I remember watching Sabrina the Teenage Witch on Friday night television as a kid. Sabrina was a delightful teenager, her cat Salem was scheming and snarky and her Aunts were wacky but well intended. In The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Sabrina is still a teenager but the rest of the story is as dark and different as Riverdale is to the Archie Comics of my childhood. I mean, helllloooo Betty!
This series, written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack with artwork by Robert Hack is dark, scary and thematically grown up. Currently there are 8 issues of this horror sub-print. The 9th issue set to debut sometime this year.
Volume 1 (Issues 1-5), The Crucible, is the factual basis for all Sabrina-related stories. It introduces Sabrina’s parents, her childhood in the 1950’s and 1960’s and brings us up to Sabrina’s 16th birthday where she must choose between becoming a full witch or a mortal.
Volume 1 had me riveted. Everything in this volume is, as promised, chilling. Even though I was mildly shocked by the material (I really had the wholesome Sabrina deep in my psyche) I could not stop my speedy consumption of the storyline. As I am featuring Frighteningly Good Reads this month, this version of Sabrina was an ideal comic book series. But I was not mentally prepared for how dark this series was going to go! I have so many story line questions but I would never spoil it for future readers. But, I am dying to know if anyone else see Zac Efron as the basis for Harvey Kinkle. Below is not the best example but it is the only one that doesn’t disclose plot points.
Volume II (Issues 6-10), Witch War, only has two issues out right now. Issue 7 and 8 focus on Sabrina’s witch father, Edward Spellman and his banishment and mysterious return to the land of the living. I was happily tearing through Issue 8 and I cannot even form the words to describe my disappointment when I realized I was going to have to wait for the next issues!
If you are looking for a dark and horror-filled version of the (formerly sweet) Sabrina look no further than The Chilling Tales of Sabrina. Just be warned, this is absolutely not TGIF Sabrina!
Tell me, please!
Are you into the whole Riverdale / dark turn on this old comics?
Silver Button Books 
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