Witches – Volume 01 Issue 04

“Witches – Part 04”

Two hours had passed since Jennifer Kale had officially quit the “team” thanks to Satana’s poisonous attitude and that fence-sitting Topaz. They certainly put the ‘I’ in ‘Team’. Now Jennifer has arrived at her brother’s apartment to check on his mental health. After a lengthy plea session, Andy Kale’s front door opens into an empty living room. What?

Then, with the power of a Brahma bull, a giant demon bursts towards Jennifer, swiping at her with large meaty claws. Surprise! As the young witch is sent rocketing back towards the kitchenette, she sees the figure of an old man standing to the left of the Hellphyr. Who the hell is he?

Outside, on the street below, Doctor Strange and his two witches have just teleported onto the scene. Not far behind is the raving lunatic known as the mother of all demons. As the weakened Sorcerer Supreme prepares to defend himself against Lilith, Topaz and Satana fly upward to defend their teammate.

Can Andy Kale be saved from the Hellphyr curse? Who is the old man named Lou really? Will Doctor Strange keep his word when it comes to the ownership of the Tome Of Zhered-Na? Collect the series to find out!

Reviewer Notes

This storyline was a very quick adventure with minimal impact on the magic users of Earth 616. Go figure. This miniseries was a little disappointing, I admit, however, we learn more about the mystics of the Marvel Universe. The characters Illusion and Glamour are very similar to DC Comics Madame Xanadu. The Mystics, or fortune-tellers, seem to be at the bottom of the magical totem pole.

I couldn’t find any definite information about whether this storyline continued. According to my research, this plot may have continued in 2006 with the “Doctor Strange: the Oath” miniseries. However, I can’t confirm this as I haven’t read the books.

I did find out that the Tome Of Zhered-Na has been around since 1972 – with a first appearance in Marvel’s Fear #11. Here is the definitive list of appearances:

• Fear Vol 1 11 – 1972
• Fear Vol 1 13 – 1973
• Fear Vol 1 15 – 1973
• Witches Vol 1 1 – 2004
• Witches Vol 1 2 – 2004
• Witches Vol 1 3 – 2004
• Witches Vol 1 4 – 2004
• Marvel Heroes (video game) – 2015
• Witches Unleashed (paperback novel) – 2021

I did enjoy the Witches overall, but it wasn’t what I was expecting. The art was my favorite part of the whole experience. That, and all the video game nostalgia. For me, Witches #4 gets three out of five stars. The series as a whole gets a very solid three out of five stars. If you are a fan of Doctor Strange, you will probably want to pick up the comics. If not, you aren’t going to miss a world-changing event.

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