Charmed: Season 9 Volume 1 [Paperback]

Just like the successful Buffy, the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comics, Charmed has also returned in comic form and it is a welcome return for the series. The story picks up about a year and a half after the end of Charmed - Season 8 [DVD] which saw the sisters settling down and beginning demon free and magic lite lives. However, there are new evil forces at work who plan to not only resurrect one of the sisters' greatest foes, but also to unite the underworld against the Charmed Ones. The story is told over five five issues which make up the following "chapters":

Issue #1 - Charmed Lives
The sisters are enjoying their lives away from fighting demons, however magic still remains a part of their lives with Piper and Phoebe's daughters coming into their powers and Paige teaching at Magic School. Meanwhile, two mysterious enemies Neena and Hogan begin their plot to resurrect The Source.

Issue #2 - No Rest For The Wicca
Phoebe and Piper attend the funeral of their first innocent, Brittany, who has mysteriously died and reverted back to the old age she was after being attacked by the demon Javna the sisters rescued her from. Phoebe has a premonition which shows her that all of The Charmed Ones' past innocents are all in danger.

Issue #3 - Innocents Lost
The sisters attempt to figure out who is after their past innocents which leads them to Tyler Michaels, a firestarter they once helped. As the realise that they must return to fighting demons, Neena and Hogan successfully resurrect The Source.

Issue #4 - Mortal Enemies
The sisters' innocents turn against them after The Source casts a spell, sending the sisters to Magic School in order to devise a plan to stop him. Meanwhile, Piper searches for the place to open her restaurant.

Issue #5 - Unnatural Resources
The sisters go up against The Source after devising a clever plan to vanquish him forever. However, as Neena's plan comes together it appears that this is only the beginning of The Charmed Ones' return to fighting evil.

Also included is Issue #0 a recap issue which came out before Issue #1 which quickly explains the characters and all major events and storylines throughout the series. A special extra story is also included "To The Warren Born" which is a prequel story set during Charlotte Warren's pregnancy with Melinda. It appears that this may have some larger ties to the overall story than simply being an extra, but we'll have to wait and see if it is indeed part of a larger story.

This is a strong opening arc for Charmed, and although it starts off slow, the story does improve issue by issue and by the final issue of the arc Charmed is well and truly back on form. There are many references to past events, as well as some old characters returning and some really nicely put together stories, some of which are self contained such as Phoebe helping Romeo and Juliet and others which are bound to pop up again (Piper's restaurant, Henry and Paige overcoming Henry's actions while under a spell) and I'm not sure if its because of a fresh set of eyes writing the series but the storyline does seem new and exciting and I think it is safe to say that there is still so many more stories that can be told about the Halliwell sisters.

The artwork is mixed, the original artist departs after Issue #3 and a much stronger and capable artist draws Issue #4 onwards. The artwork is incredibly important in a comic book, especially one bases on a TV show as we need to see the characters we know come to life in a new way, which is something the new artist Marcio Abreu does wonderfully. The story itself is written by Paul Ruditis who wrote two Charmed guides as well as a few novels, so the writing is being done by someone who is familiar with the show and it really shows as he has a good grasp of the characters as well as past events.

If you are a Charmed fan then this is highly recommended, especially if you are one who also enjoyed reading Buffy Season 8. I'd say that so far Charmed manages to feel more like what Charmed did on TV than what the Buffy comics do, and I hope they keep going in the direction that they have started because it's great having the show back in this form and hopefully the comics will continue for quite some time.

If you are a Charmed fan like me, then I know u can never get enough of the Power of Three. Although I would much rather have a Feature Film or TV spin off, the Charmed comics are an amazing little treat for any Charmed fan. I personally have been buying the separate issues, but decided to get the book as well because it comes with all the bonus issue covers (each single issue has 2-3 cover variants) and also a very cute bonus story at the end. Also, the paper quality seems much better. These first five issues take place about a year after the show ended, and although now they have like a million kids, luckily the emphasis of the book (and action) still revolves around our favorite three divas. The girls powers advance a bit as well, which is cool, and realistically for the price, u cant beat a "premonition" into the future of our favorite witches. Do urself a favor, and buy Charmed Season 9. Even in print, the girls can't be beat.

I don't want this review to seem negative. I did enjoy the first issue, but I really hoped for better writing! I am a long-time Charmed fan and as such I have learned to deal with the inconsistencies in the writing of the show. I overlook some of the ridiculous plot lines, etc. because I love the characters so much. However, I've always wished that Charmed would some day return to its former roots and become a little more grown up again. I enjoyed this graphic novel, but I have to say I was expecting better artwork and a more mature style of writing. The last three seasons of Charmed were so sugar-coated and fluffy that it made my teeth ache. I really wish the writers would go darker again. Charmed was never super gritty and realistic, but it at least had the element of horror in the beginning of it's run. I really hope to see the series go back towards its roots and just stop all the sugar-coated family friendly crap. The show originally wrote for adults and by the time it ended, I felt like the series was catering to 10-year-olds and ignoring the fans it started out with who are a little old to find the soft-serve story lines enticing anymore.

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