Hexes Of The Heart: ‘Scarlet Witch’ #10 Review

Wanda Maximoff found a new life and purpose through helping others.  Unfortunately, she might need a bit of help herself. A darker and harsher power is ready to tear it all down and might spell the end of the Scarlet Witch.

It all comes down to this, as Scarlet Witch #10 brings a close to this limited series which helped rebirth an Avenger. A powerful tale delivered by Steve Orlando, Sara Pichelli, Frank William, and Cory Petit.

I’ve been on board with this series since issue one, and really since it was announced. Wanda Maximoff has been one of my favorite characters for a long time. How Marvel treated her for years, using her trauma to turn her villainous, while casting her aside for many years didn’t sit well with me. So when X-Men: The Trial Of Magneto rehabilitated her and brought her back to hero status, I knew we were in for a good ride.

Thankfully, even though this is the final issue, we know that more is on the way with the recently announced Scarlet Witch And Quicksilver series from most of the same team listed above.

While overall this feels a bit quick, it’s a solid, emotional, and fitting ending. The last issue was a deeper montage in order to speed up to this point of the final battle and betrayal. Here we get a pretty compelling battle between Wanda and the Hexfinder, with both getting their big hits in. At the center is the battle that Joseph wages internally between wanting to stay alive (which Hexfinder controls) and wanting to be his own person on a path to redemption finally.

Hero wins out. Orlando has done a very solid job in this small amount of space really moving Joseph forward as a character. Unfortunately, that forward also comes with death (or does it?) again, but I’m glad we spent more time with one of my favorite characters. Sorry, what can I say, I sort of really came on board X-Men as a youth during the “Operation Zero Tolerance” era.

While I’ve really enjoyed Lorenzo Tammetta’s time on the series and can’t wait to see him draw the follow-up series, I’m glad Pichelli got to close this out. It was her work that opened the series and it’s more than fitting to bring it full circle.

Not only is Pichelli’s work so deep and detailed, it’s also the perfect level of fluid for these magical battles. It all moves around as if on its own, drawing us deeper into space. Much of that comes from the keen panel layout choices, allowing the art to shift and breathe as needed. It exists in that space between the grounded and the whimsical, exuding the right levels of superhero/fantastical energy. Pairing it with William’s colors adds some more weight to it all.

Just like the artwork, the colors bridge the gap. Overall, they are very toned down, to a level that some might call normal. There’s a sense that things feel just like they do in the real world. Set pieces, buildings, and the like, are very naturally colored. This allows the magical, hero, villain, and other fantastical elements to be just a bit more vibrant so they stand out as they should.

With an origin story and villain monologuing, alongside the emotional struggle, there are a ton of words to get out here. In some spaces, it’s even more than a ton. Pettit though always makes it work and flow, never overwhelming. Infusing every word with the right energy and power to allow us to glide through the story, alongside the compelling artwork. Much of the bubbles, font, and such are more straightforward this time but still carry the voices and personalities of the characters so smoothly.

Scarlet Witch #10 is now available from Marvel Comics.