If you’ve recently finished binging Agatha All Along and found yourself obsessed with “Teen” (better known to comic fans as Billy Kaplan), you picked the perfect time to head to the comic shop. Wiccan: Witches Road #1, written by Wyatt Kennedy with art by Andy Pereira, arrives just in time to capitalize on the MCU hype. It’s a folklore-infused survival tale that strips the character down to his core, though it might not be the revolutionary start some were hoping for.
Before diving into the issue, let’s clear up the history for the newcomers. Billy’s origin is… complicated. Originally created by the Scarlet Witch using Chaos Magic (and fragments of the demon Mephisto’s soul), he was reincarnated as Billy Kaplan. He is a reality-warping powerhouse and, most importantly, the husband of Teddy Altman (Hulkling). Together, they are Marvel’s premier power couple. Teddy is the Emperor of the Kree/Skrull Alliance, making Billy the Court Wizard and Prince Consort. But if you haven’t read Imperial, don’t worry, Kennedy drops us straight into the crisis. That royal life has crashed and burned. Literally.
The Kree/Skrull Alliance has fallen, and Billy and Teddy have crash-landed in a remote forest in Eastern Europe. The ship is ash, comms are fried, and Teddy is badly injured. To make matters worse, Billy’s magic is on the fritz. Kennedy uses a fantastic metaphor here, with Billy describing his powers as feeling like “a car with a busted ignition.” It’s a smart narrative move, even if it runs a familiar gamut: nerfing an Omega-level magic user to force the hero to rely on his humanity rather than his spells.
The highlight of the issue is how seamlessly the vibe shifts from sci-fi survival to murky folk horror. When Billy seeks help for the wounded Teddy, he’s directed toward an Old Chapel to find a local witch. What he finds instead is a house standing on giant chicken legs.
It’s a massive reveal that shifts the tone completely because we are dealing with the legendary Baba Yaga. The encounter inside the house is tense. Baba Yaga scolds Billy for abandoning Earth for the cosmos, claiming the planet’s elemental magic is in chaos because Billy hasn’t been there to balance it. This establishes the hook perfectly: to save Teddy and fix his magic, Billy has to walk the Witches’ Road.
The visual team of Andy Pereira and Bryan Valenza does some heavy lifting to sell the mood. Pereira’s style is expressive and slightly jagged, which fits the desperate tone of the story. The way he draws the Leshy (that skeletal, wooded nightmare creature) is genuinely creepy.
Valenza’s colors are really the glue holding the atmosphere together. The book is bathed in twilight purples, deep forest greens, and the jarring, sickly yellow of the monster’s eyes. When magic is used, it pops off the page in neon pinks and blues, creating a stark contrast against the muddy, grounded reality Billy is stuck in. With that said, aside from the colors and creature design, the art feels a bit by-the-book. It serves the story, but nothing really pulls you in or demands a second look.
Wiccan: Witches Road #1 is a decent debut, but it isn’t without issues. It balances high-stakes magical destiny with the very grounded fear of losing the person you love. But, while Billy and Teddy undoubtedly love each other, the dialogue borders on cringeworthy at times. The endearment is dialed up to an eleven, and it can feel a bit excessive. Moreover, the plot reads very standard. Aside from the Baba Yaga reveal, not much stands out here to separate it from a generic survival story.
Ultimately, whether you know Billy Kaplan as the Demiurge, the Prince Consort, or just the kid from Westview, this is a solid jumping-on point. It promises a journey that is going to be dark, weird, and deeply personal. However, unless you are a die-hard Wiccan fan or just curious about the MCU connection, the comic is just… okay.
‘Wiccan: Witches Road’ #1 Review: Magic, Mud, and Matrimony
Wiccan: Witches Road #1 is a decent debut, but it isn’t without issues. It balances high-stakes magical destiny with the very grounded fear of losing the person you love. However, unless you are a die-hard Wiccan fan or just curious about the MCU connection, the comic is just… okay.
