“T” is for treat, as in this is an absolute treat.
Creative Staff:
Story: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art and Colors: Robert Hack
Letters: Jack Morelli
What They Say:
The ongoing series continues! “Familiars” is the perfect jumping-on point for the critically acclaimed horror hit Sabrina! Every witch needs a familiar, and through the ages, Salem has faithfully fulfilled his duties to Sabrina. This chapter lifts back the cloak of time to reveal the dark history of how Salem came to be and serve his master. For TEEN+ readers.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Stephen King likes to say that writing is a seduction. I prefer to think of it as an enchantment. I suppose the two amount to the same thing, but I prefer “enchantment” because it hints at the magic of writing. You put someone under your spell and take them on a journey. As odd as it is to say about a story dealing with the Devil, the Salem Witch Trials, and other nasty things, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is both enchanting and enchanted, full of wonderful literary allusions, excellent characterization, and a mastery of atmosphere and purpose.
Issue six serves as the perfect jumping-on point, and if you haven’t checked this comic out, do so now, because it’s just going to get better. It serves as a pivot-point between the first story arc, “The Crucible” and the second, “Witch War,” and it takes a moment to tell the origin of Sabrina’s familiar, the cat Salem.
That’s a little misleading, though, because first we get treated to the origin of Ambrose’s familiars, the cobras Nag and Nagiana, who were once Indian royalty, but through their greed and the connivance of their palace sorcerer, were transformed into snakes. They tell their story as payment for Salem’s, and the two—perhaps unsurprisingly—turn out to be quite similar: both the cobras and the cat wanted more, and paid the price for it.
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa weaves his spell immediately, first providing us with the dictionary definition of “familiar” and then adopting a style that’s somewhere between children’s story and old-time folktale:
“ ‘H’ is for House. There is a house across from the cemetery.”
“ ‘M’ is for Mouse. There is a mouse in the house.”
“ ‘C’ is for Cat. There is a cat in the house. That looks at the mouse. That is looking for food.”
“ ‘C’ is also for Cobra.”
The juxtaposition of style and content weave a particular spell on the reader, making them think of stories that are both old and timeless, lulling them into a false sense of security, as if swaddling them in a blanket of words, only to have that blanket ripped away by violence. This serves as the pattern of both the stories being told here. The prince and princess and the man who would be a cat began in positions of relative safety, but like the mouse, wanted too much, and paid for their greed.
What makes the writing even more enchanting, though, is the way that the comic positions itself within the horror genre. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina has done this from issue one, but I’m always impressed by Aguirre-Sacasa’s breadth of knowledge of the genre and the facility with which he integrates allusions into his script. I won’t spoil anything, but this story pays homage to a certain British writer with an affinity for India, a story about a severed simian appendage, the historical and fictional Salem Witch Trials, and a recent horror movie set during that period. That’s quite a bit, and it’s impressive how seamlessly Aguirre-Sacasa utilizes these stories and characters in his story without allowing them to overwhelm the reader or coming off as attention seeking. This isn’t a writer going “Look at me and all the things I know!” This is a writer who genuinely loves literature and understands the magic behind it.
There is a definite magic to the art, as well. I’ve written at length about how impressed I am with Robert Hack’s work and how well-suited his style is for this story. It has a slightly rough by-hand quality that fits the content, the atmosphere, and the timeframe, and it’s just plain great to look at; however, this issue showcases just how good he is at drawing characters. He’s always been great when it comes to human characters, but the way that he can make nonhuman animals emote in a way that’s realistic and understand but doesn’t lapse into cartoonish exaggeration is excellent. For some reason, I’m particularly drawn to one panel. It’s the last panel on page five, right before we get to the cobra’s flashback. The cobras (mouths red with mouse blood) begin their story, and there’s a subtle, enigmatic, but very human quality to their faces—for lack of a better word—that fascinates me, and I hate snakes. Quite frankly, if an artist can make me identify with a snake, then they are doing their job right.
In Summary:
“S” is for Sabrina, the teenage witch, and “E” is for excellent, the quality of this comic. The level of intelligence and craft that goes into each issue of this comic is amazing, and it functions on so many levels without becoming too self-aware or aggrandizing. Readers can enjoy this simply as a well-crafted story, or they can dive in deeper and enjoy the skein of literary and historical allusions. “D” is for Dr. Josh, who gives this an….
Grade: A+
Age Rating: Teen +
Released By: Archie Comics
Release Date: 13 July 2016
MSRP: $4.99
