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Review: SUPERNATURAL BEGINNINGS END #1

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My beginnings of watching the CW’s cult hit “SUPERNATURAL” is very bittersweet, but since Wildstorms’ newest arc in the comic book spinoff is tagged with ‘Beginnings End’ I figure now would be a good time to shamelessly tell the story. I was at home sick for 3 days with a particularly nasty case of the flu (this was back before it was being tagged with ‘bird’, ‘swine’, or any other animal names. If it had to have one though let’s go with the ‘moose’ flu) and I was on my 3rd day of sleeping in. I was in the middle of a very shocking episode of Maury when an ad for the pilot episode came on. I recognized Ackles from the campy, but entertaining ‘DEVOUR’, and so I figured “why not?”. Little did I know that that one 30 second TV spot would start a 5 year obsession with one of, in my humble opinion, TVs best chiller series ever.

‘Beginnings End’ starts off in 2001 as the Winchester clan (all 3 of the guys at this point) make their way to New York City on the heels of another lead that could find them answers into the death of Mary. Turns out a man John presumed had been killed after being shot point blank back in ’93 is back from the dead, (the dead coming back to life in Supernatural? No way, right?) and has been up to no good in the Big Apple. Sam is playing the relunctant, brooding teen in the backseat to John and Dean’s ‘gun-ho’ attitude, soured by the fact that he missed his high school graduation as a result of the hunt, and the story goes from there. Or at least starts to.

The writing itself is average at best. The main issue with this one seems to be the fact that besides the bickering between John and his second born, we really aren’t offered much of anything else. The reasoning behind the family being in New York is acceptable, as I can believe that John’s obsession to find Mary’s killer would lead him anywhere on a wild goose chase. The problem though is that John’s need to find closure always seemed like a personal crusade after the boys grew up. Maybe this was his ‘trouble letting go’ period, but at the same time it feels like Johns character is just a tad to whiney, and at times, a bit of a pushover. Even Dean is sitting on his hands in this issue, not really given much to do besides serving up a good 1 liner here and there. (I use the term ‘good’ loosely here) Truth be told that as I sit here and write this review I find myself having to pick the book up every few sentences to reread certain sections just to refresh my memory on what happened between the first 3 pages and the last. In short: it’s empty. Kind of like a bread sandwich. Or Paris Hilton.

Now obviously this one was billed for the big reveal of what happened to cause Sam to leave the family behind leading into the events of episode one, a factoid that the writers have kept a secret for nearly 5 full seasons. The answer is a confrontation between father and son that is less than impressive, and one that almost feels like a rushed product. I won’t give anything away, but what I will say is that as a fan myself I was let down big time on this one.

Art wise the story is good, and Olmos does a very good job rendering the characters onto the page. But unfortunately that is as good as this one gets. It’s not that the story is terrible, and as an episode of the TV series it might be worth catching a rerun on, but as it stands ‘SUPERNATURAL: BEGINNINGS END’ #1 spins the wheels, but doesn’t go anywhere.

3 out of 5 Skulls

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‘The Wicked Trinity’ – Preview New Archie Comics One-Shot Inspired by ‘The Craft’ [Exclusive]

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From Sabrina’s Magical World, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon that Archie Comics will be releasing brand new one-shot comic The Wicked Trinity this coming June.

You’ll be able to meet The Wicked Trinity in the 32-page comic on June 12, 2024.

In The Wicked Trinity, “Sabrina’s magical nemesis Amber Nightstone and her sidekicks, Jade Kazane and Sapphire Gill, are intent on becoming the most powerful witches in the world. Isolated from so many around them, the three have formed a coven based on their individual needs for vengeance and true freedom.

“But when there is some dissent among the ranks, their small coven is threatened to be obliterated from within.”

The Wicked Trinity features a script by Sam Maggs, art by Lisa Sterle, colors by Ellie Wright, letters by Jack Morelli, main cover by Lisa Sterle, and variant cover by Soo Lee.

Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante tells Bloody Disgusting, “When Editor-In-Chief Mike Pellerito came up with the idea of the Wicked Trinity—Amber Nightstone, Jade Kazane, and Sapphire Gill—I was immediately intrigued. I even had the good fortune to work on the script for Jade and Sapphire’s first appearance in last year’s SABRINA ANNUAL SPECTACULAR comic for younger readers. What I especially loved about these magical teens is that they could seamlessly transcend from classic-Archie stories into more mature, even horror stories. I was eager to start developing their world with a modern sensibility, taking cues from the great work of Kelly Thompson and Veronica Fish on our SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH series, and Sarah Kuhn and Carola Borelli on our recent DARKLING one-shot. Inspired by series like Charmed and films like The Craft, I knew there was so much potential to build up this coven in a story that beautifully blends magical fantasy with horror.”

Writer Sam Maggs previews, “Real witches writing real witches—that’s how we do things over at Archie Comics! I was named after a famous witch—Samantha from Bewitched—and so I grew up absolutely obsessed with everything witchcraft, devouring every book series I could about teen witches. That makes WICKED TRINITY a dream project for me. The power and energy of teen girls is absolutely unmatched (just look at the engine behind fandom culture) and being able to harness that metaphorically for a story like this is such a delight. Everything I write focuses on the power of female friendship, and this story is no exception. And what’s better than a morally grey female character? I struggle to think of anything. Cat familiars, maybe? Also, I’m totally a practicing witch now. So maybe if you read this, you’ll find yourself imbued with magical powers, too.*

Artist Lisa Sterle adds, “I can’t wait for people to be re-introduced to The Wicked Trinity! Witches, fashion, and Archie Comics; this is truly a magical trifecta and I’m so happy to have the opportunity to put my own personal stamp on this. I love to create stories in which girls find their own power, both from within themselves and through their friendships and coven. If you’re a fan of my Modern Witch tarot, you’ll find this comic just as magical.”

Exclusively check out the two covers for The Wicked Trinity one-shot comic below!

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