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Sabrina the Teenage Witch #5 Review

Comic Books

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #5 Review

Sabrina unleashes her full power in this exciting finale!

In the final issue of the miniseries that seems to be written specifically for me, Sabrina has used her aunts’ mystic artifacts to turn herself into a literal Magical Girl, giving Salem a powerful upgrade in the process. With that, it’s time to find out what’s causing the imbalance of dark power in Greendale before the townspeople begin a whole new witch hunt!

This miniseries has done a fantastic job of ramping up to the kind of action seen in this finale. Without the fun chase scenes and touches of danger in previous issues, the fact that the first half of this issue is a full-on fight comic would feel terribly out of place with the character. Here, though, it’s earned. Sabrina embraces the tools at her disposal and uses some pretty hefty magic, all without sacrificing her ideals.

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It doesn’t hurt that the action is beautifully realized by the team of Veronica Fish and Andy Fish. It’s a smorgasbord of colors and wild transformations, with Sabrina essentially channeling her inner Sailor Moon (and a touch of Nico Minoru) to dispatch these nasty beasts.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #5 Review
Archie Comics

Sabrina remains completely relatable in the oddest ways. She has this creepy alternate life, but her ultimate concerns are universal: finding love and acceptance, making new friends, and working up the courage to stand up for yourself, even if it means getting yourself into trouble.

Kelly Thompson’s dialogue is snappy and fun. Even with the heightened circumstances and the occasional mustache-twirling villain confession, the characters end up feeling like people you’d meet in real life. Some of the best moments in this issue have nothing to do with magic goings-on, but rather involve folks just trying to be honest and open with one another. This kind of sweet realism has made this entire miniseries such a joy to read. After all, if we don’t love these characters, why are we gonna worry when an honest-to-god kraken starts chasing them?

Parts of the issue do get slightly bogged down with monologuing from the witch’s council and the (predictable) villain reveal. Some of this adds to the fun Scooby-Doo vibe of the story; still, it does dip a bit in the middle, which I won’t mind as much if we get to see some of the interesting stories these scenes appear to be teasing for the future.

Speaking of which, without going into spoiler territory, this issue sets up a brand new series for next year! Whether that’s a miniseries or an ongoing is unclear, but I’m so excited for more of this take on Sabrina. This entire miniseries has been a fun (and yes, magical) ride.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #5 Review
Sabrina the Teenage Witch #5
Is it good?
Equal parts action-packed and sweet, this is a fantastic close to this chapter of Sabrina's story! MORE, PLEASE.
The artwork, particularly in the action scenes, is gorgeous
The characters remain completely relatable and their dialogue is fun
Sets up some fun plot lines for the future without seeming too much like it's sequel-baiting
The middle of the issue gets slightly bogged down in villain monologuing
9
Great

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