Sleep deprivation is no joking matter.
Creative Staff
Series created by: Elisabetta Gnone
Art Direction: Alessandro Barbucci, Barbara Canepa
Translation/Adaptation: Linda Ghio & Stephanie Dagg at Editing Zone
(Each chapter was originally published as a standalone comic book, and like most series each book has a rotating creator list consisting of artists, colorists, letterers, etc. The book credits everyone involved, but for brevity and my own sanity I’m only noting the leads.)
What They Say
W.I.T.C.H. Part II: Nerissa’s Revenge Volume 2
Desperate to reclaim the power of the Heart of Kandrakar, Nerissa and her Knights of Vengeance put their schemes into motion, and the W.I.T.C.H. girls and their friends won’t escape unscathed… Will this be their first true failure as Guardians?
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
The summer vacation continues as this volume opens, with the girls ending their trip to the seaside and heading off back home to rejoin their individual families. For some of the girls that means a second trip to yet more exotic locations, and for Hay Lin it means meeting a new boy in town.
Yet the trouble with Narissa remains. She kidnaps Caleb when he arrives to warn Will and Cornelia about Luba causing trouble. With Cornelia once again separated from the boy she loves, the angst begins anew. Narissa regains her powers and begins to invade the dreams of the girls, wearing them down in her plot to regain the powers of the heart of Kandrakar. The girls struggle against an enemy they can’t directly confront who knows all of their powers and abilities and can strike with precision against them from afar.
While there are plenty of interesting plot developments, both in the magical and nonmagical elements of the story, the execution in this volume needed some work. Luba’s end, and redemption, comes across as too simple and the art in that particular chapter didn’t help emphasize the emotional punch that it should have. In fact, the resolution felt bizarrely paced and rushed. With such an important moment I felt the whole situation should have been given more weight. I have to put the blame on the art team for that chapter, just poor luck of the draw I guess. (I wonder how these comics were handled, probably multiple teams drawing at the same time for a chapter a month.) Pacing remains this comics major issue, that and a lack of motivation for the bad guys.
One of my larger complaints about the Oracle and the other space-time guardians is addressed in this volume. It’s been shown that they’re cagey and extremely guarded and that their own mistakes have resulted in calamity after calamity. Whatever the Oracle has foreseen he didn’t take the extra steps to correct problems when they were burgeoning. Other characters have started to call him out on this. The girls have been angry at the council for volumes, and with good reason. The fact that the Oracle erases their memories to keep them from rushing headlong into danger in the middle of this volume really shows the lack of trust he has in the guardians. Luba’s lack of trust was far more apparent, but the Oracles is no less distrustful.
The fact that the girls go out of their way to learn about the previous guardians in their search for answers is an interesting angle. The fact that poor team failed so amazingly and were essentially punished for questioning authority is pretty dark. At some point after the current situation with Narissa is resolved the council of Kandrakar is going to have a lot to answer for. For guardians of the multiverse, they suck at their job. The girls have enough to deal with, and every time they seek out answers they’re rebuffed. Their patience, and my own, are running out.
Extras for this volume include room plans for Irma and Taranee.
In Summary
A year has passed since the girls of W.I.T.C.H. have met and become the protectors of the known worlds. Yet their problems with Narissa continue, and she’s wearing the group down inch by inch. The usual infighting between teenage girls proves to be an ongoing obstacle, although the majority of the usual challenges of youth seem to be running smoothly. A rough middle chapter of this volume is a weak point which drags the entire story arc down with some poor pacing, and poorly thought out reasoning for the good guys. With the introduction of yet another possible love interest for one of the girls shoehorned into the summer break, another complication has been added for the group. Jealousy rears its head from an unlikely location, and Caleb gets to be the dude in distress once again. Now that Narissa has the heart the girls are truly up against an enemy who knows their powers better than they do.
Content Grade: B –
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: All Ages
Released By: JY (Yen Press), Disney Comics
Release Date: January 30, 2018
MSRP: $11.00 US / $14.50 CN
