yet. One big continuity error I have to comment on is Bloom's relationship to Brandon (actually Sky); like at the end of one story they get on well and romantically together, and dance with each other, but the next story tells a different, um, story, where the two were awkward together, and their meeting was brief, with no dancing. They remain awkward and at odds from that point onwards. But I guess that version of them is realistic for teenagers, and more suitable, considering Sky's deceiving Bloom about who he really is. Secret keeping is awkward between teens.
'Winx Club Vol. 1: Welcome To Magix' - nice, cute, cartoony fantasy fairy comics about friendship, romance, school, fashion, evil witches, monsters, mystery, and of course, magic. It's a nostalgia trip, and a palatable addition to any 'Winx Club' fan's memorabilia.
Welcome back to the club!
Final Score: 3.5/5
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