Comments on Sabrina #80

I never expected to see something this mature or deep in a comic published by Archie. Which isn't a slam, it's just that the company has made a name for itself by doing simple (though not all the times simplistic) stories that are done in one and very rarely thought of again.

Yet Tania Del Rio has brought a depth to the series and if it proves successful perhaps even line, that it hasn't had before.

In this issue Sabrina gets warned about breaking the rules for underage magic, which makes one of her aunts who is running for a seat on the magic council look bad by reflection. Sabrina takes the situation she's put in to heart, though as with any teen she isn't happy with the extra responsibility being placed on her shoulders by others.

Meanwhile her potential love interest from the magical world, Shinji, decides to take his pursuit of her interest to the next level by asking her on a date.

Sabrina's interest in Shinji seems to be because he has a slightly edgier side to him, than her human love interest Harvey who is more grounded. The fact that being a wizard himself, and thus she doesn't have to hide a part of who she is from him helps as well.

That edgier attitude leads to problems on the date though, leaving Sabrina to have to face a problem all teens at one time or another has to face. Doing what she know is the right thing to do, or going along with others in order to be seen as cool.

This is a good message for a series that reaches the potential audience this book can to deal with. The creators do a great job of not being preachy, or making things so clean cut goody goody that the meaning gets lost as the audience rolls its eyes.

I'm also impressed by how many subplots Tania has weaved into the series when she first started, to even more introduced this issue that won't pay off until later ones. Which is simply unheard of from the Archie books which are not known for continuous stories or having any form of continuity.

If you have never been interested in Archie's brand of comics because in some ways they are interchangeable. Than this is the series to try, as it has the potential to be a run that will not be soon forgotten and could leave lasting impacts on the line as a whole.