'Pizza Witch'
It is exactly like a comedic, far more cartoony 'Kiki's Delivery Service' and 'Doughnuts and Doom', and a not terrible version of 'Bee and PuppyCat' (the comic version, anyway, and I deeply regret buying and reading that). It is 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch' on parmesan and crack. With its LBGTQ+ ingredients to go with its foody content, as an extra pizza topping, it can be called a more entertaining and less infuriating
'Basil and Oregano'.
It's colourful, irreverent, and a lot of silly fun, and it has so much pizza! And cheese, garlic, oregano, and other food ingredients.
Witchcraft and gourmet, together at last on this cartoon adventure.
Join seventeen-year-old Roxy, a biracial lesbian witch who dreams of becoming the best pizza witch in the world (pizza is her passion and specialty), and her talking cat George, as they embark on ridiculous but no less dangerous quests, errands, and wild goose chases, to find legendary secret ingredients so Roxy can maybe become a better chef and maybe get into Magic Uni.
We have nervous, disapproving, traditional, not-awfully supportive gourmet magic parents; an abusive, lazy, narcissistic, hack fraud bum of a pizza warlock boss; his grumpy, vicious, brownnosing assistant; a girl student love interest who accompanies Roxy and George on their major secret ingredient quest; a crystal dragon; his farm witch; a crystal tomato; hungry skeletons; lots and lots of cats; a soup witch who uses divination; bees and honey; wrestling; ghouls; and a cauldron for pizza making and shielding from attacks!
It's wild and pizza-tastic!
It's the cheese! The cheesiest!
Manga stylings in the art are included, as the star-shaped pepperoni on top.
No surprise it's by the author of 'Kim Reaper', a series also containing uninhibited cartoony madness, LBGTQ+ elements, and a clowder/chowder of cats! Sarah Graley made 'Pizza Witch' with her husband Stef Purenins (I have read the definitive 2025 paperback edition, though it ends on a cliffhanger, ready for a second volume), and they own four pet cats.
Roxy is an upbeat, passionate protagonist, who flipflops on being a morning person, and is in fact very sensitive and anxious. She has an inferiority complex (other characters have this to a degree, too), and a bit of a hot temper, and she doesn't forgive easily. Her pizza magic is excellent every time she prepares it, both as food and as an offensive. She only needs a confidence boost, and belief in herself, and not to set her sights so fixatedly on the current "greatest", reputable pizza warlock/food sorcerer, and on Magic Uni.
Her cat George - old Georgie-porgy - is hilarious. He is like Salem from 'Sabrina' mixed into a cauldron with Garfield and Jake from 'Adventure Time'.
On that reference, as much as a cartoon in graphic novel form as 'Pizza Witch' is, and as child-friendly as it appears to be, however, I warn any parent who is thinking of seeking it out for their young child: It is not for young children. The word "ass" is said sparingly yet liberally, and I was shocked at a panel near the beginning, in chapter 3, where two characters clearly give each other the finger. To be fair, I don't think it's been labelled a children's book anywhere, and my copy is 'RATED AGES 14+'.
It's odd, because it could have easily been an all-ages comic without the swearing, and I see no reason why it couldn't have been. It would have broadened the target demographic and sold a lot more, I think.
But 'Pizza Witch' is great, either way. It is an unforgettable romp, and it even gets touching, subversive, dramatic, and kind of heartbreaking at the end. I hope there is a sequel coming out!
One unexpected, nice, needed message in 'Pizza Witch': University and higher education is not always what it is cracked up to be. It is overrated, or at best it is not for everyone, and whether or not you attend is not the end of the world. It should not be a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't life choice, that wrecks your entire life. It should not be the prime step towards your future goals, nor the judge of your talents, passion, abilities, and hard work.
Now I'm hungry. I want the cheesiest pizza ever after reading 'Pizza Witch' - and I will never get tired of that title.
I haven't felt this famished after devouring a queer foody graphic novel since 'The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich', 'The Restaurant at the Edge of the World', and 'Crumble'!
Final Score: 3.5/5
It's colourful, irreverent, and a lot of silly fun, and it has so much pizza! And cheese, garlic, oregano, and other food ingredients.
Witchcraft and gourmet, together at last on this cartoon adventure.
Join seventeen-year-old Roxy, a biracial lesbian witch who dreams of becoming the best pizza witch in the world (pizza is her passion and specialty), and her talking cat George, as they embark on ridiculous but no less dangerous quests, errands, and wild goose chases, to find legendary secret ingredients so Roxy can maybe become a better chef and maybe get into Magic Uni.
We have nervous, disapproving, traditional, not-awfully supportive gourmet magic parents; an abusive, lazy, narcissistic, hack fraud bum of a pizza warlock boss; his grumpy, vicious, brownnosing assistant; a girl student love interest who accompanies Roxy and George on their major secret ingredient quest; a crystal dragon; his farm witch; a crystal tomato; hungry skeletons; lots and lots of cats; a soup witch who uses divination; bees and honey; wrestling; ghouls; and a cauldron for pizza making and shielding from attacks!
It's wild and pizza-tastic!
It's the cheese! The cheesiest!
Manga stylings in the art are included, as the star-shaped pepperoni on top.
No surprise it's by the author of 'Kim Reaper', a series also containing uninhibited cartoony madness, LBGTQ+ elements, and a clowder/chowder of cats! Sarah Graley made 'Pizza Witch' with her husband Stef Purenins (I have read the definitive 2025 paperback edition, though it ends on a cliffhanger, ready for a second volume), and they own four pet cats.
Roxy is an upbeat, passionate protagonist, who flipflops on being a morning person, and is in fact very sensitive and anxious. She has an inferiority complex (other characters have this to a degree, too), and a bit of a hot temper, and she doesn't forgive easily. Her pizza magic is excellent every time she prepares it, both as food and as an offensive. She only needs a confidence boost, and belief in herself, and not to set her sights so fixatedly on the current "greatest", reputable pizza warlock/food sorcerer, and on Magic Uni.
Her cat George - old Georgie-porgy - is hilarious. He is like Salem from 'Sabrina' mixed into a cauldron with Garfield and Jake from 'Adventure Time'.
On that reference, as much as a cartoon in graphic novel form as 'Pizza Witch' is, and as child-friendly as it appears to be, however, I warn any parent who is thinking of seeking it out for their young child: It is not for young children. The word "ass" is said sparingly yet liberally, and I was shocked at a panel near the beginning, in chapter 3, where two characters clearly give each other the finger. To be fair, I don't think it's been labelled a children's book anywhere, and my copy is 'RATED AGES 14+'.
It's odd, because it could have easily been an all-ages comic without the swearing, and I see no reason why it couldn't have been. It would have broadened the target demographic and sold a lot more, I think.
But 'Pizza Witch' is great, either way. It is an unforgettable romp, and it even gets touching, subversive, dramatic, and kind of heartbreaking at the end. I hope there is a sequel coming out!
One unexpected, nice, needed message in 'Pizza Witch': University and higher education is not always what it is cracked up to be. It is overrated, or at best it is not for everyone, and whether or not you attend is not the end of the world. It should not be a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't life choice, that wrecks your entire life. It should not be the prime step towards your future goals, nor the judge of your talents, passion, abilities, and hard work.
Now I'm hungry. I want the cheesiest pizza ever after reading 'Pizza Witch' - and I will never get tired of that title.
I haven't felt this famished after devouring a queer foody graphic novel since 'The Princess and the Grilled Cheese Sandwich', 'The Restaurant at the Edge of the World', and 'Crumble'!
Final Score: 3.5/5
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