Scarlet Witch #7: Follow The Yellow Brick Road…

“Toto, we’re home. Home! And this is my room, and you’re all here. And I’m not going to leave here ever again, because I love you all, and – oh, Auntie Em – there’s no place like home!”

Welcome to the seventh issue of Wanda’s solo run as the Scarlet Witch! In this issue, we see Wanda’s reaction to her seemingly resurrected father, Magneto, PLUS!!! She walks down the Yellow Brick Road to meet the Wicked Witch, courtesy of obscure mort of the month, Bookworm! 

The issue begins right where last one ended, as Wanda and the Darcy come face to face with her recently resurrected father, Magneto, but did she? No, actually. His clone, Joseph, was killed during Rosenberg’s run, so how did he get here? Why is he at Wanda’s shop in Lotkill? Unfortunately we don’t get to see much of wh,at he’s doing there because as soon as we get to it, Nelson Gruber, aka Bookworm. Bookworm is an old Sleepwalker villain, who can create reality out of fictional stories; in this case, he brought the Wizard of Oz to life, even taking the place of Texola, Oklahoma. His truth warping whammy transformed even the residents, leaving them to the characters’ whims. 

The Wicked Witch’s showing here was strong. Orlando was giving her some Queen of Fables energy here, and it was well played. She gave Wanda one of her biggest challenges in this series, and it felt like a real battle. Sure, it could have been longer, but only so many pages constrict the story. This could have been a pitch-perfect book if it only it had more panels to work with. From the look to her shoes, to what the Emeaof City looked like, it was a fun little ditty into a familiar, yet twisted ever so gently, to give it that macabre menace needed for the book.

Unfortunately, there was one glaring downside to the story: Darcy. Darcy’s been an interesting addition to Wanda’s supporting cast, with varying degrees of success. What makes her annoying, yet lovable and endearing in the movies and shows just haven’t translated to the comics, and she was really grating with this issue.at her arc is over, the book needs someone else in the background to build up the next subplot. With Wanda, there are so many characters to draw from; it feels like Darcy’s continued; presence is sucking up all of the oxygen in the room. 

Lorenzo Tammetta’s pencil work is energetic, and expressive, and he really excels at it. Wanda’s trip down the yellow brick road to meet the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion corrupted by the Wicked Witch’s magic made for an entertaining story. Unfortunately, the quieter moments fell flat. Also, Wanda’s hair constantly being in starry mode looks rather sloppy and distracting.