Marvel launches yet another teen-team concept series, this time with DC/Vertigo writer Mike Carey at the helm. A supernaturally themed series is right up Carey's alley, but this first chapter of what is essentially Dawson's Cauldron fails to hook me for a number of reasons. Chief among them is the large and unwieldy cast of characters, none of which seems particularly likeable. The book opens with some striking visuals, though, but as the book progresses, the art grows more and more ordinary and fails to capture the youth of the drama's players as well. There's definitely potential in this concept, especially since it seems to steer clear of the super-hero genre, but it ultimately comes off as generic.
At John Hathorne High School, the social structure among the students is a little different than it is at other schools, where popularity is determined by how athletic, pretty or geeky one is. No, at the Salem school, there are the witches, those that hang around with the witches and the normals who look upon the first two groups with disdain. Enter new student Kim Vesco, who's just movd to town, and there are those among the magic-users who see her as playing a vital role in a coming crisis.
It's easy to tell from Mike Perkins's art here that he worked closely with Butch Guice during their CrossGen days. I was also reminded of Mike (Teen Titans) McKone's art as well as that of Phil (The Monolith) Winslade. Perkins's work on the first scene is solid, and I especially enjoyed the lizard transformation. It was creepy and horrific, and quite effective. But after that opening scene, the art failed to really hold my attention. The teenage characters look like adults far too often, and there's a sketchiness to the figures at times, making it difficult to distinguish some of them apart on occasion.
The opening scene is key to this story, as it establishes that there's more to this than a supernatural high-school drama, that this is much darker than Sabrina hanging out with Archie and the gang. It brings a sense of gravity to the story, but it's not as widely felt as one might expect. These kids react to the death of a friend far too casually. The size of the cast is the biggest obstacle to the story in this opening chapter. Carey throws out the names of all of the characters rather quickly, but we never get a strong sense of who they are, save for Kim.
I like the notion of Kim manipulating her father with her magical powers. She's no heroine here. Her artistic side is a refreshingly unique trait that makes her seem more three-dimensional as well. I share her confusion about the social status and apparently open use of magic in the story. There seems to be no acknowledgement from the other characters that this is outside of the norm and that someone who's new in the situation might find themselves overwhelmed. The characters seem almost oblivious to what's happening around them and what they're doing. 5/10
