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- This is W.I.T.C.H.ipedia's article on the W.I.T.C.H. Comic Series. For other uses, see W.I.T.C.H. (disambiguation).
W.I.T.C.H. is an Italian fantasy/superhero comic series created by Elisabetta Gnone. It tells the story of five teenage girls who are chosen to be the new Guardians of Kandrakar, protectors of the center of the universe from people and creatures who wish to cause harm to it. For this purpose, they have been given powers over the five elements. The new Guardians are Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and Hay Lin, whose initials form the title acronym W.I.T.C.H.
The final issue was released in October 2012, ending the 139 issue run.
Story arcs[]
- Main article: List of W.I.T.C.H. Issues
The W.I.T.C.H. comic book released one issue per month and is generally written with each story arc lasting 12 issues, or one year, with some exceptions.
Part One: The Twelve Portals[]
- Main article: Arc 1: The Twelve Portals
Five teenage girls – Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin – are chosen to become the new Guardians of the Veil, a group of magical warriors who keep peace in the universe and do the Oracle's bidding. They find that balancing this position along with keeping up with their lives on Earth is a difficult task. Their first mission is to defeat the evil Prince Phobos who rules over Meridian, the capital of Metamoor. He plans to suck Metamoor dry of its magic.
Part Two: Nerissa's Revenge[]
- Main article: Arc 2: Nerissa's Revenge
The girls face off against a new foe – a previous keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar and leader of the previous Guardians. Nerissa betrayed her four fellow Guardians after the powers of the Heart corrupted her mind and she killed one of her Guardians, Cassidy, thus Nerissa was sentenced to sleep for eternity in the distant Mount Thanos on Earth. She was awakened from her sleep when Luba disobeyed an order from the Oracle and merged the five powers of the Guardians together in an attempt to prove that the girls were inept at their job, which broke the seal on Nerissa's tomb.
Nerissa then conjured up the Knights of Revenge using a portion of her own power and fueled them with her intense feelings of hate, anger, pain and misery and fear and despair, to challenge the new Guardians and destroy Kandrakar. While battling this new foe, the Guardians learned about the history of Kandrakar and about the hardships the previous Guardians had to face when one of their own became corrupt with power.
Part Three: A Crisis on Both Worlds[]
- Main article: Arc 3: A Crisis on Both Worlds
Crisis after crisis threatened to break up the five Guardians once and for all. Along with stopping Ari, the powerful Lord of Arkhanta, from rising up against Kandrakar, the girls have a whole bunch of new problems on Earth that needs their attention. The government discovered the secret of the W.I.T.C.H. girls and wanted to capture them and use their powers for their own mysterious intentions. As if that wasn't enough, the girls' Astral Drops decided to rebel after months of being taken advantage of by the Guardians and started to cause numerous problems between their families, teachers, and boyfriends.
Part Four: Trial of the Oracle[]
- Main article: Arc 4: Trial of the Oracle
The members of the Congregation are questioning the Oracle's recent actions, and he shocked everyone by putting himself on trial. The Guardians are called in to testify. Back home in Heatherfield, Will confronted Orube and Matt, while Principal Knickerbocker goes to drastic measures to raise the girls' grades at Sheffield Institute. In Kandrakar, the Council had to choose between Endarno and Yan Lin for the position as Oracle. After Endarno has been chosen he made the life of the girls uneasy. Moreover, he is someone other than who he appears to be...
Part Five: The Book of Elements[]
- Main article: Arc 5: The Book of Elements
The five elements themselves had something in store for the girls. Their abilities were growing stronger and stronger - even the triumvirate in Kandrakar doesn't have full understanding of it. At the same time, Cedric was stripped of his magic power and got a second chance from the Oracle. He returned to Ye Olde Bookshop to live a decent life, under supervision of the Guardians. Nevertheless, he searched for a useful resource to get back his powers. He found his hope in the Book of Elements, written by Jonathan Ludmoore, a Meridianite alchemist and one of Prince Phobos' hundreds of devoted servants, in addition to Lord Cedric. Thanks to Mr. Collins, the Guardians got to know about the ancient magical book as well. But when Matt Olsen became trapped within its pages, the Guardians were forced to work with their old foe in order to open it.
Part Six: Ragorlang[]
- Main article: Arc 6: Ragorlang
When Hay Lin slept over at the Lyndons' home, she met Karl and Tecla Ibsen. Karl told her about the Ragorlang, a monster which absorbs the thoughts, the voice and the sounds of its victims. The same evening she was attacked by a Ragorlang and got saved just in time by the other Guardians. Soon they discovered who's behind the new threat: Tecla Ibsen. They managed to defeat her. Once, but not for good, because Tecla returned and at school, there's a new strange doctor, Edward Folkner. What has he got to do with the Ibsens?
Part Seven: New Power[]
- Main article: Arc 7: New Power
A new evil forced the Oracle to cut off Kandrakar from all other worlds, including the Guardians, relieving them of their powers, but soon the girls regained their powers in the most pure form, as well as new haircuts and costumes. However, to gain complete control over their powers, they needed to discover the root of their powers. They used their new powers to defeat their arch nemesis Dark Mother and save the universe from a terrible crisis.
Part Eight: Teach 2b W.I.T.C.H.[]
- Main article: Arc 8: Teach 2b W.I.T.C.H.
The Guardians needed find the magical children of Heatherfield to teach them to control their powers. To help them in this new mission, Oracle Yan Lin gave them the key to the Witch Van, a magical on-the-road school that houses five magical laboratories, places that are expression of the powers of the five elements - Water, Fire, Earth, Air and Energy. But there was an enemy with terrifying ambitions to destroy all different types of magic.
Part Nine: 100% W.I.T.C.H.[]
- Main article: Arc 9: 100% W.I.T.C.H.
Starting from issue 97 of the previous arc, each issue has its own story. The Guardians faced their daily problems from families, friends, and school.
Part Ten: Ladies VS. W.I.T.C.H.[]
The comics introduced several new villains including Lady Giga, Lady Crash, and Lady Kimikal. The Guardians had to find a way to stop their new malicious opponents without endangering the people around them.
Part Eleven: Magical Sovereign[]
- Main article: Arc 11: Magical Sovereign
W.I.T.C.H. were given the choice to give up their powers, or keep them. If the decided to keep them, they must do 3 tests without the use of magic to prove themselves worthy; should they succeed, they'll become Magical Sovereigns, if they fail they'll lose their powers and become trapped on the world they're being tested in.
Special issues[]
Every year, the W.I.T.C.H. comic book releases a special issue that tells a unique story about the girls, such as a what if story, or a deeper look into their own lives. The following special issues have been released:
- The Year Before
- Elyon: Return of the Queen
- Cornelia and Caleb: A Love Not Meant to Be
- Core of Kandrakar
- Planet Boys
- Orube Special
- Two Hearts For a Ball (World Cup Special)
- Christmas Special 2004
- Christmas Special 2005
- Christmas Special 2006
- W.I.T.C.H. Look Book
- Caleb and Elyon - Two Destinies
- Halloween Special 2007
- Olympic Games 2008 Special
WElcome[]
WElcome is a side magazine of W.I.T.C.H. In total, there are eleven issues of the magazine. It is only published in some parts of Europe. Its mascot is We, a creature from Basiliade.[citation needed]
WElcome was included with the Italian W.I.T.C.H. magazine, starting with Issue 064: The Screaming Man. The Swedish W.I.T.C.H. magazine started publishing WElcome stories much earlier, instead of publishing a separate magazine.[citation needed]
Graphic novels[]
Disney Book Group[]
- Main article: Hyperion graphic novels
The only American releases until 2005 were chapter books adapted from the comic. In 2005, graphic novels containing two issues each were released.[citation needed]
- The Power of Friendship
- Meridian Magic
- The Revealing
- Between Light and Dark
- Legends Revealed
- Forces of Change
- Under Pressure
- An Unexpected Return
Yen Press[]
- Main article: Yen Press graphic novels
From October 31, 2017, the publisher Yen Press started publishing the original Italian comics and would repackage the series with a new English translation in a series of graphic novels.[1]
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part I. The Twelve Portals, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part I. The Twelve Portals, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part I. The Twelve Portals, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part II. Nerissa's Revenge, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part II. Nerissa's Revenge, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part II. Nerissa's Revenge, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part III. A Crisis on Both Worlds, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part III. A Crisis on Both Worlds, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part III. A Crisis on Both Worlds, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IV. Trial of the Oracle, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IV. Trial of the Oracle, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IV. Trial of the Oracle, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part V. The Book of the Elements, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part V. The Book of the Elements, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part V. The Book of the Elements, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part V. The Book of the Elements, Vol. 4
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VI. Ragorlang, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VI. Ragorlang, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VI. Ragorlang, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VII. New Power, Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VII. New Power, Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VII. New Power, Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VIII. Teach 2b W.I.T.C.H. Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VIII. Teach 2b W.I.T.C.H. Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part VIII. Teach 2b W.I.T.C.H. Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IX. 100% W.I.T.C.H., Vol. 1
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IX. 100% W.I.T.C.H., Vol. 2
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IX. 100% W.I.T.C.H., Vol. 3
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part IX. 100% W.I.T.C.H., Vol. 4
- W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, Part X. Ladies vs. W.I.T.C.H., Vol. 1
Books[]
- Main article: List of W.I.T.C.H. books
Several books based on the W.I.T.C.H. comics have been published.
Chapter books[]
- Main article: Chapter books
The W.I.T.C.H. chapter book series consists of twenty-six books. The books contain comic inserts from the W.I.T.C.H. comics. The series has ended at the twenty-sixth book adaptation of the comics.
Lene Kaaberbøl[]
Lene Kaaberbøl has written nine books taking place in the W.I.T.C.H. universe, which were published in Denmark 2002–2003. Her two series are the Adventure books and the Crystal Birds.
Manga[]
- Main article: Manga
The comic was never published in Japan, and instead a manga based on the comic, with art by Haruko Iida, was published by Kadokawa Publishing in their monthly magazine Asuka Monthly and later collected in two Tankoban volumes, upon which the comic was canceled. The paperback volumes contained covers by Ehara Daisuke.[2]
Video game[]
- Main article: Video game
There is a W.I.T.C.H. game out for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance console. It is available in most English speaking countries.
A PC game, made by Creat Studios, was published by Disney Interactive in Russia in 2008.[citation needed]
Influences[]
- Chinese Mythology - The story of the Four Dragons is from Chinese mythology. The Yellow Dragon, Black Dragon, Pearl Dragon, Long Dragon and the Jade Emperor all appeared in the original myth, however Xin Jing and the Heart of Kandrakar did not.
- Sailor Moon and other magical girls - W.I.T.C.H. borrows tropes and conventions from other magical girls. Homage to Sailor Moon is paid in the first issue when a figurine of the titular character appeared in Hay Lin's room. She also appeared in the background of some scenes in the TV series.
Trivia[]
- Orube first appeared in issue 28 during Arc 3: A Crisis on Both Worlds, and therefore, she is not part of the W.I.T.C.H. acronym.
- Unlike the five other Guardians, Taranee goes through a hair change from her ordinary self to her W.I.T.C.H. costume. Cornelia's and Hay Lin's hair grow a little longer when transforming, but these are not as obvious as Taranee's hair change.
- It is slightly ironic that Hay Lin is the Guardian of Air. While the group stays with the western classical elements (Air, Water, Fire, and Earth), Hay Lin is Chinese and Air is not one of the five Chinese elements - rather, they are Earth, Fire, Water, Metal, and Wood. This also counts for the ancient Chinese myth of the four dragons and the nymph Xin Jing.
- The original Italian version of the comic speaks of a Wall instead of a Veil.
- In the TV series, only Hay Lin can make herself invisible; In the comic, all of the Guardians have this power, including Orube.
- W.I.T.C.H. celebrated its 50th issue in May 2005.
- W.I.T.C.H. celebrated its 100th issue in July 2009.
- In the comics and books, only Hay Lin can fly; in the show, all the Guardians can fly. From issue 76 all Guardians can fly; their wingspan can expand up to 18 feet.
- In the comic the Guardians have shown many times to be able to transform without the Heart. In the series they can not. In Arc 7 the heart is returned to Kandrakar and the Guardians can transform independently.