Sorcerer Supreme #1
Author : Steve Orlando
Artist : Bernard Chang
Colourist : Ruth Redmond
Stephen Strange is missing, Doctor Doom has lost everything, and there is a new Sorcerer Supreme on the block: Wanda Maximoff, also known as the Scarlet Witch. She has taken up residence in the Sanctum Sanctorum and she is looking to redefine magic, power, and the role of the Sorcerer Supreme.
This first issue sets up the relationships of Wanda, both ally and enemy, giving us an idea of what characters will be involved to help carve out the story of the Scarlet Witch. This issue also suggests that Marvel is creating a miniature magic universe, with references to Doctor Strange and Wiccan. Steve Orlando gives the reader exactly what a first issue needs. He explains what has happened, how we arrived at this point, who the heroes are fighting, and why the character is motivated to do what she is doing.
OP Opening : Issue #1 Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Magical Meta
As a first-time reader of a Scarlet Witch title, I was excited to be introduced to the hero herself, the characters involved, and where this story would take me. Steve Orlando manages to do just that with his written dialogue for Wanda. Instantly, I was able to understand how confident she is in her abilities and how much control she has over her powers. This level of control has not always been the case, as seen in storylines such as House of M. The power level of Wanda is on full display as she takes on Dormammu in the first pages of this issue.
As a reader, I was impressed with this brief but beautiful bout. The artwork from Bernard Chang and Marcelo Redmond made this battle feel grand, albeit short. It establishes the abilities of Wanda and the levels she can reach. I have known how powerful Wanda is, and this reaffirms that she can take on and vanquish god-level mystic entities. The dialogue from Steve Orlando portrays to me that Wanda knows who she is and that she is not a copy of Stephen Strange. She will set her own path as the new Sorceress Supreme.
Magical Cast of Characters
After a fun and colorful opening, we are introduced to a whole host of characters that will help shape the story of the Scarlet Witch. First, we meet Darcy and Eli, two employees of Wanda who will help her run the magical shop known as the Emporium. There was not much context regarding who these characters are or what the purpose of the Emporium shop is. As a first-time reader, that posed a little bit of an issue. However, what was very cool was the way in which the dialogue of Steve Orlando makes every single character feel like an individual. The dialogue of Darcy comes across as nonchalant because she is a friend of Wanda, whereas Eli is presented as nervous and in awe of meeting our Mistress of Chaos.
That is a really cool element of this first issue: the ability of Orlando to make every character involved feel distinct. As a first-time reader, it helped me to understand the personality of everyone, which kept each conversation fresh and engaging.
Whose House?
After being introduced to "normal" characters, we are presented with the magical meat on the bone of this issue. The esteemed ally of Doctor Strange, Wong, is not best pleased that Wanda has not only taken the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme but has also moved into his former home. Steve Orlando also answers a question that we have all been thinking: how was Wanda chosen to be the Sorcerer Supreme? The short answer is that she was not.
I liked the change of pace from Orlando here. Although as a reader I was enjoying a nice introduction to this story, I felt a bit rudderless, as if I were just floating across a pleasant magical sea. Now we are into the thick of things, and I feel it is the crest of a supreme tsunami. Orlando does a good job of setting out the narrative of the first arc in this story. Wanda has become the Sorceress Supreme, but she was not chosen. Therefore, she will have to prove to Wong, the Vishanti, and us as the reader that she is the best person for this monumental role.
The friction between Wong and Wanda is very well written. It made me feel as if I were watching a verbal tennis match between two excellent and very witty mages. With the feelings of Wong made clear, Wanda introduces her Chosen Counsel to the reader.
The counsel of Wanda is comprised of the following individuals: Somnus, the King of Dreams; Tommy, also known as Speed, who is the son of Wanda; and Billy, also known as Wiccan, who is the other son of Wanda. The group also includes Amaranth, the daughter of witchcraft and chaos, and Clea, who is a sorceress in her own right and the wife of Stephen Strange. Lastly, there is Chthon, an ancient Elder God of chaos and dark magic.
Chthon is the most important member of the counsel because he is a very powerful character in the Marvel universe who can shape entire realities. However, Wanda has managed to trap him in a raw pocket universe she has created for him, where he can do as he pleases.
This writing from Orlando reinforces how powerful of a mage Wanda is—first she banished Dormammu with ease, and now she’s trapped another Elder God with her powers. As a reader, this is telling me that Wanda is a real bad ass.
Overpowered Action
Steve Orlando has sown the seeds of this story arc. Wanda was not chosen as the Sorceress Supreme; she became the titleholder herself. He provides much-needed context on how this happened as a consequence of Doom giving up everything, including the Cloak of Levitation and the Eye of Agamotto. These magical artifacts were abandoned by Doom to save his goddaughter, meaning that they were now the property of nobody. They called out, Wanda heard them, and she saved them from annihilation by the Living Tribunal. All of this makes sense to me as a reader, and I am buying into the story that Orlando is telling me.
This is when The Vishanti gets involved, and become the third major entity to challenge Wanda in this first issue. We’ve seen her takedown Dormammu, imprison Chthon, and now she’s up against the entity that chooses the successor to Doctor Strange. The dialogue is back and forth, which gives this battle intensity and an enormity that makes this feel important to me as a reader. That coupled with the tremendous artwork makes this fight feel like a major showdown between two magical forces.
The issue I have is that Wanda, once again is able to banish The Vishanti with her magical powers—in this case it’s to protect the Cloak and Eye of Agamotto, because they have chosen her. However, Orlando has now put Wanda on a level of power that will make it hard for me as a reader to feel any peril for her. Surely, she’ll be able to beat all on comers with her magic, combined with The Vestments, making her nearly unstoppable.
The ending of this issue compiles the feel that Wanda is overpowered, because The Vishanti chooses Agatha Harkness as their champion to defeat Wanda for the title Sorcerer Supreme. With the aforementioned victories I’ve already seen Wanda have, I’m struggling to understand how Agatha will be a worthy foe—unless Orlando goes down the alley of one my favourite shows off all time; Dragon Ball Z, and we get some insane power ups during this fight.
Spelling With Art
Bernard Chang and Ruth Redmond did a fantastic job of bringing the magic out of this issue with their dramatic scenes. Wanda has a new look with an updated outfit, making her look more of a fit for the new role she has as Sorceress Supreme. I mentioned how Orlando made every character feel unique with their dialogue, and Chang & Redmond bring that to life. Chang’s drawing of the character’s eyes and mouths really help bring out the emotion that they are feeling during their dialogue—as a reader it helped me feel the moments within those panels, with close ups of each of the characters it made me feel like they were talking to me directly.
Wanda is often drawn from the viewpoint of her feet up, looking up at her, you feel how powerful she is, how in control she is and it helps her command every scene she is in—making her feel like the true main character she is. Her expressions also illustrate the feeling of calm and control; she is never seen to be in peril or flustered with what obstacles she meets.
My favourite panel is where we see Wanda explaining how she saved The Vestments—Chang draws her with thick powerful lines, which show off her dominance in the magical realm. The colouring from Redmond makes Wanda look larger than life; the reds from her costume contrast with the blurred mystical backdrop—showing off Wanda and her new magical allies—the Cloak and Eye of Agamotto.
Conclusion & Rating
As a totally new reader to the character of Wanda, I was impressed with how Steve Orlando has started to shape this story. It is an archetypal story where she will have to prove herself fit for the role to her many doubters, but the cast of supporting characters, the magical mayhem, and the potential development of the character of Wanda make this a fun and intriguing story to read.
The only downside was her instant overpowering of Elder Gods and eternal entities. This could make it difficult for Orlando to create real danger for Wanda, but that itself will be interesting to watch. Every hero needs to meet their equal to create a compelling narrative. With the start provided by Orlando and the artwork of Bernard Chang and Marcelo Redmond, I am one who hopes a great story will be told. Not to mention, this will have ties with Doctor Strange and the consequences of the One World Under Doom arc that has been told.