Saturday 6 April 2013

Charmed: Season Nine, Volume One by Paul Ruditis


Series: Charmed Graphic Novels, Book One
Publisher: Zenescope
Format: Paperback
Published: 15th February 2011
Created and Based on the Series By: Constance M. Burge
Number of Pages: 144
Book: Bought
Genre: Graphic Novel, Urban Fantasy, Magic, Action, Fantasy, TV Series Tie-In, Supernatural, YA, YA-Adult Crossover
Recommended Age: 12+
Contains: Swearing, Violence, Alcohol References
No Drug References
Author's Blog: Paul Ruditis

Hear now the words of the witches…
A centuries old spell unlocked the power of the Charmed Ones, three sister witches born to protect the Innocent.  Through success and tragedy, love and loss, the descendants of Melinda Warren battled the forces of evil for eight years before winning their happily ever after.  But that was only the start of their story…
It’s been a year and a half since Piper, Phoebe and Paige were victorious in their ultimate battle against evil.  They’re put their past behind them and settled into their relatively quiet lives with their families.  But the death of the first Innocent that the Charmed Ones ever saved has reawakened an ancient evil more powerful than the sisters have ever faced.  Now with a brand new threat emerging, the Charmed Ones must prepare for the fight of their lives.

                                                                   Review:
One and a half years have passed since the Charmed Ones defeated the Ultimate Power, and their lives have been demon free ever since.  They’ve settled down, had kids and started living again – living a quiet, normal life.
Little do they know, the worse is yet to come…
Since I was too young to watch Charmed when it originally came out, I haven’t been a decade-or-whatever-long fan.  But even though I only discovered the show a few years ago, I love it just as much.  I mean, dude!  Witches, sisters, kickbutt ladies?  What’s not to love?!  Hell, there’s too much to love!  The world, the witchyness, the sisters, the witty banter, the hilarious one-liners, the action, the magic…  And I could go on.  (One of my more random ‘love it’ points being that the guy who plays Daryl in The Walking Dead played Paige’s boyfriend for a few episodes!)  So when I saw that there was a graphic novel… well.  I just jumped on it like it was pixie dust. 
And it didn’t let me down. 
I will admit that this amazing series obviously loses something in translation.  I mean, no one can capture the quirkiness of the actresses’ acting in a graphic novel: Phoebe’s hilarious baby-kinda-talk, Paige’s little shrug-smirk, Piper’s crazy wide-eyed and jerky reactions to bad news.  So, yes, the graphic novel obviously isn’t as good as the TV series.  But it is pretty darn close.  And if it’s all I’m gonna get, hell yeah I’m gonna take it!
There are some inconsistencies, like Wyatt and Chris’ ages – they are way older than just a year and a half from the end of the TV show.  Also, the characters…  The girls I was ok with – they did still look like themselves, more or less, and they dressed like I think they would have.  But the guys…  I swear to God, I was getting Leo, Henry and Coop mixed up every time they came in.  I ended up having to rely solely upon what they were wearing to tell them apart! 
But really, I can’t complain much.  I loved the plot and the writing and even the drawings – the action scenes were drawn really well, I thought.  And more than that – the book was fun.  It was just a fun escape – a quick, easy, good read that made me feel all sentimental and happy and smiley.  I just enjoyed it.  A lot.  Especially the first bit of the book – the pages from the Book of Shadows.  OMG, that was so cool, and the drawings were so gorgeous!  I really, really loved that bit!
Charmed was a fun read – quick and fun to read.  It was action from the word go and an absolute must-read for all Charmed fans.  If you’re anything like me, I know you all must hate letting these girls go – they’re awesome, kickbutt and totally make me want to punch the air and go: GIRL POWER!  And c’mon: who doesn’t wanna read about characters and plots that make you feel like that?!

Afternote: And how gorgeous is that cover!  I absolutely love it – so gorgeous and witchy and Charmedy!  Yay!

Off topic.  Does every woman in graphic novels have huge boobs?  Marvel, DC, Charmed, the other comic covers from the back…  Like seriously.  What’s up with that?

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5




Read this book if you liked:
Charmed TV Series & Book Series
Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV Series, Book Series & Graphic Novel Series


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
Happy Reading
Megan

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