[WIP]

About

W.I.T.C.H. is an Italian comic book series created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa, and published by Disney that ran from 2001 to 2012. The series, following five teenage girls as they are chosen to become mystical guardians, spawned a small media franchise including novels, an animated television series, among other related works.

Premise

Set in the town of Heatherfield, the story centers on teenagers Wilhelmina "Will" Vandom, Irma Lair, Taranee Cook, Cornelia Hale, and Hay Lin, as they are picked to become the new Guardians of Kandrakar, who protect the center of the universe and the mystic veil from evil. Each guardian has control over the four classical elements and energy, with Irma controlling water, Taranee controlling fire, Cornelia controlling earth, Hay Lin controlling air, and Will controlling energy (named Quintessence in the show) along with having the title of Keeper of the Heart of Kandrakar, the source of their powers.

History

W.I.T.C.H. was created by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa, and published by Disney Italy. The first issue of the comic was released in April 2001 and comprises of 11 different arcs spanning across 139 main issues. Accompanying that were also 16 special issues. The comic officially ended in October of 2012 after 11 years of publication.

In 2017, publisher Yen Press announced a reprint of the comics with new translations as W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel. The first installments were released on October 31st of that year which compiled the first story arc and following every 4 months would be a new release.

An animated television series was produced by SIP Animation which aired on Jetix internationally and on Toon Disney in the US. The series ran for two 26 episode seasons from 2004 to 2006 and loosely adapted the comic's first two story arcs.

Reception

The comic was received generally positively. On Goodreads, all 139 primary issues maintain an average 4-star rating. The TV series was also generally regarded positively, with a 7.1/10 rating from over 2000 users on IMDb. Toonzone(now known as Anime Superhero) reviewed the show and called it a "Promising Start for Jetix"^[3] While the New YorkTimes found it to appeal to both genders.^[4]

Fandom

On Deviantart, the show nets a result of over 18,000 results for fan content.

Search Interest

External References

^[1]

^[2]

^[3] Anime Superhero – ""W.I.T.C.H. Premiere a Promising Start for Jetix

^[4] New York Times – FOR YOUNG VIEWERS; Growing Up Galactic