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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

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Chilling Adventures of Sabrina
Cover ofChilling Adventures of Sabrina#2 (April 2015).
Art by Robert Hack
Publication information
PublisherArchie Horror
ScheduleIrregular
FormatOngoing series
Genre
Publication dateOctober2014 – present
No.of issues9
Main character(s)Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Creative team
Created byRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Robert Hack
Written byRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Artist(s)Robert Hack
Letterer(s)Jack Morelli

Chilling Adventures of Sabrinais an Americancomic bookseries published byArchie Horror,an imprint ofArchie Comics,beginning in 2014. The series is a darker take on the characters and setting ofSabrina the Teenage Witch.It is written byRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa,with art by Robert Hack, and is inspired by the appearances of Sabrina in Aguirre-Sacasa's other Archie series,Afterlife with Archie.

Publication history

[edit]

Due to the positive reception ofAfterlife with Archie#6, which centered on Sabrina, a solo series starring her was announced in June 2014.[1][2]The first issue was released in October 2014. The series went on a six-month hiatus before returning in April 2015 under the newArchie Horrorimprint.[3]

Though the two series are described as "companion series" and share several characters, they are each set in their own reality and are not directly related to one another. In issue #8, Sabrina experiences a vision of theAfterlife with Archieversions of herself andJughead Jones,suggesting some connection between the two continuities.

The title is based on a 1972 anthology series,Chilling Adventures in Sorcery As Told By Sabrina,in which Sabrina narrated serious horror tales drawn in the Archie style. That book only lasted two issues, and was rebooted in 1973 by Archie's imprintRed Circle ComicsasChilling Adventures in Sorcery,minus Sabrina and the company's traditional cartooning style.[4]

Story arcs

[edit]

Volume 1: The Crucible (issues 1–5)

[edit]

Half-witchSabrinalives with her witch aunts,HildaandZelda,her warlock cousin Ambrose, andSalem,her felinefamiliar,in the town of Greendale. Nearing her sixteenth birthday, she must choose whether to become a full witch or pursue a mortal life with her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle. Meanwhile,Madam Satan,a former flame of Sabrina's estranged father, has returned fromHelland wants revenge on the Spellman family.[5][6]

Volume 2: Witch-War (issues 6– )

[edit]

Sabrina's father, Edward Spellman, is mysteriously back among the living, masquerading as a resurrected Harvey. Hilda and Zelda warn Sabrina about the consequences ofnecromancy,but Sabrina protects "Harvey" against their attempts to send him back to the grave. Edward begins to wonder who could’ve helped Sabrina engage in such powerful magic.[7]

Characters

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Main

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  • Sabrina Diana Fiona Spellman,a teenage half-witch who lives in the town of Greendale with her aunts, her cousin Ambrose, and her familiar Salem. Unbeknownst to Sabrina, when she was just a year old, she was taken from her mother, Diana, by her aunts with the approval of her father, Edward. Sabrina was told that her mother died; she hasn't seen her father since she was young. While Sabrina is taught witchery by her aunts at home, she lives a relatively normal life in public as a cheerleader and student at Baxter High School. No one, including her boyfriend Harvey, is aware that she is a witch.[3][8][9]
  • Hilda Spellman,Sabrina's witch aunt and co-guardian. She is more forbearing than Zelda, though both are strict followers of witch law and the Church of Night.[8][10]
  • Zelda Spellman,Sabrina's other witch aunt and co-guardian. She is more pragmatic than Hilda, though they both ultimately want the best for their niece, despite keeping the truth about her parents a secret.[8][10]
  • Madam Satan,formerly known as Iola, Edward's witch girlfriend whom he left for Diana. Heartbroken that he chose a mortal over her, Iola killed herself and wound up in the pits ofGehenna,a place reserved in the circle of Hell for suicides, where she remained faceless until she was accidentally released by two amateur witches. After gaining a new face, she burns the tree that encased Edward and cures Diana of the insanity he inflicted upon her, but leaves her unable to leave the psychiatric facility. Upon discovering their daughter's existence, she makes her way to Greendale where she becomes a teacher at Baxter High as "Evangeline Porter" where she can monitor Sabrina and continue her revenge against the Spellman family.[3][11]
  • Ambrose,Sabrina's bisexual warlock cousin who comes to live with her and her aunts from theOld Country.As punishment by the Witches Council for revealing himself to mortals, he cannot leave the Spellman house. He has two cobrafamiliars,Nag and Nagaina.[8]
  • Harvey Kinkle,a football player and fellow student at Baxter High School. He is Sabrina's boyfriend but is unaware that she and her aunts are witches. After being set up by Madam Satan, he discovers their true nature and is killed by the other witches. Edward is later resurrected in Harvey's body, though Sabrina only believes it to be Harvey.[12][13]
  • Salem,Sabrina's familiar who often acts as the voice of reason. Originally a human named Samuel, he was turned into a cat as punishment by the witches ofSalem Villagefor impregnating a witch namedAbigail(unaware that she was a witch) and refusing to marry her. At some point as a cat, he attempted to enact theBook of Revelation.He was given to Sabrina by her aunts and was prophesied by theDevilhimself that if he were to do his duty and protect her, then he may become human again.[8][14]
  • Edward Spellman,Sabrina's estranged warlock father and the younger brother of Hilda and Zelda. He quickly rose through the ranks in the Church of Night as a skilled conjuror and eventually became a High Priest. He broke witch-law to marry Diana Sawyer, a mortal, whom he hoped would bear him an heir. When Hilda and Zelda discovered that Edward had been lying to the congregation, they trapped him in a tree as punishment. His ex-lover Madam Satan would go on to vengefully burn the tree, but would also aid in his resurrection into Harvey's body. With Sabrina believing that she brought back Harvey, Edward wonders who could’ve helped her with such strong magic, and why. He vaguely remembers "Iola" from his past.[15][9][13]

Other characters

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  • Diana Spellman(néeSawyer), Sabrina's mortal mother, whom she believes to be dead, but is really in a psychiatric facility. Her husband, Edward, turned her insane after she refused to give up her daughter to his sisters. Madam Satan eventually grants Diana her sanity, but makes sure that she'll never be able to convince the doctors to let her leave. Diana is briefly able to contact Sabrina through a dream, but is stopped and Sabrina soon forgets the encounter.[15]
  • Rosalind,also called "Roz" and "Rossy" on occasion, a student at Baxter High School who competes with Sabrina for everything from boys to roles in the school play to popularity. Since Rosalind is usually the one losing out, she frequently gossips maliciously about Sabrina to other students. Diana warns Sabrina about Rosalind in a dream, saying that she's not as she seems, but Sabrina forgets by the next morning.[15][16]
  • NagandNagaina,Ambrose's cobra familiars who were originally humans (a prince and a princess) that were tricked bya sorcererinto trying to murder their father's bride-to-be and were consequently turned into snakes.[14]
  • Betty CooperandVeronica Lodge,young witches fromHigh Priestess Grundy's coven inRiverdalewho were trying to summon a succubus to help them settle ablood-rivalrybut instead summoned Madam Satan. Later, they visit Greendale with others from Riverdale High and participate in the search for Harvey. While there, Madam Satan recruits them for a resurrection spell.[8][16][17]
  • Satan,also known asLuciferand theDevil,the worshipped figure of the Church of Night. He appears during Sabrina's baptism as a giant humanoid goat. When he appeared to Salem back in 1692, he also displayed a human head.[12][14]

The series also alludes to and features fictionalized versions of numerous real-world figures, namelyRudyard Kipling,Ann-Margret,Aleister Crowley,Giles Corey,John,Benjamin, William, andElizabeth Proctor,Abigail Williams,Reverend Parris,Mercy Lewis,Sorcar,andAlphonse Louis Constant.[14][9]

Fictional characters from other media appear as well such asMartin Coslaw,Miss Lovett,Rikki-Tikki-Tavi,Steven Marcato,and theThree Witches.[11][17][14]Figures fromdemonologyincludeBaphomet,Yan-gant-y-tan,Volac,Beelzebub,Fur-Fur,Cerbere,Ba-El,Empusa,andStolas.[9]

In addition to Betty and Veronica, several other characters fromArchie Comicsappear briefly includingArchie Andrews,Jughead Jones,Chuck Clayton,Reggie Mantle,Dilton Doiley,Mr. Weatherbee,Nancy Woods,Hot Dog,andPop Tate.[16][17][13]

Reception

[edit]

The first two issues sold out.[18][19]Comic Book Resourcescalled it "a surprisingly successful little horror sub-imprint" and "that Aguirre-Sacasa and Hack have created a horror comic that would work well even if it wasn't attached to the iconic 'Sabrina.'"[20]whileThe Mary Suesaid that it was "a refreshing change of pace for a story we all think we know already."[21]IGNgave the first issue an 8.9 out of 10 calling it "something that fans of Afterlife and horror in general will be wanting more of by issue’s end."[22]ComicsAlliancecalled it "a pretty incredible accomplishment" saying that "in a time when we’re getting some fantastic horror comics on the stands, Sabrina might just be the best of the bunch."[23]

Television adaptation

[edit]

In December 2017, a live-action adaptation ofChilling Adventures of Sabrina,produced byWarner Bros. TelevisionandBerlanti Productions,withRoberto Aguirre-Sacasa,Lee Toland Krieger,Greg Berlanti,Sarah Schechter,and Jon Goldwater as executive producers, was picked up by the online streaming serviceNetflixfor a two-season order.[24]Filming took place in Vancouver.[25]The series starsKiernan Shipkaas Sabrina Spellman,[26]Jaz Sinclairas Rosalind Walker,[27]Michelle Gomezas Mary Wardwell / Madam Satan,Chance Perdomoas Ambrose Spellman,[28]Lucy Davisas Hilda Spellman,[29]Miranda Ottoas Zelda Spellman,[30]Richard Coyleas Father Blackwood,[31]Ross Lynchas Harvey Kinkle,[32]andTati Gabrielleas Prudence.[33]The first part ofChilling Adventures of Sabrinawas released worldwide on Netflix on October 26, 2018,[34]the second part was released on April 5, 2019,[35]the third part was released on January 24, 2020[36]and the fourth/final part was released on December 31, 2020.

Collected editions

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Title ISBN Release Date Story Art Collected Material
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vol. 1: The Crucible 978-1627389877 August 18, 2016 Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Robert Hack Chilling Adventures of Sabrina#1-5
Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, Vol. 2 978-1627388030 October 13, 2022 Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Robert Hack Chilling Adventures of Sabrina#6-8
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Occult Edition 978-1682557938 17 October 2019 Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Robert Hack Chilling Adventures of Sabrina#1-8

References

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  1. ^Logsdon, Mike (July 23, 2014)."Afterlife with Archie #6 Review".au.ign.IGNAustralia.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  2. ^Nadler, Lonnie (June 3, 2014)."Archie Comics Reveals" Sabrina "Horror Series!".bloody-disgusting.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  3. ^abcSchedeen, Jesse (April 15, 2015)."The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #2 Review".au.ign.IGNAustralia.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  4. ^Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014).American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s.TwoMorrows Publishing. pp. 85–86.ISBN978-1605490564.
  5. ^"Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 - Comics by comiXology".comixology.comiXology. Archived fromthe originalon November 26, 2015.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  6. ^Pikahyper (May 26, 2014)."Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #3".Comicvine.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  7. ^Cacace, Ron.""Witch-War" begins in SABRINA #7 as issue #5 goes back to print and #6 gets new release date, more pages ".archiehorror.Archie Horror. Archived fromthe originalon June 15, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 9,2016.
  8. ^abcdefChilling Adventures of Sabrina#1, October 2014.
  9. ^abcdChilling Adventures of Sabrina#7, August 2017.
  10. ^abChilling Adventures of Sabrina#7 & #8, August–October 2017.
  11. ^abChilling Adventures of Sabrina#2, June 2015.
  12. ^abChilling Adventures of Sabrina#3, July 2015.
  13. ^abcChilling Adventures of Sabrina#8, October 2017.
  14. ^abcdeChilling Adventures of Sabrina#6, September 2016.
  15. ^abcChilling Adventures of Sabrina #1and#2,April–May 2015
  16. ^abcChilling Adventures of Sabrina#4, September 2015.
  17. ^abcChilling Adventures of Sabrina#5, July 2016.
  18. ^ronc (October 20, 2014)."CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA #1 SELLS OUT, 2ND PRINTING ANNOUNCED".archiecomics.Archie comics.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  19. ^Burlingame, Russ (April 23, 2015)."EXCLUSIVE: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #2 Sells Out, Reprint Coming With New Cover in May".ComicBook.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  20. ^McElhatton, Gregory (April 16, 2015)."Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #2".Comic Book Resources.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
  21. ^McNally, Victoria (October 6, 2014)."Review: The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, #1".themarysue.The Mary Sue.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  22. ^Logsdon, Mike (October 6, 2014)."Chilling Adventures of Sabrina #1 Review".IGN.RetrievedJune 10,2020.
  23. ^Sims, Chris (October 9, 2014)."'Sabrina' #1: All The Gothic Horror And Human Sacrifice A Teen Romance Needs [Review] ".comicsalliance.ComicsAlliance.Archived fromthe originalon August 17, 2015.RetrievedJuly 24,2015.
  24. ^Andreeva, Nellie (December 1, 2017)."Sabrina The Teenage Witch Series Picked Up By Netflix With 2-Season Order".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  25. ^Brown, Scott (February 22, 2018)."Hollywood North: Magical time for Vancouver TV production".The Vancouver Sun.RetrievedFebruary 22,2018.
  26. ^Petski, Denise (5 January 2018)."Kiernan Shipka To Star In Netflix's Sabrina The Teenage Witch Series".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedJanuary 5,2018.
  27. ^Goldberg, Lesley (February 5, 2018)."'Riverdale' Spinoff Casts Sabrina's Best Friend (Exclusive) ".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedFebruary 5,2018.
  28. ^Petski, Denise (February 15, 2018)."Michelle Gomez & Chance Perdomo Join Netflix's Sabrina The Teenage Witch Series".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedFebruary 15,2018.
  29. ^Andreeva, Nellie (February 16, 2018)."Netflix's Sabrina The Teenage Witch Series Casts Lucy Davis As Aunt Hilda".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedFebruary 18,2018.
  30. ^Otterson, Joe (February 20, 2018)."Netflix's 'Sabrina' Series Casts 'Lord of the Rings' Alum Miranda Otto".Variety.RetrievedFebruary 21,2018.
  31. ^Petski, Denise (February 22, 2018)."Netflix's Sabrina Series Casts Richard Coyle As Father Blackwood".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedFebruary 22,2018.
  32. ^Petski, Denise (March 14, 2018)."Ross Lynch To Star As Harvey Kinkle In Netflix's Sabrina Series".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedMarch 14,2018.
  33. ^Petski, Denise (March 15, 2018)."Tati Gabrielle To Play Prudence In Netflix's Sabrina Series".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedMarch 15,2018.
  34. ^Bell, Amanda (July 29, 2018)."Spooky Riverdale SpinoffThe Chilling Adventures of SabrinaFinally Has a Release Date ".TV Guide.Archived fromthe originalon July 29, 2018.RetrievedJuly 29,2018.
  35. ^Nolan, L.D. (December 1, 2018)."Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Season 2 Gets Promo, Release Date".Comic Book Resources.Archivedfrom the original on December 2, 2018.RetrievedApril 1,2020.
  36. ^Boucher, Geoff (December 7, 2019)."'Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina': Netflix Sets Premiere Date For Season 3 ".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedApril 1,2020.