Charmed #8
Written and illustrated by:Ruditis, Granda, Parvanov
Released by: Zenescope
We come back to the world of the Charmed sisters as they continue their battle against the mysterious unknown villain that defeated the Source of all evil. If you enjoyed the TV series then this comic series is right up your alley. If you didn’t like the TV series…you might want to stay away from this one.
In this issue we join the Charmed ones in the midst of a battle against an unknown villain and an unknown pregnant girl has died. Paige saves the baby though by orbing it out of the mother’s stomach and takes it home till his family can be found. The majority of the story focuses on Paige and her husband as they discuss the bundles of joy that currently inhabit their home and of recent events that have disrupted their world. Meanwhile the unknown woman that defeated the Source is back and about to create trouble in the real world, by unleashing demons upon San Francisco and killing the Elders. During the battle with the unknown woman Piper is thrown off the bridge and vanishes and Leo reveals that the woman is the first witch.
The artwork continues to be the failing part for this series, even with a different artist. It’s a bit more consistent in depicting human figures and surprisingly for the most part they look real. The sister’s in particular are easy to identify and look pretty much like they do in the TV show. The failing point however comes when they depict kids. For example, Paige’s babies look like some mutant type creature thing. I’m not even sure what they are, but it’s a bit creepy. The other problem continues to be the expressions. All of the characters pretty much have the same expression, which is either a stoic look or a look of surprise. No other real emotions are displayed and it makes it look like all of the characters have had Botox. It’s a bit disappointing and makes it difficult to figure out what’s going on with the characters.
The writing is over the top, which basically means it consistent with the TV show. The part that creeps me out the most though is where Paige “orbs” the baby out of the dead mother’s stomach. Even in the TV show they never went for anything quite like that. The story is also a bit difficult just to jump into. The sisters fighting some villain that’s zapping them with pink rays, but they don’t really display him…unless it’s the demon in the background on the second page. It’s really not clear though. I’m also unclear on why Whitelighters are being killed and who some of these characters are. I really wish the issue was longer to answer some of these questions.
Like the previous issues I’d recommend this issue only to fans of Charmed. The story is ok, but the artwork continues to be lacking. Unlike the other issues I can’t say I’d really want to read more issues of Charmed after reading this one.
