W.I.T.C.H. Part I: The Twelve Portals, Vol. 2

W.I.T.C.H. Graphic Novels #2

by Elisabetta Gnone (Created by), Alessandro Barbucci (Comic art direction), Barbara Canepa (Comic art direction)

The new Guardians pursue their mission to close the twelve portals to Metamoor that threaten their world. When the prediction that they will be betrayed by someone close to them comes to pass, though, can the W.I.T.C.H. girls pull together, or will they come apart at the seams...?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Graphic Novels Comics, Manga, Childrens

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2017

About the author

Elisabetta Gnone is an Italian writer. In April 2001, she co-created the Italian comic/magazine W.I.T.C.H. with Alessandro Barbucci and Barbara Canepa. The publication was later made into the television series of the same name. Gnone also wrote the children's trilogy Fairy Oak: Il segreto delle gemelle (The Secret of the Twins), L'incanto del buio (The Spell of Darkness), and Il potere della luce (The Power of Light). She expanded the Fairy Oak Universe with four more books, "The four mysteries": "Captain Grisam's love", "Shirley's wizarding days", "Flox smiles in autumn", and "Good-bye Fairy Oak".

information taken from wikipedia.com

Reviews

[Starlah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This series was such a fun part of my childhood! And while I thoroughly enjoy re-reading these, this volume wasn't perfect.

The inconsistency. In the show, (I'm pretty sure) the girls needed Will to transform, and in this series, it seems like the same sometimes, but then there will also be times some of them transform without her. I'm not sure which is true which is why this is inconsistent.

Along with the inconsistency, there were times the story felt rushed and lacked enough explanation to fully grasp what was going on. I feel like I still got through it well enough because of my previous knowledge of the story, but in this volume, it wasn't good enough on its own.

This volume had FILLERS ?? I didn't realize until after I finished it, but there totally was.

We finally met Caleb! But wow ... Cornelia X Caleb was so dull in this. The show did it way better. I think it would have been better if the introduced it earlier.

And lastly, much of the same of my critiques in the first volume, namely that I'm a little uncomfortable with a few panels that seem to unnecessarily sexualize the girls who are canonically 12-13, maybe one is 14.

Overall, still enjoyed it! Definitely plan on continuing with the next volume. I love the characters and the magic and can usually ignore the issues while reading because of my nostalgia, but I still think it's important to be aware of them.

[Hólmfríður Bjarnardóttir]

Ég er ekkert að grínast með þetta nostalgíukast. Ætla að lesa þær allar (nema nostalgíukastið endi meðan ég bíð eftir bókasendingu). Ég vildi alltaf vera Will og fannst mjög pirrandi að vera líkust Corneliu. Hvaða Witch vildir þú vera?

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

that one storyline just wrapped up so quick i blinked and it was over hahahah

[Anniken Haga · Rating 4 out of 5]

And the trip down memory lane continues!
This collection of the W. I. T. C. H.-volumes contain my favorite volume of this entire arc.
# 8, THE BLACK ROSES.
I don't know, but I've always loved that volume.

The only reason this one doesn't get a 5/5 rating, is because some places the dialog seemed forced.
I will admit, I hate that I notice these things now...

[Bookarune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved how the story goes! I can't wait to know more Phobos and Elyon's past !

[Alaska · Rating 5 out of 5]

vale parece que dos de mis comics equivalen a un volumen de esto. anyways menos mal que no leí esto en su día porque sinceramente sería más melodramática de lo que ya soy... Cornelia bestie eres insoportable pero I get u anyways

[daria ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i decided to do a bit of a throwback and revisited the iconic magical girl gang of my childhood aka W.I.T.C.H. ✨

https://youtu.be/sWxYq8UjfZo

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even better than the first one 🥰

[Emily Dubovsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars- I didn’t love it quite as much as the first volume but it was still really fun :3 I love the art direction

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Niektóre tropy są strasznie frustrujące (np. "nie odpowiemy na żadne wasze pytania, rozgryźcie to same"), ale wciąż czyta się sympatycznie.

[sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

i can feel my inner child being healed

[Panda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this! The Meridian comics have always been my favourites.

[Hannah Belyea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Will and the girls are beginning to come into their new powers as Guardians of Metamoor, but as they face family dilemmas, rebellions on the other side of the portals, and Elyon's confusion about her place in the world, will their abilities be able to keep their team together? Gnone will excite fans with this fast-paced entry that is packed full of twists. Could it be that the Guardians are already falling apart?!

[Mirjam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I wish Caleb could have had more screentime. Otherwise I still love this. I may not be objective due to nostalgia, but I just adore the art style, the colours and the story isn't so bad either.

[Elizabeth Laskin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting my childhood via stories I still know by heart panel to panel.
Great story, even greater artwork, still exciting to read in 2022, hasn't aged a day.

[~Cyanide Latte~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a good, quick little pick-me-up to revisit that it's honestly helped me combat a reading slump I was starting to stare down. A lot of the the original releases for the chapters in this book were published here in the states years ago as either much shorter comics or as short chapter books. My sister owned the majority of the chapter books for the first arc of the series, which is what I am familiar with, so getting to see the actual comics for the first time, and in this omnibus format, is so nice and gratifying.

Going through this just sort of reinforces the fact that rather than really getting attached to any one of the five main girls, my favorite character remains Elyon. Everything about her character growth and the way she develops is nicely done for a series of children's comics aimed at girls in early middle school, and the complexity of the issues surrounding both her, Prince Phobos, and Meridian overall are just really nice to revisit and see. I feel like W.I.T.C.H. often gets ignored or overlooked by a lot of people, either for the anime-influenced art style or the Magical Girl genre or just for the sake of its target demographic, when it really has a pretty decent plot and good themes.

And honestly, I really do appreciate how much the series continues to show us the rest of the everyday life and family drama each of our main girls has to endure (well okay, let's be real, 75% of it is just Will and her respective drama with Matt and with her mom,) and how they tackle those issues over time in addition to being Guardians of the Veil. Plus, hey, they continue to develop their secondary and tertiary powers and abilities beyond just their main elemental magic, which is always a nice touch to help individualize them! It's really just so nice to see them all fleshed out like this (especially because I feel like that was missing in the cartoon.)

I'm going to have to prioritize picking up the next one soon, because I really love getting back into this series. If this isn't enough to convince you to give it a try, then I don't know what will be.

[Cass (whatcassreads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it! Read it if you're a fan of the show!

Similar to the first volume, I really loved this graphic novel collection! I binged the entire volume in one night and I think it only took me a couple of hours (so approximately 30 minutes per issue).

W.I.T.C.H. Part I: The Twelve Portals, Vol. 2 is a part of the comic’s first arc: The Twelve Portals, and continues the storyline after the first volume. The second volume includes issues 005 to 008 of W.I.T.C.H.:

- Issue 005: The Last Tear
- Issue 006: Illusions and Lies
- Issue 007: One Day You’ll Meet Him
- Issue 008: The Black Roses of Meridian

Since I am watching the show in tandem, I was really excited to read these issues because we finally get to meet all the main protagonists and antagonists that are featured in the show. Unlike the show, not all of the main characters were introduced in the first issue, whereas in the show, we meet all of them in episode 1 (with the exception of the appearance of the Oracle and members of the council of Kandrakar, who first appear in the show’s second season).

As I mentioned in my previous review of the first volume of W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel, although the show’s first season was loosely based off of this arc, Disney produced a storyline that wasn’t entirely regurgitated. In fact, most of the issues’ storylines featured in this volume weren’t used in the show or shown in the same chronological order. The only storyline that was familiar to me was Issue 005: The Last Tear, but even then there were major differences.

While I thoroughly enjoy and am a big fan of the TV show, I am personally enjoying the comics more. The storylines and the chronological order of events just make so much more sense. If you’re a fan of the TV show, I definitely recommend reading the comics!

I read Volume 2 of W.I.T.C.H.: The Graphic Novel for free on KU (Kindle Unlimited).

[Hawraki · Rating 4 out of 5]

كورنيليا شخصية مزعجة، أتمنى أن يُروّضها الحب وتصبح أكثر مراعاةً للمجموعة والآخرين، مُشكِكة في رداء عقلانيّة. لكنّها ليست سيئة على كلٍ، متشبّثة بما تريد وتعرفه.

في خضم كل الأحداث تجد تفرّع واختلاف ظروف حياة فتيات المجموعة، الآن ألتفت لعلاقة ويل مع والدتها وأرى قلة حيلة وتسلط الأم وسوء تواصلها مع الابنة، رغم محاولاتها المستمرة في مصادقة ابنتها في هذا السن الحرج، نجد إنسانيتها وهفواتها وهي تحاول لعب دور الأم، ما يحيّر الإبنة كذلك.

قراءة أو مشاهدة ما كنت تتابعه وأنت طفل أو مراهق يعطيك نظرة مختلفة عن الأمور، إعادة قراءة هذه السلسلة مُثيرة للاهتمام فعلًا.

[Sarah - chaptersindusk · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ✨
So much fun!

[K Whatsherface · Rating 3 out of 5]

We finally got to see caleb!! I knew he was in this less than in the show but still

[Cecilie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nostalgi 😍

[Ruby Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

WOW! My sister brought this home from a little free library and it was less than a day and then I was done. I have the twelth one to read next... sadly. I think I needed a break from lots of words, and the books I am reading are not even trying to pull me back to them so I haven't read for 2 days but this book. This book has NO scary images or anything. I would let an 8 year old read this.

[Camilla Reiersen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m so happy that these comics have been released as graphic novels. It’s been so much fun collecting and reading them again. I read W.I.T.C.H. as a kid, getting a new issue every time they were released in Norway. They were one of my favourite things, and helped shape a lot of my personality. The nostalgia factor for this series is basically as high as for Harry Potter. Being back in this world is so comforting and fun.

Aside from the beautiful nostalgia, I genuinely think the characters are interesting, the plot is good and the world building is fine. If I remember correctly, all of these already good things get even better as the series goes on. My favourite parts are the elemental magic, the girls’ friendship and the found family element. Parts of the story arc could probably have been structured differently to get better pacing and such, but it didn’t hinder my enjoyment in the end.

I also find that I appreciate Cornelia more this time around. I didn’t dislike her or anything when I was younger, but I appreciate her calm logic more than I used to. Hay Lin is still my favourite though haha.

[katharina s · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember I loved Will & Cornelia the most, and I still see why. But I also really really like Hay Lin!

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very nice second volume! Stakes are higher, magic is amazing, friendship to the maximum.

[Tiffany Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part 1 The Twelve Portals Volume 2
Plot: This graphic novel covers the issues “The Last Tear” “Illusions and Lies” “One Day You’ll Meet Him” and “The Black Roses of Meridian”.

My Thoughts: I’ve done reviews on most of these separate issues so in this I’ll talk about the illustrations. GORGEOUSLY DONE AGAIN! This is probably the BEST way to read the issues instead of the chapter books!

The Last Tear
I don’t think I really had a favorite illustration for this one but what stuck out to me about this story was that I liked that it gave a little more of Elyon’s reason why she turned to the dark side than I remember reading in the chapter book-although she might have it’s been so long since I read them-.

Illusions and Lies
This one was very CLEVERLY illustrated. You can see how when Elyon reveals herself at the end that she looks EXACTLY like herself just older and with a different hair style (as the swim instructor). I wondered how I (as well as Will) didn’t pick up on this. But it was just so craftly done to tweak her look but make something be familiar about her at the same time. Will’s mom is absolutely GORGEOUS in any illustration of her we get. I also liked each illustration on 115. I liked the one of Elyon looking around the wall. I liked the one of Tarnee and Irma in the torch lights. I especially liked the library shelf maze and how that was done from our POV looking in at the Guardians. Loved the illustration of Will on 121 extending the Heart of Kandracar to shine on the bad guys! And the way it’s pink glow BURSTS through several panels. (As does the length of her body). This one if probably my favorite illustration of the story of this chapter!

One Day You’ll Meet Him
Both covers with Cornelia and Elyon are NICE! Particularly the one with her in Earth form is EYE POPPING! (Also, a little later in the book of her as well in Guardian form when she faces off with Valtrek)! And OMG this sexy, red, haired, lady that show’s up at Matt’s grandfather’s shop. I’m not at all into ladies but this one has some SEX APPEAL going on! THAT OUTFIT! She looked like she stepped out of the pages of VOUGE! She’d be enough to intimidate ANY woman! And even though we can’t hear it she’s drawn in such a way that you KNOW she has a deep, SULTRY, voice that PURRS! I call that TOP NOTCH art when you can get that based on what you see only! I don’t usually like how Taranee is drawn but the illustration of her on the bed with the phone is VERY cute! As is the one where she and Nigel look at each other. The one of her brother leaning at a angle he shouldn’t be able to lean is kind of amusingly illustrated! LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! Cornelia’s ice-skating look (the hair, the outfit). My FAVORITE illustrations for this chapter! HANDS DOWN! She is absolutely STUNNING with her hair up! And I love the drawing Elyon does on the notebook paper of Caleb. This is probably also my favorite chapter of illustrations! Will’s outfits are adorably illustrated. Again, love the cover of Caleb and Cornelia holding hands! And Will’s imitation of sexy lady. Didn’t notice it was the EXACT same outfit until now! But Will is WORKING IT! And they look like older and younger versions of each other still! The portrait of Elyon’s mother is beautiful! (As is she). Also is the illustration of Cornelia holding the flower as Caleb looks on in the background. HOWEVER, one illustration I wonder about. Is that Phoebus hair sticking out behind him or is that his throne! I’m never quite sure of that. Cause if it is he DEFINITELY needs a haircut!

The Black Roses of Meridan
Liked the illustration of Will invisible. And the blue tones of her trapped in the black rose garden. Basically, overall all her panels in Guardian form make her look beautiful and mature. Yet I was disappointed with this one because to be going to a concert I expected more from the illustrations of what the girls had on. Even though I really liked this arc!

RATING 10. I could be satisfied not even reading this but just flipping through the pages!

[L'Abri des Pages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really nice rediscovery of a series that dates from 2001! Long story short, my sister gifted me Volume 1 for my 8th birthday and since then I have never stopped being a fan. First in the form of a novel, I believe that the comic was released almost at the same time in France. We could find it at the end of the monthly "Witch Mag", with little goodies and other perfect bonuses when we are between primary and middle school. But I guarantee it’s still too cool today! For the most connoisseurs, there was even a cartoon on TV, in a special program for children on Wednesday morning.

It was during my wanderings on this beloved Amazon platform, that I saw that the American editions Yen Press, branch of Disney Comics, are reissuing the series since the end of 2017. The format is super nice because for 10€ (count up to 15€ for some volumes), you have no less than 250 pages. The size of the comics (because yes, graphic novel means the comic) lies between the pocket and the large format, easy to put in a bag, in short I love.

Each main part of the series is divided into 3 volumes, so very convenient not to get lost. This first arc is best known because it is the beginning of girls as fairy-magicians. Their friend Elyon is taken to the dark and unwelcome kingdom of Meridian, where her brother Phobos reigns as a true tyrant, eager to finally possess the power of his sister. I think that the great half of the novels are about this first arc, as well as Season 1 of the animated series, so that very few people know that the series continues long after that. But we’ll see that in future articles ;-)

Was W.i.t.c.h. part of your childhood? Do you like the "magical girls" genre?

Link to my Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/CcI7t38oDNg/

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a nice progression of the story.

The background of the friendship between Cornelia and Elyon is expanded on, with Cornelia being unwilling to give up on her former best friend turned villain. They meet up again, just as Elyon is beginning to doubt Cedric and her brother Phobos. Cornelia saving her life end up being the catalyst for Elyon to really start thinking about what is happening and what she is doing. This eventually leads to her confront the people she believed were her parents (the people who kidnapped her and took her to live on Earth away from her brother) and it looks like she will ultimately make the decision to stand against her brother.
Can't wait until the next volume to see how that plays out, and maybe a battle between her and Phobos with W.I.T.C.H. backing her up.

We also learn more about the people of Metamoor and their struggles. How they don't want to invade Earth to cause it and it's people harm, but how they need to get away from Phobos.
Vathek is still around, helping Caleb to run the rebellion.

More about the garden where Phobos lives is revealed. For example, all of the deadly flowers which protect him were once people who came to him for help. That was a cool addition to the story. Hopefully in the next volume (the end of this arc), they are able to be returned back to normal.

All in all, a nice progression with the story towards the final chapters of this arc in the next volume.

[Lilith · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 /5 stars
[10 /10 stars]

- story [2 /2]
- worldbuilding & consistency [1 /1]
- art [1! /1]
- characters [1! /1]
- length & progress [1 /1]
- ending [1 /1]
- originality [1 /1]
- enjoyment [2! /2]

~quick thoughts~
• good arc continuation, reveals a few more worldbuilding things & Caleb!
• so many beautiful panels
• this volume, however, makes me wonder why Will didn't use the astral drop to go to the concert if she really cared so little to spend time with her mother because of the ongoing arguing

~quick story summary per chapter~
• Chapter 5: Elyon imprisons the guardians in a painting's world
• Chapter 6: Elyon and Cedric don disguises to prepare for their world's invasion on Earth as per Phobos' order but are unsuccessful due to Vathek's betrayal
• Chapter 7: Cornelia meets Caleb, makes up with Elyon and Elyon meets Phobos
• Chapter 8: Will meets Daltar in the Phobos' garden and later fights Cedric during a concert

~long story summary per chapter~
Chapter 5
• Will takes the ill dormouse to Matt's and meets his grandpa that runs an animal shelter, where he offers her a job of helping with the animals
• Irma goes on a date with Martin that her astral drop agreed to and sees a reptile that recognizes her as a guardian
• she tells the guardians and through the map they learn a portal was at the museum
• they agree to sneak into a museum and so does Uriah and his group
• the guardians see a painting 'The Never-Ending Spring' by Elias van Dahl
• Elyon and Lord Cedric appear, with Elyon imprisoning them in a bubble
• Lord Cedric says Meridian belongs to Elyon and her brother Phobos
• Elyon tells them Ms. Rudolph and two accomplices kidnapped her as a baby when her parents disappeared and explains she hates the guardians because people of Meridian have no way out
• Elyon puts the guardians in a painting, Uriah and his gang run into snake-like Cedric
• in the painting, the guards chase them, convinced they're witches and they get saved by the painter of the painting they're in
• the gang trips the alarm while running from Cedric and Vathek and the guards catch them
• the painter explains nothing is real in this world and that's why they don't have powers
• he used to be the court painter until the vain Phobos ascended and destroyed every portrayal of himself, so the painter ran across time into the past but Phobos found him, imprisoning him in this painting that was supposed to be called 'The Last Tear'
• they get the tear and fight Frost the Hunter while Elias mixes the paint, informing them it worked, as they get their powers back and teleport home
• Uriah and the gang get three months of museum cleaning

Chapter 6
• Phobos orders Cedric to open a portal that the guardians won't be able to close
• Will's swimming coach signed her up for a championship but her mom refuses because of low grades
• Will suddenly feels weird around Mr. Collins and we find out that it's Cedric masked as him while keeping Mr. Collins clueless by deleting his memory
• Vathek and Cedric are riling up the people in Meridian to make them want to break through the veil onto Earth
• we learn that Will's coach Vera is really Elyon
• Ms. Rudolph returns to tell the guardians that there will be an invasion on Earth and they decide to scout out Cedric's bookstore as a potential place where the portal will open
• they encounter a maze, with residents of Meridian passing through the portal, the altercation between Vathek and Cedric reveals that Vathek truly betrayed him, so he runs away with Elyon
• back at school, Taranee finds a box left by Nigel that contains a butterfly

Chapter 7
• while working at the shop, Matt's friend Jackie visits and makes Will jealous with the note she leaves behind for him
• Taranee goes on a date with Nigel
• Cornelia finds a diary, we see a flashback of her telling Elyon of a guy she sees in her dreams and Elyon gives her a drawing of him, saying 'one day you'll meet him'
• Cornelia decides to go speak to Elyon but no other guardian agrees so she goes to the library, where she meets Vathek and he says the name 'Caleb' which seems familiar to her
• Elyon is angry at Cedric for attacking Will after she saved him, so she wanders off alone
• Phobos is planning to absorb Elyon
• Cornelia emerges in Meridian, pulled out of the water by Caleb
• Elyon gets seized by the guards and Cornelia helps her out with them uniting their powers, causing an earthquake and opening a rift in the veil
• Cornelia and Elyon talk it out and become best friends again
• Caleb declares Elyon as the true heir, the princess and she sees her mother speaking to her
• the guardians reunite and say goodbye to Elyon and Cornelia says goodbye to Caleb
• Elyon finally meets Phobos
• Will finds out she was jealous for nothing

Chapter 8
• Cornelia is sad that the guardians can't forgive Elyon
• Will argues with mom over wanting to attend Matt's concert instead of celebrating her mom's birthday party
• Phobos informs Cedric that Meridian is dying because he absorbed all its energy
• Hay Lin stays at home to help run the family restaurant and as Will calls her, the map tells her a portal was opened at the concert stadium
• Will sees a group of Meridians walk through the portal with a leader called Raven
• dormouse runs away, leading Will into a garden with black roses, one of them pricking her, then she meets a gardener Daltar that tells her these are lethal and is surprised she survived
• Daltar tells her this is the garden of the castle of Phobos and that he hates him because he turned him family into roses and made him make a garden
• Elyon visits her imprisoned 'parents' that warn her against trusting Phobos
• Vathek realizes Raven is Cedric and Cedric attacks him but Will jumps in and Cedric transforms into a winged creature
• Cedric and Will emerge in the air above the concert, with people thinking it's all staged, and the girls help her attack Cedric, who then teleport away
• Will and her mom are still arguing, making mom think if they should move away

[Tim Riddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's just so great to reread this story as graphic novel.
Just feels like 18 years ago. Oh my gosh, am I really that old?! ... First time I read it was in a phase full of magic (Harry Potter, Bibi Blocksberg, Charmed), but to be honest sometimes I just forgot that there was W.i.t.c.h. (perhaps I tried to suppress it after that - in my opinion - terrible tv adaptation) so I am really happy that there are these new editions.

In the beginning I really loved Will - perhaps bc the story is most time from her perspective - than I really loved Irma - bc we have a lot of coincidences in personality and in my opinion she is really funny and cool - later I really loved Hay Lin - coincidences in personality too like drawing and being creative all the time.

Well while rereading it now, I think I really love all three of them bc of these reasons. Also the story arc with Meridian, Prince Phobos and Elyon is really exciting and I can't remember how it all ended. So looking forward to read all the graphic novels :)