Sabrina has several promises to keep, but can she possibly keep them all? Plus, the series’ ongoing murder mystery plot takes a turn!
There are so many great character beats in this issue, as well as several emotional payoffs for fans who have followed Sabrina’s story to this point. It’s clear that the creative team of Kelly Thompson, Veronica Fish, Andy Fish, and Jack Morelli is ramping up for Something Wicked‘s grand finale.
In particular, the confrontation between Sabrina and Harvey has been a long time coming, and I think that Thompson completely nails their exchange. One of my issues with Harvey has been that he’s been almost too understanding at times. Here, he finally reacts in an honest fashion, and it’s strangely a relief. While it’s obviously not great for fans to see Sabrina so distraught, it is a good reminder that Harvey is more than just an ideal, normal boyfriend for her. He’s also a person with feelings. In this scene, Harvey becomes more of a well-rounded character than he has felt in a few previous issues.
The artwork from Veronica Fish and Andy Fish is yet again excellent, even in an issue that doesn’t have as many wild magic set-pieces as in previous installments. There are some really cool, moody images throughout, particularly in the first few pages. The panel where Ren stands menacingly in the shadows, his red eyes burning in the corner of the room, is a memorable image — and it even leads to a hilarious reaction from Sabrina.
Facial expressions and body language continue to be a huge selling point for this series. They sell the comedic beats so well, particularly in the scene where Sabrina has just “hurt” her ankle. Sabrina’s over-the-top whinging is made even clearer from her contorted face, and Jessa’s excited and dutiful stance when she announces she’s going to get ice is incredibly endearing. The careful character posing also makes a huge difference in the more emotional moments. During the aforementioned confrontation with Harvey, it’s clear that neither of them are saying exactly what they want to say.
Also, Jack Morelli’s lettering continues to be a delight. There are some adorably comical sound effects, and some of the other choices made by Morelli are really fun. For instance, the fancy lowercase letters in Salem’s little “hiss.” put a genuine smile on my face.
One of the things I love about this miniseries (and the preceding one) is how unpredictable it can be at times. There are a lot of ways in which this particular issue side-steps some of the more annoying tropes of stories like this, and does so while remaining true to each of the characters. A couple of family secrets are revealed between Radka and Ren, but they don’t react in the way you would expect. There’s a sense that both of them have seen too much to take anything for granted, particularly when a bizarre transformation is staring both of them in the face.
On the other hand, there are moments when it feels like both of them should be asking way more questions than they do. Sure, Sabrina seems to have this whole magic thing (kind of) in hand, but a follow-up here and there wouldn’t be completely unreasonable.
The issue ends in a tense and exciting place, but the latest “twist” in the ongoing murder mystery feels kind of obvious. However, something tells me that there’s much more to this storyline than there appears to be. We’ll find out next month, when the final issue of Something Wicked drops!
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