Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 Review
Writer: Corinna Bechko
Artists: Kano & Nick Cagnetti
Letterer: DC Hopkins
Cover Artists: Kano; Marguerite Sauvage; Naomi Franq; Caroline Cash, Dan Parent, Erica Henderson; Mahmud Asrar & Matt Wilson
Also Available: Sketch Covers & Comic Shop Exclusives
Editors: Megan Brown & Joelena Despard
Publisher: Oni Press
Issue Description: 32 Pages, Full Color
Price: $4.99 US
Release Date: October 7, 2026
Transitioning from childhood to the teenage years can be tough. High School forces you to level up in every area of your life. Every day brings unexpected discoveries, demands important decisions, and imposes new responsibilities. And a seemingly endless succession of authority figures who want to teach you how to think and behave.
Sabrina has just discovered that she is a witch. Even more shocking: her cat can talk. How will Sabrina take to her new responsibilities? And what dangers will threaten the novice? Let's leap into Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 and see!
Story
Before she discovered her powers, Sabrina bought her Halloween costume. Now, she's stuck with it. As she dresses up as a pretend witch, Sabrina also wonders what type of real-life witch she will become. Her aunt Zelda fears the dangers threatening such an inexperienced witch. Her aunt Hilda cherishes her niece's awakening. Yet, Sabrina’s lighthearted aunt also cautions her to take her new life seriously in Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1.
Still, this is Halloween. Even if life has saddled Sabrina with unwanted responsibilities, everyone deserves a fun evening with their friends. And she doesn't want to let down Libby, who is hosting such a grand party for them. So when her cat brings his recent kill to the doorstep, Sabrina refuses to take her new familiar’s assertion seriously.
While Salem’s concern for his inexperienced master opens the story, the rest of Corinna Bechko’s story follows the girl’s first night as a witch on Halloween. Unfortunately, Sabrina learns that witches don’t get to decide when they have time off. When a responsibility she tries to shirk festers, the young witch must protect her friends on her own. As she endangers her friends, her life in Greendale could become more dangerous in Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1.
Art
Sabrina’s feline partner often resembles a silhouette. After opening with his yellow eyes, panels focus on his bared teeth, extended claws, and the black cat attacking vermin before a full moon. When he appears with his catch outside Sabrina’s round window, the network of cames between the glass panes evokes a spiderweb. Sabrina is more concerned about how she looks in her black dress, striped stockings, and pointy hat. Still, Sabrina outshines Zelda with her short blonde hair, horn-rimmed glasses, and black T-shirt honoring a pop-culture villain.
Aunt Hilda seems more fun with her long orange hair, multicolored long-sleeve shirt, and the red hearts that fill the air when she smiles. Sabrina's white hair glows, thanks to Kano's yellow inking. Background characters occasionally fade into pale pink or lavender paper cutouts. Yet the page frames and scene backgrounds contrast Salem’s seriousness with Sabrina's irresponsibility. Blue dominates Salem's opening scenes, while yellow surrounds Sabrina. Purple frames her arrival at Libby’s party. Yet different shades of blue frame the panels as Sabrina confronts the problem threatening her friends in Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1.
While characters speak black uppercase letters into white balloons, Salem’s white dialogue and thoughts fill black balloons and boxes. A black-and-white Manga-style caricature of Sabrina’s face occasionally speaks white letters onto a colored background. DC Hopkins’ sound effects haunt Sabrina’s first Halloween as a witch with scratching nails, creaking wood, hissing, shrieking, clumsy conjuring, and the splat of something that turns Sabrina’s stomach. Nick Cagnetti’s introductory lessons for witches and familiars insist that, regardless of species, trust and respect are crucial to securing a magical partnership. Thanks to Oni Press and Superfan Promotions for providing a review copy.
Final Thoughts
Sabrina Spellman wanted to be ordinary. Instead, she learned that she possesses extraordinary abilities. Some might greet such an unexpected boon with joy. But Sabrina only regards her gift as a burden. Sabrina may have made her early days as a witch more difficult. Still, if she treats Salem with more respect, perhaps her familiar can help her through them in Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1.
Rating 9.8/10
For more collectible covers, see Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 Cover Preview.
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