Scarlet Witch #1

[history79]

"I've been talking to Jason Aaron about making sure that she isn’t just a female Doctor Strange. There are differences even between her and Doctor Strange so that her magic is different; I'm really making a point of stressing that there's a female energy that connects with a certain kind of magic. As a sort of shorthand, I'm calling it 'witchcraft,' but there are literally areas of dimensions that she can go to that Doctor Strange wouldn't be able to go to, because he's a man."

- James Robinson

Comments

[nyadnar17]

Between the art and the borderline misandry I find myself fairly disinterested...but then again maybe I am not the target audience.

[espanolbot]

Interesting, seems to be a grittier version of Paul Dini's Zatanna series (famous superhero/magician helps police solve occult crime).

Though the tones are vastly different.

[korvar]

"But I am more than the sum of those mistakes. I am better than that."

That sounds uncomfortably like someone who thinks they don't have to pay for their mistakes, or even think to hard about them.

[tcampbell1000]

Magical characters are a tough sell to begin with: magical characters still best known for killing the Avengers are somewhat more so.

[obsidianwolf]

So basically Robinson is adding gender essential-ism to marvel magic. No thanks I won't be reading.

[lieut_kettch]

There's always been a blurry line between where Wanda's mutation ends and her magical training begins. So this seems to say that Wanda is innately able (through her mutation) to call upon the magical energies that trained witches and wizards are also able to utiiize.

[coldfury]

I picked this up, but I wasn't particularly pleased by it. The idea that 'witchcraft' is somehow separate from normal sorcery that would be Dr. Strange's purview...

It feels like the author came up with a 'Magic is broken" storyline he wanted to run with, but then a colleague asked him "Well, if magic is broken, why isn't Dr. Strange fixing it? Why is it the Scarlet Witch who's suddenly doing it?" Struck with no answer, he decided to go with the witchcraft route.

Like... if this was a standalone indy piece I think I'd have a lot less of a problem with it. Using a modern magic adventure to as setting to examine historical and current attitudes to women is fine, but this has to sit within the confines of Marvel continuity, and then it starts to chafe.

Like if there's a Women's only witchcraft, is there a men's only Dudecraft? Why or why not? Why the retcon to chaos magic? What are her powers again, anyway? Does she have a relationship with Billy & Thomas?

This is all muddled. I know modern comics likes to keep things like 'powers' as vague as possible for the modern reader, but after the Magneto retcon and this setup I find myself with a character that has very little to do with the old Scarlet Witch, and I find myself asking why I should care about her.

[shingi70]

Actually Magic is broken Doctor Strange as well, Doc tries to cast a spell and its as if the source of magic doesn't exist anymore.

All Robinson isn't point out that Just Witchcraft is different. In his Uncanny Avengers story he proposes that while to others all magic is the same to actual users magic differs on frequencies based on type, culture, and how its preformed.

[philippos42]

Sometimes I like these Phantom Stranger / John Constantine kinds of stories. But all that stuff about female energy is making me gag.

[jekylls_salvation]

Mostly came here to read the comments. Was not disappointed.

[bradygirl_12]

Great final splash panel.

I find this interesting. Wanda is a character that has been poorly used in Marvel, and I like the notion of her on her own and helping the police with magical concerns. I'd be willing to continue with this and see where it goes.

[dr_archeville]

With this talk of "witchcraft" being woman-only, and some mystical dimensions are barred to Dr. Strange because he's a man (can he just not enter them, or is he not even aware of them?), I wonder if this series will introduce any transgender or intersex or genderfluid characters.

(I'm 99.999% sure it won't, but I can hope.)

[dr_archeville]

And since her powers now come from the High Evolutionary, did he give her the power to channel magical energies? Or did Chthon still meddle with her?

[silverhammerman]

It still feels kinda weird to me that Robinson, very much a part of comics' established old boys' club is the one writing this series which seems to be very much focused on gender issues and female empowerment. It's not so much that I think he'll bungle things, just that he's not exactly the writer I'd have expected on this series. Also, I'm still a little put out that there don't seem to be any female creators involved, given the themes, though I do know that there are a couple of female artists coming up.

Then again, good on Robinson for branching out from his usual focus.

[shadowpsykie]

i feel like with a female writer, these issues would be less heavy handed.... honestly, i feel like a woman could have taken these topics and this angle and have it come out less clunky....

[lordultimus]

So during that time when Dr. Strange was forced to use chaos magic as his primary source, he was actually a woman?

My headcanon is that Dr. Strange is perfectly capable of entering those femdimensions, it would just be incredibly rude to do so.