Spellbinders: Signs and Wonders

by Mike Carey, Mike Perkins (Illustrator)

When fifteen-year-old Kim Vesco moves from Chicago to Salem, MA, she finds that the local student body is divided into rival factions of witches and non-witches, with both sides bidding for her allegiance. And if that weren't enough, an unknown force seems to want her...dead! Between the tribal loyalties of the schoolyard and the brutal, fight-or-die logic of the mage-war, Kim has to steer a course that will keep her alive until she can take the fight back to her enemy and reveal the true identity of someone she thought she already knew: herself.

COLLECTING: SPELLBINDERS 1-6

Genres: Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Paranormal, Comic Book

144 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Mike Carey was born in Liverpool in 1959. He worked as a teacher for fifteen years, before starting to write comics. When he started to receive regular commissions from DC Comics, he gave up the day job.

Since then, he has worked for both DC and Marvel Comics, writing storylines for some of the world's most iconic characters, including X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, LUCIFER and HELLBLAZER. His original screenplay FROST FLOWERS is currently being filmed. Mike has also adapted Neil Gaiman's acclaimed NEVERWHERE into comics.

Somehow, Mike finds time amongst all of this to live with his wife and children in North London. You can read his blog at www.mikecarey.net.

Reviews

[Lissibith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm was excited for this, and it was... okay, I guess. Not badly written, but very quickly paced and with fairly flat characters and in the end it was like a more soulless version of similar high school magic cliques stories (which is saying something when you consider how soulless many of them already were). There's a lot that just doesn't make sense (Are the teachers aware of the magic? Is it an accepted thing?) and most of the rest felt like it would have been better with a bit more time to develop it. The plot just sort of plows from one event to the next with no real sense of building or cohesion, just a massive GOGOGO!!!!!! mentality. If there is more, I don't think I'll be checking it out.

[Honora Quinn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Okay so I know I highly rate things basically all the time but I loved this. This was really unlike anything I've read from Marvel before. The cast of this book was made up of completely new characters. It was quite similar to some ya plots I've seen/read about a girl from out of town ends up being the most important person and the only one who can save the day. But that doesn't mean I didn't love it. To be honest the story was more of an ensemble book that just a solo pov of Kim Vesco. The story really went from 1-100 quite fast and I liked the slowly building subplot, which ended up paying off. I could say more but I don't want to spoil anything. While I feel like it is sort of unlikely at this point, since it's been almost 15 years since this came out, I do hope that we will get to see some or any of these characters again in any of upcoming and currently running series (Strange Academy?? come on that would be awesome!!) and while it did take me a while to completely fall for this series I felt like all of the plot lines ended up paying off in the end with the open-endedness of possibly more. Anyways check it out, I did not regret it!

[Simon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Imagine Mike Carey set out to write Twilight set in the DC verse.

It's precisely as bad as you are imagining.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was hoping to find a comic here similar in quality to Runaways, but found that this story fell flat. The dialogue seemed like it wasn't genuine "teen speak" but was instead trying too hard to be edgy or hip. The characters were barely developed so the story used the cliche of popular vs. unpopular or "blank" vs. "wick" (magically gifted). The irony is all the characters were blanks because they didn't have any depth- basically they had a physical look and maybe one characteristic and then a type of magic. Many of the characters didn't even use typical archetypes- they were just a black chick who can turn into a bat or a kind of punk looking chick who can do protection magic, etc. yes, the plotline is only 6 issues but I've seen shorter series do a better job of developing characters. I was really surprised to find that this same author has written some if my fav comics (lucifer, for example). My guess is that Marvel felt the need to pander to teens with this title instead of trusting that by presenting realistic teen characters that teens would relate to it and purchase it. Sadly, this was a big disappointment.

[Kristen Northrup · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fine. Lent by a friend who was into Buffy and Angel and I suspect this was very similar. I mean, it's high school magicians. The art was hit or miss in that the characters were well (realistically!) drawn but the action sequences were difficult to follow. No unexpected plot twists but nothing ridiculous either. I've really liked some of Carey's other stuff. Magic teenagers just isn't really my thing.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had the potential to be really good. I like Carey's writing style, and the set up - magical and non-magical cliques of students in a high school - seemed enjoyable enough, if a little poppy.

As for the end result ... well, it's not that it was *bad*, just that it didn't really live up to the potential of its concept.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like a mini-manga GN, and it presents new territory - witches and non-witches in Salem, Mass. Which y'all know I loves me a good urban fantasy/witchy fiction. I look forward to more of these, and may even want to buy them.

Update:: I think that the series ended after this, though. :( Boo.

[Jeane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was alright to pass the time but really the art work wasn't great, the story was not very straight forward. The characters weren't even very likable. I wouldn't purchase another book in the series, but I might pick it up again if it's in my library.

[Sarah Brandel · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book really didn't have anything to set it apart. Didn't continue with the series.

[Gord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than I anticipated. I was thinking this would be a Charm ripoff but its original with lots of fresh ideas in the Wiccan world of Marvel.

[Hillary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are you a wick or a blank?

[Christie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story wasn't terribly spectacular to me, but I still enjoyed it. I love the artwork and the story does have the potential to be better. It's a shame it didn't continue.

[InfiniteLibrary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sad there's no more really - the series had a lot of potential!

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've only gotten through the first volume of six, but it was a good, interesting start. Hopefully I can get a hold of the other five and see how the rest of it is.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, but there could have been more to the story. It felt a bit underdeveloped.