Chilling Adventures of Sabrina


Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an American comic book series published by Archie Horror, an imprint of Archie Comics, beginning in 2014. The series is a darker take on the characters and setting of Sabrina the Teenage Witch. It is written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, with art by Robert Hack, and is inspired by the appearances of Sabrina in Aguirre-Sacasa's other Archie series, Afterlife with Archie.

Publication history

Due to the positive reception of Afterlife with Archie #6, which centered on Sabrina, a solo series starring her was announced in June 2014. The first issue was released in October 2014. The series went on a six-month hiatus before returning in April 2015 under the new Archie Horror imprint.
Though the two series are described as "companion series" and share several characters, they are each set in their own reality and are not directly related to one another. In issue #8, Sabrina experiences a vision of the Afterlife with Archie versions of herself and Jughead Jones, suggesting some connection between the two continuities. While the show maintains a vintage aesthetic the use of contemporaneous technology shows that it is firmly set in the modern day.
The title is based on a 1972 anthology series, Chilling Adventures in Sorcery As Told By Sabrina, in which Sabrina narrated serious horror tales drawn in the Archie style. That book only lasted two issues, and was rebooted in 1973 by Archie's imprint Red Circle Comics as Chilling Adventures in Sorcery, minus Sabrina and the company's traditional cartooning style.

Story arcs

Volume 1: The Crucible (issues 1–5)

Half-witch Sabrina lives with her witch aunts, Hilda and Zelda, her warlock cousin Ambrose, and Salem, her feline familiar, in the town of Greendale. Nearing her sixteenth birthday, she must choose whether to become a full witch or pursue a mortal life with her boyfriend, Harvey Kinkle. Meanwhile, Madam Satan, a former flame of Sabrina's estranged father has returned from Hell and wants revenge on the Spellman family.

Volume 2: Witch-War (issues 6– )

Sabrina’s father, Edward Spellman, is mysteriously back among the living, masquerading as a resurrected Harvey. Hilda and Zelda warn Sabrina about the consequences of necromancy, but Sabrina protects "Harvey" against their attempts to send him back to the grave. Edward begins to wonder who could’ve helped Sabrina engage in such powerful magic.

Characters

Main

The series also alludes to and features fictionalized versions of numerous real-world figures, namely Rudyard Kipling, Ann-Margret, Aleister Crowley, Giles Corey, John, Benjamin, William, and Elizabeth Proctor, Abigail Williams, Reverend Parris, Mercy Lewis, Sorcar, and Alphonse Louis Constant.
Fictional characters from other media appear as well such as Martin Coslaw, Miss Lovett, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, Steven Marcato, and the Three Witches. Figures from demonology include Baphomet, Yan-gant-y-tan, Volac, Beelzebub, Fur-Fur, Cerbere, Ba-El, Empusa, and Stolas.
In addition to Betty and Veronica, several other characters from Archie Comics appear briefly including Archie Andrews, Jughead Jones, Chuck Clayton, Reggie Mantle, Dilton Doiley, Mr. Weatherbee, Nancy Woods, Hot Dog, and Pop Tate.

Reception

The first two issues sold out. Comic Book Resources called it "a surprisingly successful little horror sub-imprint" and "that Aguirre-Sacasa and Hack have created a horror comic that would work well even if it wasn't attached to the iconic 'Sabrina.'" while The Mary Sue said that it was "a refreshing change of pace for a story we all think we know already." IGN gave the first issue an 8.9 out of 10 calling it "something that fans of Afterlife and horror in general will be wanting more of by issue’s end." Comics Alliance called it "a pretty incredible accomplishment" saying that "in a time when we’re getting some fantastic horror comics on the stands, Sabrina might just be the best of the bunch."

Television adaptation

In December 2017, a live-action adaptation of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, produced by Warner Bros. Television and Berlanti Productions, with Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Lee Toland Krieger, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and Jon Goldwater as executive producers, was picked up by the online streaming service Netflix for a two-season order. Filming took place in Vancouver. The series stars Kiernan Shipka as Sabrina Spellman, Jaz Sinclair as Rosalind Walker, Michelle Gomez as Mary Wardwell / Madam Satan, Chance Perdomo as Ambrose Spellman, Lucy Davis as Hilda Spellman, Miranda Otto as Zelda Spellman, Richard Coyle as Father Blackwood, Ross Lynch as Harvey Kinkle, and Tati Gabrielle as Prudence. The first part of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina was released worldwide on Netflix on October 26, 2018, the second part was released on April 5, 2019, and the third part was released on January 24, 2020.