Scarlet Witch(2023) #1 Review

[CJStriker]

I like to keep things simple in my reviews since reviewing is not my 2nd nature, so thanks for this chance it starting to get back into it.

This book overall that can best describe it, feels like a warm cup of tea or coco what you prefer drink, calling your home for comfort and support.

The main basis of the book is the set-up of Wanda’s new magical shop which I like seeing Heroes having to hold down job/businesses of their own to make a living outside of the hero persona, which is a good showing this lesson even heroes need a way to pay the bills and make a living. But what is more heartwarming is that this is not just a Business Wanda put up to make money to help live, but it fits with both her persona of who she is magic wise in Marvel and is a store made to help customs in need, from small little books and magical items to the Major focus of help;

THE LAST DOOR!

The idea of the Last Door is a powerful one, so much of our world needs help and usually & sadly has no one to turn too. Wanda making not only a sanctuary for the Hopeless, but a place to take and be heard is such a warming feeling in a world that seems at times, including the Marvel world, not to care about people’s seeming small problems compared to the bigger picture.

The book even lays this out well, with a Big Battle at the start with a ship full of wealth elites with too much time on their hand to worship some short of Cthulhu like science worship, to a Lady from Italy in search of help cause her wife & town are under direst. Wanda is a character of amazing power but is bringing it down to a more human level while still doing some of the big superhero things, it shows it in this 1st issue as a more human and personal, that is a good way to start a premise of a book that is Right their with with Wanda’s character!

This works for Wanda well and I like how Orlando executes Wanda’s persona in this venture of hers, he hits the sweet right tone with her and her desire to do this to help all people in the way her trial tested her in the past, now she wants to give hope to the hopeless.

Overall, this was a Heartwarming but empowering book in both its big but small ways that make it work, it can speak to many fans on different level personally like Wanda has spoken to many recently in her MCU projects.

A heartwarming and supportive in the right ways 1st start for our Wanda!

[the illustrious mr. kenway]

It's a great first issue and I'm looking forward to what happens next.

[Steroid]

This was the first time I can say I loved a Steve Orlando comic. Really happy with how Wanda was portrayed and hoping this series gets a nice long run.

[starduck]

I loved this issue. I hope this solo lasts a long time.

[Dante Milton]

I'm kind of ambivalent about Scarlet Witch, and I haven't enjoyed much of Orlando's Marvel work so far, but I decided to give this a shot after seeing the gorgeous preview art and getting excited about upcoming guests. I'm glad I did, it was a good first issue. It established the basic premise well and succinctly while laying the ground for a couple of longer stories, it portrays Wanda heroically while acknowledging her past, and the dynamic between her and Pietro was very good. The mystical aspects are also interesting, I like the way Orlando writes about magic as an act of balance. I liked the scene with the Corruptor making her remember her mistakes and how Wanda accepted them as a part of her history, but did not allow herself to be paralyzed by them or defined solely by them. As I mentioned, Pichelli's art was beautiful, and Wilson's colors were a wonderful compliment. I'm really looking forward to the Polaris issue.

I do have some concerns though. The premise easily lends itself to a monster of the week format, and that can get old fast. Orlando teased a couple of long form stories, but they don't feel terribly substantial right now. I'm hoping that there is a overarching story being built to tie it all together and make it feel less episodic. Another issue is that while I think Wanda is written well here, there is a tendency to write powerful women as sort of sainted figures above negative emotions, especially anger (writers do this with Jean Grey often). I'm hoping that Orlando allows her to feel human with a full range of emotions, keeping in mind that anger can be negative, but it can also be productive and necessary.

[Doom'nGloom]

Really good first issue. Loved how it felt big and small scaled at the same time.

[Devaishwarya]

I have to admit as much as I was looking forward to this, I was concerned that we might be getting Marauders Orlando...which is a landfill clusterfuck all around.
Thankfully...we didn't get that Orlando.

This was engaging, interesting, and surprisingly fresh and new for the Character(s). And most of all, this story and the art was clear and to the point.
A really good first issue read.

[GenericUsername]

I like the Emporium concept. I hope it sticks around. It suits Wanda to help those with unique magic problems. I laughed at the, "Apologies for my Italian, I learned it from a demon part." I think she really knew many languages before seeing demons, but now concept in my mind that there was something there in Transia before she left it the first time, lol.

[Witchfan]

Do you think that this will sell better than Captain Marvel?

[The Negative Zone]

I thought it was okay. Not very exciting just sort of setup stuff. Interesting premise just wish the action was a bit more exciting. I wanted to pick this up after becoming a fan of Wanda from reading classic Avengers stuff.

[Shadowcat]

My official review for the first issue. A solid 8.4!

https://comic-watch.com/comic-book-r...ut-and-grab-ya

[Galerion]

I'm kind of ambivalent about Scarlet Witch, and I haven't enjoyed much of Orlando's Marvel work so far, but I decided to give this a shot after seeing the gorgeous preview art and getting excited about upcoming guests. I'm glad I did, it was a good first issue. It established the basic premise well and succinctly while laying the ground for a couple of longer stories, it portrays Wanda heroically while acknowledging her past, and the dynamic between her and Pietro was very good. The mystical aspects are also interesting, I like the way Orlando writes about magic as an act of balance. I liked the scene with the Corruptor making her remember her mistakes and how Wanda accepted them as a part of her history, but did not allow herself to be paralyzed by them or defined solely by them. As I mentioned, Pichelli's art was beautiful, and Wilson's colors were a wonderful compliment. I'm really looking forward to the Polaris issue.

I do have some concerns though. The premise easily lends itself to a monster of the week format, and that can get old fast. Orlando teased a couple of long form stories, but they don't feel terribly substantial right now. I'm hoping that there is a overarching story being built to tie it all together and make it feel less episodic. Another issue is that while I think Wanda is written well here, there is a tendency to write powerful women as sort of sainted figures above negative emotions, especially anger (writers do this with Jean Grey often). I'm hoping that Orlando allows her to feel human with a full range of emotions, keeping in mind that anger can be negative, but it can also be productive and necessary.

I see what you are getting at but I feel the way she dealt with Corruptor already showed that she isn't necessarily a saint. There are many other ways she could have resolved the situation but she specifically choose to do it the way she did and his fate is neither in her hand nor is it a concern of hers anymore.

Do you think that this will sell better than Captain Marvel?

Don't feel like making this stuff into a competition but I see no reason it shouldn't. From what we as non-insiders can see it does very well.

[GenericUsername]

I don't think Orlando is going for sainthood or he wouldn't have brought up Wanda's past mistakes. Wanda has had periods of time in her career where she's been seen as not corruptable or level-headed, and then of course times of possession and such. She's never been a perfect character and that's what makes her interesting. She will do things like encase a bad guy in stone and give his victims the choice of setting him free, or choking them out sith style. She is capable of moments of anger and exacting justice in the way she sees fit.

[CJStriker]

I see what you are getting at but I feel the way she dealt with Corruptor already showed that she isn't necessarily a saint. There are many other ways she could have resolved the situation but she specifically choose to do it the way she did and his fate is neither in her hand nor is it a concern of hers anymore.

Don't feel like making this stuff into a competition but I see no reason it shouldn't. From what we as non-insiders can see it does very well.

I don't think Orlando is going for sainthood or he wouldn't have brought up Wanda's past mistakes. Wanda has had periods of time in her career where she's been seen as not corruptable or level-headed, and then of course times of possession and such. She's never been a perfect character and that's what makes her interesting. She will do things like encase a bad guy in stone and give his victims the choice of setting him free, or choking them out sith style. She is capable of moments of anger and exacting justice in the way she sees fit.

There are many moments in this book I have thought about again and again, it really has so much to chew on which refreshing good for any comic to have many details in each page that make you think and read it again to figure out their deeper meanings.

This part I have been pondering this part too, with that I find it more fascinating than I originally thought.

When you get down to the basics, one of the many cores of Superhero comics is beating up bad guys and solving problems regular people cannot solve. What the Stone moment is saying to me now is a few things. It is stopping a bad guy by not just a fist fight like usual (really beating up a bad guy can be brutal if not done right, that is why it is good when Superheroes try to find other ways to stop bad guys too that don’t lead to as much violence & subdue their rampages like what happen here), but by subduing them, in turn taking them out of action without much bloodshed or beating up needed. Even more, It subdues them while taking their pride & power away that in this case they commanded so Malice over innocent people, bringing them down a peg. It in turn solves another major problem, freeing the town from its control without causing more damage or others getting hurt in a fight.

Finally, the nature of the Stone subduing, people can play an active role in solving what has happened to them and learn from the events that have transpired. It is easy to give into vengeance, they have allot of rights to be angry with what happen, but Wanda takes Teach a Peron to Fish moment, saying that yes, they have the power to decide his faith, but the faith should be of their better nature and not of their worst like he brought out of them. It was honest, a powerful lesson on letting regular people being impowered to be part of solving a situation but learning why it is best to take the right road, not the easy or vengeful one.

In all is seemed the Stone moment seemed a little surprising at 1st, but it had more levels of non-violent conclusions, solving multiple problems and in a power lesson to show people to empower themselves to do the right thing & not become like the one the hurt them.

These as well as much of the book had these deep moments deeper then orginally thought of in the book that get worth going over again and exploring, one of the many reasons I think more & more this book is more of a Marvelous book then it already was.

[tsaimelemoni]

As a first issue there's a lot that needed to be accomplished: staking out Wanda's character for both new readers and longtime fans, establish at least some of the spring cast, and set up a couple of threads to explore (the last door, this mysterious stone).

Orlando did a lot of heavy lifting; though the issue was a bit slow in parts, it left me engaged enough to stick around. And Pichelli on art is magnificent