Rating: 5/5 – A Defining Moment Between Siblings Wanda & Pietro.
by ComicSpectrum EiC Bob Bretall
I reviewed issue #1 of Scarlet Witch last December and it got a 5/5 then too, with a great story by James Robinson & beautiful art by Vanessa del Rey. Since then we have had a different artist in almost every issue. In many cases I am opposed to what I’ve referred to as “revolving door art teams”, but in this case, the artist-per-issue is by creative design and not at the whim of management to churn out issues at a faster pace. The stories have been mostly self contained, and where they ran for 2 parts, the same artist did both parts. We have had, after Vanessa del Rey, a tantalizing smorgasbord of artists who have each brought something to the table with their interpretation of the Scarlet Witch: Marco Rudy, Steve Dillon/Chris Visions (for the 2-parter), Javier Pulido, Marguerite Sauvage, Annie Wu, Tula Lotay, and now in #9, Joelle Jones.
Jones does a spectacular job on art, the style and grace she brings to the page is really breathtaking. We open with Wanda doing yoga on the terrace of her Manhattan apartment and she is soon joined by her brother Pietro, aka Quicksilver. Pietro is there to recruit her to Tony Stark’s side of the Civil War II conflict, and he does not get what he wants…blind obedience from his younger sister (younger by 13 minutes, Wanda is quick to point out). As wonderful as the art is, where this book really shines is the back-and-forth dialogue between Wanda and Pietro. Robinson is a seasoned comics pro and outdoes himself here. The twins touch upon many moments in their history, from their muddled parentage to Wanda’s marriage to the Vision, to the House of M storyline (if anyone out there remembers the classic “No more Mutants” line…). Robinson also presents a really nice back-and-forth on the merits of predictive justice, which is the basis of the conflict at the heart of the Civil War II event.
If you’ve ever liked the characters Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, this is a must read issue. The debate between the siblings in this issue does a great job of illustrating the relationship between the two, both how it started out and how it evolved over time. Have you thought that Quicksilver is a jackass? Well, he is, and it’s perfectly illustrated here without coming across as heavy handed thanks to Robinson’s deft scripting. We end the issue with a moment that is sure to have repercussions down the line in any books that feature either of these characters, so grab a copy while you can. This isn’t a “big” book. No explosions or buildings falling over (though there is a bit of a physical altercation that is over pretty quickly). If you only like books with lots of super-hero action, this isn’t the one for you. If you like character development? Belly up to the bar and get a helping of Scarlet Witch #9. This has been at the top of the stack for me since issue #1 and I think it will stay there for the remainder of the run with James Robinson. It’s one of my favorite Marvel books right now, and I’m so glad Marvel is putting out ‘change of pace’ books like this.
Reviewed by: Bob Bretall
(bob@comicspectrum.com)
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