Witch & Wizard starts with the end, a family waiting to be hung at the gallows, followed by an explanation of how they all got there. Whit Allgood and his sister Wisty are normal teenagers, living with their parents and their lives are completely uneventful. Until, one night when they are woken up by armed police storming into their home and taking them away. The police are part of the New Order, who literally took power overnight, and their enemies are witches and wizards. Unluckily and unbeknownst to then, Whit is a wizard and Wisty is a very powerful witch. The siblings are placed in a prison, with other kids that are suspected of having magical powers. They are told they will never see their parents again, and a trial is imminent. At the trial they are sentenced to death at age 18, until then they are incarcerated. Their time in prison is deplorable. Whit begins seeing the ghost of Celia, his girlfriend who died, and she breaks Whit and Wisty out of prison. Once they are out of prison, they meet other children with powers and together they rescue the children still imprisoned. The ruler of the New Order, The One That Is The One, catches up with Whit and Wisty, and informs them that they are part of a prophecy and must be destroyed.
Witch & Wizard is an adaptation of a novel by the same name. The story is quick paced and full of action right from the get go. Chmakova’s illustrations are fluid and add depth and dimension to the story. Being as it started from the end and comes full circle, it feels as though not much progression has been made in the story, especially with the nonsensical and glaring cliff hanger. However, there are more volumes to come and all the pressing questions about Whit, Wisty and their family are assumed to be answered soon enough. The series of novels already has a following, so this series will find a nice home in developed and popular graphic novel collections, or where James Patterson titles are already popular.
Witch & Wizard, Volume 1
by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet
Art by Svetlana Chmakova
ISBN: 9780316119894
Yen Press, 2011
Publisher Age Rating: Teen
