SABRINA #1 is on sale Wednesday, October 8.
The Good
This is not the Sabrina you might be familiar with. It should also be noted that this is not the Sabrina you've seen in AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE. You can consider this an alternate reality version set in the 1960s.
Archie comics are usually looked at a certain way. What we're seeing is there is more to the characters than what many perceive to be the case. Just as Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is showing us in AFTERLIFE, these characters can be seen in a darker and more mature fashion. This is not a comic for kids.
Right away, you'll get a sense of the darker tone. Robert Hack does a superb job in establishing the vibe of the series in the art and colors. We get to see Sabrina just after she was born. As my daughter has a deep fondness for Sabrina, I have asked her before about Sabrina's past based on the comics she's read. Most of us know that Sabrina is a teenage witch living with her two aunts, who are also witches. I've often wondered why she was living with her aunts. What happened to her parents? Who were her parents? We get to find out the answers to these questions and more, in this version of Sabrina.
Seeing Sabrina grow up, we get enough of her story leading up to her first day of high school without it feeling too bogged down or reading like just another origin story. There's a delightful mix of Sabrina's innocence combined with the deeper darker tone that makes this more of a horror story rather than a simple coming of age one. The setting in the 60s also helps to keep it separated from AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE as well as the regular Archie comics. And it also makes it all feel that much creepier.
You also get a lot of comic for the $3.99 cover price. The main story is 28 pages and includes the five page first appearance of Sabrina along with a few pages of Robert Hack's sketches and designs for the series.
The Bad
There were a couple moments the art felt a tad inconsistent. This mainly happened with Sabrina as a teenager. In a couple panels her face wasn't as detailed as in the preceding one.
We get to see a couple of other witches from a certain town. Their appearance was a bit of a surprise and I'm not sure how that fits into the entire story here and if it's something that come into play later. It caused a tiny bit of confusion.
The Verdict
Archie Comics and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa have given us another comic that shows Archie comics are not 'just for kids.' In a darker telling, we get to find out who Sabrina Spellman is. Whether you're familiar with the character or not, you'll get a slight sinking feeling as you become immersed in this different setting and get a taste of what's to come in the rest of this ongoing series. Robert Hack's art establishes the mood from the very first page. There are a couple moments of inconsistency but the art and colors will let you know you should be prepared to be a little freaked out by this book. Forget everything you know or think you know about Archie Comics. This is a book you should keep an eye on.
Here's the preview pages:
