Though branded as part of the upcoming Contest of Chaos, SCARLET WITCH ANNUAL #1 is largely self-contained and as a result reflects the same high quality as the rest of the series. So far, SCARLET WITCH cant miss. Read Full Review

Scarlet Witch Annual is a robust character study with a witch throwdown to satiate superhero fans. It's not the strongest "Contest of Chaos" prelude, though, but if you're picking this up as a Scarlet Witch fan, you get everything you want and more. Read Full Review

Nieto delivers some beautifully detailed and visually arresting imagery throughout the issue. The visual style crafts the characters perfectly and both the action and visual environments are amazing. Read Full Review

As Steve Orlando begins laying the groundwork to the upcoming magical mystical event, Contest of Chaos, that revolves around Wanda, Agatha, and the elder god of chaos, ChThon, and Steve just keeps hitting all of the right buttons that Id like to see this event go in. Agathas putting her former pupil through her paces to see if shes strong enough to hold in an elder god of chaos. What we get here is just the beginning Read Full Review

Wanda proves herself to be truly above her struggles, while Agatha reminds us she's hundreds of years old, all with lovely art and a little hero moment for Darcy. Well-crafted witchcraft. Read Full Review

Series writer Steve Orlando makes sure that the Scarlet Witch Annual is one that readers of the new book will find mandatory. Though this is being used as a bridge for a larger, Scarlet Witch-free event, the unique plot and re-introduction of Agatha Harkness into the Marvel Universe make this a must read. Read Full Review

Excellent. Really excellent.

We’re only 5 issues into Steve Orlando’s run on Scarlet Witch, but he has already shown a depth of knowledge around the character and has done well to avoid the pitfalls and tropes that many previous writers have succumbed to when writing about Wanda. Scarlet Witch Annual #1 continues that trend with an oversized issue full of charm, fun, and stage-setting for Marvel’s upcoming ‘Contest of Chaos’ crossover event.

The issue begins with a short interaction between Wanda and Darcy, where Wanda explains how she traps evil doers in terrariums to keep them occupied and away from causing trouble. These two have more interactions together throughout the issue but this quick exchange is emblematic of how much I’m loving these two together. Darcy’s blissful bewilderment at what is “normal” for Wanda is so much fun without making the character appear to be totally unaware. For her part, Wanda is show as patient with Darcy and seems to be enjoying the mentorship role she’s adopted.

We then jump to a scene where we see Agatha Harkness take out Necrodamus after he reveals his plans to attack Wanda due to her weakness after consuming the Darkhold and the spirit of Chthon — a sign of things to come for the rest of the issue. After Wanda returns to the Emporium from saving Dallas, Texas against Zzzax, we see that Agatha has been waiting around for a chance to meet her favorite pupil. As the two sit down to catch up, Darcy brings out a round of tea for the trio. Yes, we get a panel of Wanda & Agatha literally sipping tea! I don’t know if this was meant to be a thing but this gay man took it as one and it was wonderful.

The conversation between between Wanda and Agatha plays out over the majority of the remaining pages. We learn Agatha has come to ensure Wanda is aware and ready to defend herself against the growing list of entities that are conspiring to challenge her for access to the Darkhold and to release Chthon. She reveals that she’s been playing protector and neutralizing threats to keep Wanda safe, but Wanda is adamant that she’s strong enough to fend off any enemy that comes her way. Unfortunately, she lets her guard down around her mentor and Agatha lets us know she’s poisoned the tea as a test of strength. Wanda survives and we get multiple pages of Wanda and Agatha fighting across various planes/worlds arguing over Wanda’s preparedness.

The two come to a stalemate and reconcile with Agatha informing Wanda that she’ll always be looking out for her, except the final pages reveal that Agatha had her own selfish reasons for the visit and implanted a piece of herself within Wanda’s soul. The final page ends with Agatha reaching her “grail” and stealing the heart of Chthon!

As I mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed this issue and a lot of that has to do with Orlando’s ability to write these characters as everyday people. The conversations feel organic and believable. There are plenty of writers who have written magic-centric characters and overloaded the text with spells, incantations, and overwrought explanations on how/why things are happening. Orlando has shown he can talk about these topics without making the reader feel completely lost.

After Russell Dauterman took on art from Sarah Pichelli for Scarlet Witch #5, we have another new artist for Scarlet Witch Annual #1. Carlos Nieto is relatively new to Marvel, having recently done his first work in Murderworld: Wolverine #1 earlier this year. His lines here don’t start too far from the previous work of Pichelli & Dauterman, allowing for a nice continuity across the issues. I particularly enjoyed his take on Agatha, who’s new look even Wanda compliments.

VC’s Cory Petit is back on lettering and his work continues to shine, even with Nieto’s new art and Tríona Farrell’s first task at coloring for this series. Farrell chose a brilliant palette with vibrant colors that jump off the pages. The reds and purples that permeate the issue’s main friction between Wanda and Agatha is subdued but effective.

Overall this was a great annual that didn’t completely remove the characters from the storylines of the on-going series. Was this likely just a way to set up ‘Contest of Chaos’ plot? Most likely. Does it live on it’s own as an enjoyable display of two of the MCU’s most popular characters? It sure does. more

The art is yet another flavor of gorgeous, continuing this title's winning streak in the artist lottery. It's great to look at.

It's a pretty fun read, too. Wanda's day-to-day life and her dedication to her principles are enthralling. Agatha's combative approach lends an air of excitement and some cool, wide-ranging combat.

To me, it's a good comic, but not a great one. I find the tone uneven, which is becoming a recurring problem. Much as I love Darcy being Darcy, her comic relief moments tend to throw me off.

And there's the bigger problem: This annual barely moves Wanda's story forward at all. It's more a prologue for Agatha's Big Dumb Summer Event. I wasn't much of a fan the last time Steve Orlando tackled the Darkhold in a quasi-anthology format. Though he's done a formidable job with the Scarlet Witch series, this first chapter lowers my expectations for Contest of Chaos.
more

This is just above mediocre to me. I don't know what it is about Steve Orlando's writing, but it seems like he's always focused on the wrong writing mechanics.

STOP MAKING THE 616 UNIVERSE MATCH THE MCU