The girls are back in town! Season 9 of Charmed continues in the pages of this graphic novel from Zenescope. Follow along everyone's favorite trio of witches as Paige, Phoebe, and Piper continue their adventures from the hit TV series.
Paul Ruditis also writes under the name P.J. Ruditis.
I was born and raised in Philadelphia where I lived a typical childhood with a far more interesting fantasy life. I mean, how many other eight year olds were sticking their Star Wars action figures in Ziploc bags filled with water and putting them in the freezer to recreate the ice planet of Hoth? (Really? That many? Never mind.)
After college, I moved to Los Angeles and was very lucky to get a job as a page at Paramount Pictures only months after I got into town. I worked as a tour guide and usher, and I performed temp office work around the lot. Eventually, I took a position working in the studio's licensing department where I quickly worked my way up to middle management.
After a while, one of my friends in the publishing industry offered me the opportunity to write a Buffy, The Vampire Slayer short story for a collection she was editing. Well, when I heard how little money I could make as a writer, I immediately quit my job to try it full time. (Stupid, I know, but it kind of worked for me.)
I started out by writing books based on such wonderful TV shows as Star Trek, Roswell, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. I have since written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, adding The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break to that ever growing list.
While I continue to work on these media tie-ins, I have also been focused more on my own original fiction, including my teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style.
Wow! This volume was actually really fun to read and featured some pretty solid corrections of the original plot holes. And my my, what a plot twist at the end! I’m excited like a 12 year old me!
Mini review time! I liked the art of this one a lot better, though it still doesn't seem to be consistent. I'm focusing more on the stories rather than the art (although I still have trouble telling a few of the men apart depending on the angle they're drawn). I was sad that the show ended because it was one of my favorites, but I love being able to come back to it like this. I love how the story of the sisters is advancing. They still have to deal with magic, of course, but I'm really enjoying reading how they're dealing with life stuff as well. I also think the comics allow for the stories to branch out more than they were able to in the show. I'm loving the details on Henry and Coop. I liked them in the show but they weren't given as much screen time in the show as Leo was. I'm glad I get to read about them now.
I'm definitely going to continue reading the comics until I've read all the published pieces! I'm continuing to recommend it for fans of Charmed.
It seems with each new one I read that we get to see characters from the show which I like. Again Piper is running into Cole and there is some mysterious stuff going on there. There is a little something on Prue. We get to see Kyle again, and of course the Charmed ones are going through their hectic lives as always. We also get to see a part where Pheobe in one of the shows is going to kill a baseball player, we now get to see the outcome of that past episode now in here. I am glad I am reading this and learning a little bit more that went on after the show. Same old same old.
Marvelous story! Action packed and full of the charmed magic! I love how they capture the esense of the characters and all the references to the show! 5 stars!
Phoebe has a flashback to her future vision where she kills the baseball player Cal Greene and gets murdered by the stake since her witch powers have been discovered. Her friend Mika is dating Cal and Phoebe has to discover what he does to prevent him from hurting an innocent. She finds out the truth, but to prevent her vision from happening she can’t kill him and chooses to expose the truth instead.
Piper is about to open her new restaurant and her little girl Melinda is moving things by orbing it everywhere. Paige and Leo go ‘up there’ to talk with the Elders. They find Kyle as an Elder; he answers their questions and mentions that things have changed quite a lot. They have new Elders and a new system. A Darklighter named Rennek has been killing Whitelighters and vampires.
Paige saves a baby from a sudden attack. She decides to adopt him and call him Henry Junior (a human boy). We find out that Neena is actually a witch working with demons. Leo explains to the girls that she’s actually the very first witch. She is the reason that there is good and evil in the world. She had a lover in the higher realm. They had two children, a good witch daughter and a warlock son. Piper is trapped in a dimension she doesn’t belong to. Cole offers her an apple that is her only escape, if only she could trust him.
Neena and her demon minions are ‘up there’ trying to open the gates to the Elders quarters. Rennek captures Leo and Kyle is killed. Paige has no choice but to open the door for Neena. Once she gets in the gates, Neena finds the energy balls of good and evil to merge them together. Paige gets killed… but it’s not her time yet. She finds herself somewhere with Kyle and he tells her that they need to get her spirit back to her body.
Phoebe is terribly worries about her sisters. She has to find a way to communicate with them telepathically. Paige gets the help from as many Warren Witches as possible to help with the battle against Neena and her minions. Piper and Paige find their way back to the manor to help Phoebe to take down whatever Neena’s plans are. The Warren Witches, the Charmed Ones, the Elders and the Whitelighters fight off the evil ‘up there’. Neena tries to explain her plan for a better world, where there are no prophecies, the elders don’t control people’s destinies and where her children can have free will. She also wants to be reunited with her former lover.
The girls save the day with their helpers. They bind Neena’s powers so that she will no longer be a threat. Leo becomes some kind of an angel… They separate the huge purple energy ball to put it back into 2 balls of good and evil. The angels of destiny banish Neena to a place she will never escape. For six months out of the year she will be reunited with her lover.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This series just keeps getting better and better! The art in this is so beautiful and I love how the graphics combine both the features of the various actors from the show with the artist's own spin, making this graphic novel series both connected and separated from the TV series. I just can't get enough!
You'd think with the Source of all Evil dead for the umpteenth time the Charmed Ones would be able to live a peaceful life. How wrong you are. A new source of underworld power is on the rise, but this one is unlike anything they've ever seen before. Phoebe comes face to face with the Cal Greene, the man she once saw herself killing in the future, and she must discover whether he has changed in this future. Paige and Henry adopt an orphaned baby boy, naming him Henry Junior. Piper discovers that Melinda has Whitelighter abilities despite the fact that Leo had had his wings clipped before she had been conceived. Leo is offered in wings back by the new Elders in order to protect the Charmed Ones from the return of the Darklighter Rennek. And two old faces return, both on their own, very separate, paths in order to help the Charmed Ones. But all this pales in comparison to the battle that they face, a battle which requires calling on the entire Warren line.
This volume was epic! The twists and turns in the story I was not expecting but I loved where the story went. I again really enjoyed the pieces of Charmed history that were woven into the story and how it all fitted together perfectly.
The artwork continues to be amazing, especially for the battle scenes. The battle scenes in particular were written in such a way that I would actually love to see how they would play out on the silver screen. Again, I laughed out loud in several parts throughout the book because the characters are, as I said in my previous review, exactly how I remember and know them. Nothing has changed with the entire series, it's just being told through a new medium.
I really enjoyed how the story played out and I'm excited to see where it goes from here, especially considering the cliffhanger we are left on - I did not see that coming at all!
Again, this volume just felt like coming home and I can't wait to power through the rest of season nine and ten. Please go pick these graphic novels up because, if you are a Charmed fan, you won't regret it!
Loved it even more this re-read. Neena is by far my favourite Charmed villain and this volume really makes me understand her as a character and a villain.
The artwork is pretty inconsistent as there are around 3-4 artists covering the 7 issues of this arc but all of the character likenesses were recognisable for the most part and each artist brought their own unique take on what Charmed could look like.
The plot was brilliant and took the Charmed mythos to new heights while bringing back old faces fans will appreciate. The sisters once again had their own personal stories that ran alongside the overarching plot that really showcase who the Charmed Ones are.
If I was to criticise anything it would be the dialogue again. Sometimes it can be a bit stilted but for the most part I can hear each character's voice.
THAT CLIFFHANGER THOUGH. The first time I read those frames I was gagged.
I love this!!! I'm so glad that there is a season 9 for the Charmed ones!!! I was really devastated when the series finale was aired years ago. I still watch the re-runs though...
Nice twist...Kyle an elder...Leo some kind of an angel just not sure what category he belongs... Prue was reborn...and most important of all, Cole is technically back and working with the dead Warren/Halliwell witches (Penny and Patty) to find Prue for his redemption!
Cole is one of the characters I loved in this series, no matter how evil he was he still loved Phoebe and they almost proved "that love conquers all"...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The writing was pretty good but this book was ruined with the art. For some reason they felt the need to draw each person different in every chapter/issue. Sometimes the faces almost looked unhuman.
Reading this is like bringing the 90's all over again!
I probably should have read Volume 1 again before moving on to Volume 2 but that's just me. But from what I remember in the first volume is that the stories were self-contained and didn't have much of an overall arc that this second volume had. That alone makes it one of the better reads for me. And also why stories with an arc that spans several individual comic issues are always best read in graphic novel format.
In this second volume, we continue to see our favorite Charmed Ones, Piper, Phoebe, and Paige balance their normal lives with their magical lives, i.e. Magical Heritage. The bad guys will always come and concoct a Master Plan to better their own lives, regardless of the cost.
No different from the big bad in this issue who we are introduced to as Neena?
Doesn't sound formidable right?
No, but she is and had her plan succeeded, it would've been merely to serve her own needs and leave her partners to the spoils of war.
Don't want to spoil, but the entire issue reads like it could be expanded and adapted into a complete season of the show or at least half of the season until something bigger comes along. That is if the original show is still airing.
But with the new incarnation of the show over the CW, none of that is obviously going to happen and I haven't tried watching the new one either. I'm not saying that I won't but let's just say I'm not in a hurry to watch it in spite it being renewed for a second season.
So if you're missing the original Charmed Ones, well they are back for as long as you read this volume and the one before. I have Volume 3 somewhere on my shelves. I just need to look for it and take it down to read.
Charmed Season 9 Volume 2 PLOT: The main story is the battle of the Charmed Ones with the help of Leo, and Coop, with the cameo of Cole, between the first witch, ever created Neena.
CRITICISMS: Again the artwork is TERRIBLE! Seriously they need to find a much better artist and as the issues continue I hope they do. If someone would have submitted this artwork to me I would have took one look at it, laughed, (in a sarcastic way like what the hell) and fired them on the spot
MY THOUGHTS: Charmed Season 9 Volume 2 is issues 7-12 of the continuation of the TV show Charmed. The main storyline isn't the one I found most interesting. The storyline I found most interesting comes to play at the end of the issues and that's the absence of Prue, whose soul is said to have been reborn. Ending with the goal and task of Cole to seek this out and find Prue. Which wouldn't it be kind of futile to seek out someone you know that's reborn into someone else? How would they even recognize or acknowledge you? So I'm very curious to find out in who and where Prue's soul has settled and if Cole will be successful enough so ill keep reading (if I can come across more of the issues).
RATE: Because of the cliffhanger and because I really wanna know what happens next I'll give this Volume a higher rating than the other. I'll give it 6 stars
This volume was so good. The story was elevated. It did what was needed.
We got some familiar faces I missed. Elise!! Love her. Plus that first issue addressed the Cal Greene future that Phoebe once saw and it was handled in the best way possible. The holes there were addressed in a way that was satisfying for me. I am shocked by how great this worked.
The big bad was a little bit justified and that made her extreme measures kind of more fun to follow. Still upset with how it was set up in the first volume but Neena was amazing in this.
I love seeing their kids coming into their powers. I love seeing our charmed one's powers elevating. These new powers are great. I love it.
Henry and Paige's relationship issues and how he struggles with being a human surrounded by magic. Amazing. Loved it. Didn't know I would but was here for it.
I'd love a series following the kids in the future. Just something I realized right now. Especially Phoebe and Coop's kids. Half cupid half witch. I wanna see how that works. Someone do this.
I liked that each chapter focused on a different little story about one of the sister and did enjoy the battle in the end. I loved how they brought back the Cal Green story line from season two and mended that future, but the Needa story line was a disjointed. Even after they explained who she was I was still confused about who she was and what she wanted to do, so even though I liked the final battle I didn't have much stake in it. The Paige story line was weird too, with her adopting the baby. Seemed very rushed and out of nowhere. I did enjoy the little glimpse into the fact that the mom and grandma are still lying to the girls about Pru.
I was happy to see how this volume evolved from the previous one. I thought the art was better and the story was growing. It still had the feel of Charmed, and the story reflected on one if my main problems with the show: all the prophecies. I'm glad they did as they did in this story.
I'm not such a big fan of the whole Prue thing going on, though. I knew it was coming, but hoped it wouldn't be before S 10, but oh well. Maybe it's not so bad...
4.5 I really enjoyed this volume as well. Again I had issues with the art style changing between chapters (though overall these panels held a closer liking to the TV show charmed ones) as well as how they would whitewash Neena, I just didn't understand that. The plot was great and the characters felt so much like home, I can't wait to see where this goes.
A marked improvement over volume 1. The artwork was easier to follow with better renditions of characters in most issues. Henry, Kyle and Phoebe were still hard to identify in most. The story was more engaging with an issue devoted to each sister followed by a few continuing the season story arc of the first witch’s plot.
Impressed how well I could picture this being the actual television show. It made me quite nostalgic. I'm a bit upset this couldn't have been apart of the show because that cliff hanger ending was WOW.
The second volume of Charmed Season 9, with the villain introduced in the previous installment, but way more action-packed. Some interesting information about Prue was also provided and can't wait to see how they handle this in the next volumes.
I won't get tired of these girls, ever. Every issue is better than the past one, and things just keep getting wilder! There's more magic in this series, either in the comics or the TV show.