Charmed: Season 9, Volume 1

I didn't get this for myself, mostly because I was beginning to hate the series towards its end. (If you've got some time, go to Television Without Pity and read their recaps. I pretty much echo their sentiments.) However, my girlfriend liked it, so I got this as a gift for her and then just read it after she finished it.

A year (or thereabouts) after the Season 8 finale, all three witches now have kids, some who are already demonstrating their powers. Meanwhile, a pair of demons is working behind the scenes to resurrect the Source of All Evil (yes, again).

The story is pretty standard Charmed, following the pattern and pacing of most episodes, where the immediate problem is cleanly solved once a certain hurdle is jumped, and the season-wide plot advances in the background. The dialog isn't bad, but a lot of the attempts at humor fall flat.

The art is a mixed bag. While the actual quality of the art degrades as the book goes on, the distinctions between the characters become more obvious. I realize comic book work can't mirror the individual actors all the time, but each person has some distinct visual features (Rose McGowan's chin, Alyssa Milano's eyes and smile, etc.), and the artist needs to bring those out so the reader doesn't have to rely on the dialog to identify who's in the panel.

If you legitimately liked the series and can get past the artwork, this will probably appeal to you. If you weren't a fan or lost interest in the series, there isn't much here to justify bringing you back in.

Available at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, and Books-A-Million.

Title: Charmed: Season 9, Volume 1
Authors: Paul Ruditis and Raven Gregory
Artists: Dave Hoover, Marcio Abreu, and Milen Parvanov
Year: 2011
Pages: 144