Since she first appeared in X-Men #4 (March 1964) alongside her super-speedy brother Pietro "Quicksilver" Maximoff, one Wanda Maximoff has been on a long journey. Evolving from reluctant enemy of the X-Men, to joining the Avengers as part of Cap's Kooky Quartet (at the time, such a radical revamp of a superhero team was unprecedented), to leading Force Works, Wanda has had many adventures.
As with many heroes, Wanda's journey has had many moments of triumph and torment. In the 2000s, Wanda's life would turn for the horrific. A nervous breakdown caused her to use her hex powers to disassemble the Avengers and create the House of M. These events would pass, but Wanda would remain scarred by it all. Despite this, Wanda would eventually return to the Avengers, the team that had basically become her expanded family.
Naturally, Wanda's long association with Earth's Mightiest Heroes (and her start as an X-Men villain) would have her be a part of various media adaptations of the Avengers and the Merry Mutants. Wanda would appear in the 1990s X-Men cartoon, as well as 1994's Iron Man cartoon as a member of Force Works. She would also go on to appear in the animated series Avengers: United They Stand, X-Men: Evolution, The Super Hero Squad Show, and Wolverine and the X-Men. She would most notably rise to fame in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, portrayed by Elizabeth Olsen. She portrayed the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and in the Disney+ miniseries WandaVision. She will return in the upcoming film Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.
The comic we're looking at here is the first issue of her first ongoing series. Wanda's had a couple of mini-series beforehand. In 1982, she and the Vision got a four issue miniseries called The Vision and the Scarlet Witch, written by Bill Mantlo and Rick Leonardi. They would get a second miniseries in 1985, the two got a second miniseries, with Steve Englehart writing and Richard Howell on art. In 1994, Wanda got her own four-issue solo miniseries written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, with John Higgins on pencils.
So, with that out of the way, let's look at Scarlet Witch #1!
The cover is a David Aja piece, and it's pretty awesome. You have what looks like Wanda looming over the skyline of New York City. Aja did all the covers of the series, and they're all pretty astounding. Especially since they regularly use only three colors: Red, white, and black.
"About the Death of Many Cats"
Writer: James Robinson
Penciler: Vanesa Del Rey
Inker: Vanesa Del Rey
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Cory Petit
Editors: Emily Shaw, Mark Paniccia
Editor-in-Chief: Axel Alonso
The story begins with Wanda waking up from a dream about her joining the Avengers. She looks at herself in the mirror.
Yeah, her reflection is not quite...accurate. There's a reason for that. The red-loving heroine decides to start her day with a nice cup of Joe. The best part of waking up is Folgers in your cup, after all. Someone asks Wanda if she had a bad dream. Wanda points out that there are no such things as bad dreams. Dreams are messages from the subconscious...if one cares to read them as such. So, who is Wanda discussing dreams with?
The ghost of Agatha Harkness, Wanda's old mentor back in the day. It was discovered Wanda had killed her during the events of Avengers Disassembled. Wanda believes her memory was trying to tell her something. She also senses that something out there is way off. Something is wrong with witchcraft.
The two then discuss Wanda's new digs in the city. It was expensive, but that's New York City for you. Agatha worries that being in the city may not be the best for Wanda. After all, Wanda has not always agreed with crowds. But Wanda would rather live in the city. She's got a great view.
Wanda heads out into the city. In particular, she is going to a bistro. She's not after lunch, she's investigating a crime scene. It's here she meets the cop in charge of the investigation, a Detecive Erikson.
One of the busboys had suddenly gone crazy and attacked the diners. He killed two people before he was wrestled to the ground. Gomez himself claims that he had no memory of doing it. And this was not an isolated incident. A valet attacking a banker. A maid attacking a rich woman. Wanda read about those incidents in the newspaper. She also noted that cats in Lower Manhattan are dying. Strays, pets, none are safe (She saw the corpses of two cats on the way to the bistro). Wanda believes the incidents are connected in a mystical nature.
As such, she decides to give a little history lesson.
Back in the 1730s, young Parisian apprentices massacred cats in the city, viewing them as symbols of their exploitation by their rich masters. It was seen by historians as a prelude to the French Revolution. But to Wanda and other witches, it was an act of sacrifice. The purpose was to summon a sonnellion, a magical embodiment of envy and hatred. It looks like someone wants to repeat history. Lower Manhattan is a part of the city in which the poorer and less fortunate are being driven out in favor of the rich.
The servants who attacked the wealthier people are genuinely innocent of their actions. The sonnellion is like a "hate plague", and it's spreading. In fact, Wanda senses that Detective Erikson has been infected by the sonnellion.
Detective Erikson was poor into a poor family, and had to work for everything he had. Even though he says he doesn't feel any hatred or envy of the rich, Wanda points out that he does subconciously. It's all the sonnellion needs to "infect" him. Wanda senses the sonnellion within him, and she's going to exorcise him. Thing is...it's going to be painful.
The Scarlet Witch is able to pull the demon out of him.
It's kind of appropriate that a demon associated with hate and envy is associated with the color green. Get it? Green with envy?
Alright, sorry. Being a Celtic demon, Wanda tries to use some Celtic magic to dissipate it. However, something goes wrong. Despite this, she's able to banish the monster. Later, she and Agatha discuss the events of the day. The two realize that someone, or something, is messing with witchcraft. The sonnellion's summoning was only the first strike.
Wanda realizes what the dream she had about the Avengers meant. The Avengers are in the past. Whatever this issue is, it's for her to deal with as a solo heroine, not as one of Earth's Mightiest. Agatha implies that Wanda will have to use a lot of spells, which will take a heavy toll on her. Remember when Wanda looked at her reflection earlier, and it seemed older? Yeah, there's a reason for that. But either way, Wanda must undergo this quest. Witchcraft is being attacked, and only she can save it.
This was a very good first issue. It does a great job of relating Wanda's new status quo. The comic is clearly emphasizing Wanda's connections to sorcery, which is nothing new for Wanda in the comics. She's been linked to the more mystical side of the Marvel Universe since the 1970s and the writings of Steve Englehart. Vanesa Del Ray's art gives the impression that this was drawn with chalk. It has this otherworldly vibe which I think its very well with Wanda.
If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2020 trade paperback Scarlet Witch by James Robinson: The Complete Collection. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Join me next time when the Avengers continue their battle against Kang...
