Vampires, Witches, and Teenagers
Breaking Through Supernatural Fatigue
Vampires have been a big part of supernatural television, movies, and books for a long time and not far behind them have been witches. They’ve permeated things so much that there’s been a bit of fatigue with both. Today, however, I decided to give a shot to a new TV show and a comic and at least so far I’m pleased that I did. A Discovery of Witches on AMC and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina by Archie Comics both bring a fresh look at witches and supernatural beings and perhaps they’ll push through my supernatural fatigue.
Witches and Vampires…Oh My!
The first episode of A Discovery of Witches does a pretty good job of laying out the groundwork for what the series is going to be about. The show is based on a trilogy of books by Deborah Harkness that looks at the relationship between Vampires and Witches during a time when both species are in decline. Apparently something has occurred to diminish their numbers and everyone is looking for something called The Book of Life which is rumored to be about the dawning of witchcraft and the birth of vampires. The book has the potential to save or destroy the races but no one has since it for centuries.
It just so happens that our female protagonist, Diana Bishop (Teresa Palmer), is the first person to be able to locate the book in the famed Bodleian Library at Oxford, and once she does, she becomes the center of everyone’s attention. With particular interest is Matthew Clairmont, who is played by Matthew Goode (Ozymandias from The Watchmen), who appears to be a high ranking vampire in the Oxford area. There’s definitely some chemistry between these two but this first episode is much more focused on world building.
I enjoyed the setup and the conflicts that seem to be forming at the center of the story and while I’ve been kinda tired of vampire movies I want to Watch more of this show to see where things go.
A New Witch is Born
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 The Crucible – Chapter One: Something Wicked by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Robert Hack, and Jack Morelli. Published by Archie, 2014.
This first issue starts with an origin story in so far as it begins with Sabrina’s 1st birthday. We get some background on her parents and family and watch as she grows from an infant to a teenage witch who’s working a love spell on the high school quarterback. There are some hints of the horrors that are to come in this series when we see a couple of rookie witches raise something ominous from the forest but since this is set in the 60s and we haven’t made it to Riverdale yet, there is no sign of Archie, Veronica, or Jughead to be found.
I found the art to be really cool and enjoyed Reading through the world building and even though I’m not usually on board for horror, I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes.
It’s a Wrap
Both these stories have started out well. I’m interested to see where the relationship goes between the witches and vampires in A Discovery of Witches and I have to say that I love the cinematography and locations where they’re filming this show. For the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina I’m interested in seeing how this Archie spin-off does and the wonderful watercolor art makes this a joy to read.
I’d say that my foray back into the supernatural realm of books and shows has been successful so far and I hope that continues for the next episode and issue.
Ramble #13 | Vampires, Witches, and Teenagers