Charmed: Season 9 Volume 1 [Paperback]

Just like the successful Buffy, the Vampire Slayer Season 8 comics, Charmed has also returned in comic form and it is a welcome return for the series. The story picks up about a year and a half after the end of Charmed - Season 8 [DVD] which saw the sisters settling down and beginning demon free and magic lite lives. However, there are new evil forces at work who plan to not only resurrect one of the sisters' greatest foes, but also to unite the underworld against the Charmed Ones. The story is told over five five issues which make up the following "chapters":

Issue #1 - Charmed Lives
The sisters are enjoying their lives away from fighting demons, however magic still remains a part of their lives with Piper and Phoebe's daughters coming into their powers and Paige teaching at Magic School. Meanwhile, two mysterious enemies Neena and Hogan begin their plot to resurrect The Source.

Issue #2 - No Rest For The Wicca
Phoebe and Piper attend the funeral of their first innocent, Brittany, who has mysteriously died and reverted back to the old age she was after being attacked by the demon Javna the sisters rescued her from. Phoebe has a premonition which shows her that all of The Charmed Ones' past innocents are all in danger.

Issue #3 - Innocents Lost
The sisters attempt to figure out who is after their past innocents which leads them to Tyler Michaels, a firestarter they once helped. As the realise that they must return to fighting demons, Neena and Hogan successfully resurrect The Source.

Issue #4 - Mortal Enemies
The sisters' innocents turn against them after The Source casts a spell, sending the sisters to Magic School in order to devise a plan to stop him. Meanwhile, Piper searches for the place to open her restaurant.

Issue #5 - Unnatural Resources
The sisters go up against The Source after devising a clever plan to vanquish him forever. However, as Neena's plan comes together it appears that this is only the beginning of The Charmed Ones' return to fighting evil.

Also included is Issue #0 a recap issue which came out before Issue #1 which quickly explains the characters and all major events and storylines throughout the series. A special extra story is also included "To The Warren Born" which is a prequel story set during Charlotte Warren's pregnancy with Melinda. It appears that this may have some larger ties to the overall story than simply being an extra, but we'll have to wait and see if it is indeed part of a larger story.

This is a strong opening arc for Charmed, and although it starts off slow, the story does improve issue by issue and by the final issue of the arc Charmed is well and truly back on form. There are many references to past events, as well as some old characters returning and some really nicely put together stories, some of which are self contained such as Phoebe helping Romeo and Juliet and others which are bound to pop up again (Piper's restaurant, Henry and Paige overcoming Henry's actions while under a spell) and I'm not sure if its because of a fresh set of eyes writing the series but the storyline does seem new and exciting and I think it is safe to say that there is still so many more stories that can be told about the Halliwell sisters.

The artwork is mixed, the original artist departs after Issue #3 and a much stronger and capable artist draws Issue #4 onwards. The artwork is incredibly important in a comic book, especially one bases on a TV show as we need to see the characters we know come to life in a new way, which is something the new artist Marcio Abreu does wonderfully. The story itself is written by Paul Ruditis who wrote two Charmed guides as well as a few novels, so the writing is being done by someone who is familiar with the show and it really shows as he has a good grasp of the characters as well as past events.

If you are a Charmed fan then this is highly recommended, especially if you are one who also enjoyed reading Buffy Season 8. I'd say that so far Charmed manages to feel more like what Charmed did on TV than what the Buffy comics do, and I hope they keep going in the direction that they have started because it's great having the show back in this form and hopefully the comics will continue for quite some time.

Buffy, Angel and Charmed, three of some of the best shows ever.

I was very happy when the Buffy and Angel comics were announced. I read them. They are very good. Very, very, very good infact. But one problem. They are much different to the show. The essence has changed and the stories are much bigger.

However, the Charmed comics by Zenoscope remain rooted in the world of the TV show. The first issue picks up 18 months after the series 8 finale and we see the girls adapt to an almost normal life. Piper's opening a restaurant. Phoebes working at the paper again and Paige is teaching. But it isn't charmed without demons or magic.

The writers keep the stories from getting too big, keeping the stories and character on a basic family level. Where they should be. It is a great start to a new season. A must by for Charmed fans and comic fans of the like.

If you have read the buffy series you will like this. Easy to read in one go or to pick up for 5 mins. Have you seen the tv show? Are you in to comics? If so this is the book for you!