Saturday, December 12, 2015

The Scarlet Witch #1


 It’s long been a shame that The Scarlet Witch has been treated so badly, since she’s one of the Marvel Universe’s first female characters - first a reluctant villain, and shortly thereafter, an Avenger.

   (Let’s see, the first Silver Age Marvel heroine would be the Invisible Girl, then the Wasp, then Marvel Girl - then the Scarlet Witch. Is the first major female villain the Enchantress?) 

   (I should add that Wanda was not intentionally a bad guy - Magneto tricked her and her brother Quicksilver into joining the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.)

   Anyway, she’s been treated badly in recent years - possessed by evil forces, driven mad, did away with mutants, caused the destruction of the Avengers (they got better) - and now she’s better and starring in a new solo comic, and it’s terribly dreary.

   It focuses on Wanda the witch as she investigates a strange murder and uncovers its mystic roots. 

   It’s all done in a dark, Vertigo-style story that’s all dark and horror-filled. Her costume has been redesigned (for the zillionth time) - it looks like something she might wear to a workout class. With a cape added. 

   I’m not sure what’s up with her signature headpiece - it’s become a red pen squiggle.

   So, grim and gritty, glum and gloomy. Wanda deserves so much better - she should be an “A”-list hero, not a second-rate Doctor Strange

   I’ll pass.

Grade: B-


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2 comments:

Kevin Findley said...

The best portrayal of Wanda in a long time was when Marvel put Waid and Perez on the Avengers. She was full of life and joy and brought out the best in her teammates.

Kevin Findley said...

Dang it, I meant Busiek and Perez, not Waid!

Then again, that was 17 years ago. Geez I'm old!