House of HARKNESS: Agatha Harkness Appreciation 2022

[WallStreeter]

They are basing her appearance on Kathryn Hahn, who is about 50. I see why they chose Hahn.

A 90 year old doesn’t have the physical strength to do those stunts and comic book Agatha looks like she is 100. Sure, you do have good older actors, but there certain things like stunt work you won’t see them doing over a certain age.

There are actors who get themselves into good shape in their 60s or even 70s to do physical roles, but Agatha often like over 90.

But whatever, I love her and happy she appears more frequently these days.

[Albert1981]

Since some people insist there has to be a price or cost to "magic",


Maybe the cost is not being young and beautiful?

I'm "some people". And yes, that cost would be interesting. As I've stated elsewhere, I'm against Strange being basically the only magic user in Marvel Comics having to pay a price to use his magic. That should be something ALL Marvel magic users have to deal with.

[Phoenixx9]

Welcome to the Dark Dimension!

BY MARVEL

Late this year, enter the Dark Dimension to defeat a supernatural tyrant with four extraordinary sorceresses in Sisters of Sorcery by Marsheila Rockwell from Marvel and Aconyte Books.

The next prose novel from Marvel and Aconyte's MARVEL: UNTOLD line, Sisters of Sorcery, will take you deeper into the Dark Dimension in a brand-new exhilarating mystical adventure. This novel will be available everywhere books are sold on September 6, 2022.

Thanks to our friends over at Aconyte, we're excited to share the cover reveal with you, below!



This was announced in April but Marvel's Twitter account mentioned it today. Anyone ordered it already?

Thanks for posting this! I love all 4 of these ladies!

I am so happy to see Talisman included here!

Also very interesting combo of Sorceresses!

[Confuzzled]

Welcome to the Dark Dimension!

BY MARVEL

Late this year, enter the Dark Dimension to defeat a supernatural tyrant with four extraordinary sorceresses in Sisters of Sorcery by Marsheila Rockwell from Marvel and Aconyte Books.

The next prose novel from Marvel and Aconyte's MARVEL: UNTOLD line, Sisters of Sorcery, will take you deeper into the Dark Dimension in a brand-new exhilarating mystical adventure. This novel will be available everywhere books are sold on September 6, 2022.

Thanks to our friends over at Aconyte, we're excited to share the cover reveal with you, below!



This was announced in April but Marvel's Twitter account mentioned it today. Anyone ordered it already?

Clea has as many fans as Agatha at this point? I don't think so. They've also not made her look like Theron's version.

Agatha should have been the main with her supports being Margali, Talisman and Topaz.

[DigiCom]

I'm "some people". And yes, that cost would be interesting. As I've stated elsewhere, I'm against Strange being basically the only magic user in Marvel Comics having to pay a price to use his magic. That should be something ALL Marvel magic users have to deal with.

My biggest problem with the "price of magic" business is that it's applied so inconsistently. Rather than being a global rule, even for sorcerers of the same tradition, it's a plot device for a specific character that can be safely disregarded for anyone else.

[Frontier]

Clea has as many fans as Agatha at this point? I don't think so. They've also not made her look like Theron's version.

Agatha should have been the main with her supports being Margali, Talisman and Topaz.

Well, no, they've only just introduced her into the MCU and have started to bring her out of comic book limbo and treat her like a big deal again.

[kcekada]

Agatha has TV fans -- doesn't mean it will translate into comic book fans.

I'm a big fan of both, but I will say that in the Bronze Age (70s-mid 80s), Agatha actually had a better showing than Clea -- though both were treated mostly as side characters. I don't think Clea came into her own until Stern wrote her. Even Claremont didn't elevate her in his run. Agatha had a great showing in a Fantastic Four annual drawn by George Perez. I like her as a crone. It's fine to focus on her younger days -- but I don't think the current Marvel U needs another young, beautiful sorceress -- there are plenty already.

[Albert1981]

My biggest problem with the "price of magic" business is that it's applied so inconsistently. Rather than being a global rule, even for sorcerers of the same tradition, it's a plot device for a specific character that can be safely disregarded for anyone else.

Yeah, that aspect of it sucks.

[Oberon]

Many of these prose Marvel novels have shown up at the library I work at and they circulate well. Haven't seen this one yet, but I definitely will check out.

[Oberon]

I know that annual, read it back in the day.

Likewise when Salem's Seven was in the regular series and the one about the weird robots that wanted to kidnap Franklin, I believe. Also Perez. These stories expanded both Sue's and Franklin's powers if only in new ways they were used.

But I have this head cannon about Agatha and the other inhabitants of New Salem, based on some of that. Because it seems that they all are something more than just magic user Witch types.

Years later Agatha has been likened to being around since before Atlantis sunk.

If she's not a demi-child of Eternals, or possibly Deviants (like... those odd forms that some of S's 7 can shift too or are)
than my guess is an even more lost or distance community of Inhuman types, or those who mingled with some of the actual magic types of very long ago (again... Atlantis?)

In addition to these various S7 or others, Agatha has more than one form and her long time cat Ebony (which is or isn't dead, etc) has changed forms to be much more than a cat.

[Phoenixx9]

I know that annual, read it back in the day.

Likewise when Salem's Seven was in the regular series and the one about the weird robots that wanted to kidnap Franklin, I believe. Also Perez. These stories expanded both Sue's and Franklin's powers if only in new ways they were used.

But I have this head cannon about Agatha and the other inhabitants of New Salem, based on some of that. Because it seems that they all are something more than just magic user Witch types.

Years later Agatha has been likened to being around since before Atlantis sunk.

If she's not a demi-child of Eternals, or possibly Deviants (like... those odd forms that some of S's 7 can shift too or are)
than my guess is an even more lost or distance community of Inhuman types, or those who mingled with some of the actual magic types of very long ago (again... Atlantis?)

In addition to these various S7 or others, Agatha has more than one form and her long time cat Ebony (which is or isn't dead, etc) has changed forms to be much more than a cat.

Yes, Agatha goes back a long time. She is mighty old and mighty powerful. Her history is shrouded in mystery.

Selene is also ancient and possesses magical abilities. I wonder if they are related in any way? Or if they have ever met? Perhaps long ago?

[Albert1981]

Many of these prose Marvel novels have shown up at the library I work at and they circulate well. Haven't seen this one yet, but I definitely will check out.

That's great! I got into Marvel Comics partly because of their prose novels (Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, and Daredevil). I read more novels these days than comic books. Plus, authors have to work harder to describe things if they don't have artwork and music assisting them.

[Oberon]

I remember the ones from the '70s and had a few but couldn't quite get into them. I have not tried any of them here. We have at least a dozen, about Xmen, Asgard and Doom, several each.

[Albert1981]

I remember the ones from the '70s and had a few but couldn't quite get into them. I have not tried any of them here. We have at least a dozen, about Xmen, Asgard and Doom, several each.

I know they're not for everybody, but they were sort of my "gateway drug" into the comic books. So I hope Marvel continues to publish them.

[Sutekh]

In addition to these various S7 or others, Agatha has more than one form and her long time cat Ebony (which is or isn't dead, etc) has changed forms to be much more than a cat.

My fanwank is that Ebony is not just a cat that can magically turn into a panther, but one of the 'demon cat-people' from Tigra's backstory, ostracized by his people because he traded on the fact that earthly magic-users draw power from extradimensional sources, and he *is* an extra-dimensional conduit (just like an actual demon familiar would be), and has served as a 'familiar' (hiding out as 'just a cat') for decades, and possibly even had witchly 'masters' before Agatha, since, as a demon, he doesn't age and could be quite old. He's not a spellcaster *himself,* just a power source / dimensional conduit, but he's 'seen things' and probably knows more about magic (and the magical history of the marvel universe) than some actual spellcasters...

His own people think he's dead. And if they found out otherwise, they'd be inclined to correct that oversight, so he *never* assumes a humanoid form. Small cat. Sometimes big cat.

As for Salem's Seven, Agatha's grandkids, I believe it's been established that they are all children of Nicholas Scratch (Agatha's son), capable if not particularly exceptional witches, and were bound as children to various demons (Reptilia a serpent demon, Vakume a demon of the void, Hydron a water-demon, etc.). It was never established why he'd do something like that to his seven kids, but, given what kind of dick he is, my notion is that he eventually planned on sacrificing them and absorbing the power of seven demons *and* seven lesser witches to vastly increase his own power, to bump him up to nigh-Sorcerer Supreme levels of magical aptitude and 'demon lord' levels of demony power, to become a figure on par with folk like Dormammu.

All 'cause he's a giant insecure tool with mommy issues.