Scarlet Witch is unlike any other Marvel comic currently published. Each issue tells a standalone story brought to the page by a different art team, and that format has made for a surprising, visually exciting superhero title. Writer James Robinson has taken Wanda all around the world as she tries to uncover her true origins, and the globetrotting allows Robinson to explore different cultures’ views of witchcraft and magic in his scripts. He’s also giving Wanda some major character rehabilitation after over a decade of questionable treatment at Marvel, delving into the deeper emotional issues that took Wanda down a dark path in the past so that she can grow and move past them.
Next week’s Scarlet Witch #11 takes Wanda to Serbia with artist Leila Del Duca and colorist Felipe Sobreiro, and these preview pages highlight the atmosphere and character that have made Del Duca’s work on her Image ongoing series Shutter so engaging. The opening splash page sets an ominous tone with the giant church looming large over Wanda, and Sobreiro’s predominantly gray color palette intensifies that sense of foreboding as Wanda enters the church and begins speaking with the priest. The shifts in their conversation are made very clear in Del Duca’s facial expressions, and when the talk jumps to more fantastic subject matter, Sobreiro incorporate a wide variety of vivid colors to emphasize how the bombastic superhero elements of Wanda’s past contrast with her much calmer present. Seeing how different art teams tackle Wanda’s story is the most thrilling aspect of Scarlet Witch, and hopefully the series will continue running for the foreseeable future so even more distinct voices can put their stamp on the character.