Publication Date: May 4, 2010 | Series: Spell Checkers
Three teenaged witches use their power for popularity, good grades, and the good life. When nasty graffiti starts showing up about them at their school, they first suspect one another. But when they start losing their powers, and their magical fetishes disappear, they realize this is an attack from outside their circle, and they must join hands (and wits) to defeat the usurper and her demon companion!
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Jamie S. Rich is a novelist living in Portland, OR. He has published four prose works: CUT MY HAIR, I WAS SOMEONE DEAD, THE EVERLASTING, and his most recent, HAVE YOU SEEN THE HORIZON LATELY?, released by Oni Press in the summer of 2007.
In addition to writing fiction, he has worked as a music journalist, a manga rewriter, and spent ten years editing comic books, four of them at Dark Horse Comics and six as editor-in-chief of Oni Press. He continues to work in the comics field as a writer, contributing to anthologies published by Dark Horse and Image Comics, including a piece in the acclaimed collection "Put the Book Back on the Shelf," where comic book creators adapted the songs of Belle & Sebastian. Rich debuted his first ongoing comic book series in June of 2006, LOVE THE WAY YOU LOVE, a collaboration with Marc Ellerby (now collected in two omnibus editions). This was followed in the fall of that year by the original graphic novel 12 REASONS WHY I LOVER HER, drawn by Joëlle Jones.
The writer teamed with Joëlle Jones a second time for another full-length graphic novel, YOU HAVE KILLED ME, a hardboiled crime story set in the 1930s. Oni Press published the book in July 2009, and the pair have already gotten underway on their next project. Zigging instead of zagging yet again, the artistic team has joined with cartoonist Nicolas Hitori De to release the teenage witch comedy SPELL CHECKERS. Two volumes are currently out.
Next on Rich's plate is the Image Comics series IT GIRL AND THE ATOMICS, a spin-off of Mike Allred's Madman. It's drawn by Mike Norton (BATTLEPUG) and is intended as an ongoing series. The writer also has several books planned for Oni Press, including SPELL CHECKERS vol. 3 and new material with Natalie Nourigat, Dan Christensen, and another series with Joëlle Jones, this time based on one of the artist's original concepts.
You can read Rich's latest novel, BOBBY PINS & MARY JANES, for free at bobbypinsandmaryjanes.com.
Rich spouts off about whatever strikes his fancy at his blog, Confessions of a Pop Fan (confessions123.com), reviews movies for DVDTalk.com, and dives into his Criterion Collection like Scrooge McDuck swimming through his money at CriterionConfessions.com. He lives alone with a cat who doesn't understand his obsession with DVDs, but who lets him do as he pleases as long as she is fed.
I couldn't say Spell Checkers had me hooked at first glance, and even after reading through I'm still not sure how I feel about it. The wit is amazingly entertaining, and all the pop-culture references and other little Easter eggs entertained me throughout. The art changes here and there, and though it confused me at first, it's really nice to see different takes on the characters style-wise. But there is something about the story that makes me want to read in further.
It hasn't captured me entirely just yet, but I am enjoying it thus far. I do plan to read volume two when I can get it.
When I first picked up this volume I have to admit, I was expecting it to be better than it was. It's got a good cast of artists to it & the plotline sounded interesting in a The Craft meets Mean Girls sort of way. I was just so sad that this floundered so badly.
Spell Checkers follows the exploits of three truly mean girls- not only do they rule the roost at their school, but they also have magical powers! Unfortunately two of the trio are slowly starting to lose their powers as well as having horrible things written about them on the walls of their school while the third mysteriously keeps her strength. With tensions rising & a sweet sixteen party on the horizon, these girls better get their acts together or they'll discover that there's worse things than a little harassment & not being able to get it up magically.
I liked the premise of this book & I do like all of the artists. It's just that this didn't really seem to grab me. The artwork is fab, but then what do you expect from Jamie Rich & company? No, where the book failed to keep me was with the characters. I absolutely LOVE a good mean girl book, but none of these three girls really had me hooked. They just seemed to lack in the "read about me more!" charisma that I've found in other books such as the Pretty Little Liars series & other media. I'm really hoping that the second volume fleshes these girls out a little more & makes them a little more entertaining as well as going into a bit more about what makes them tick....
The story & jokes in this book are really what makes it readable- there's a lot of sarcasm in here, so much so that it just drips off of the pages in a wonderfully twisted way. And watching how our little witches misuse their powers? Incredibly entertaining. It's just that again, the three main characters just seem to be a little one dimensional in a not-good way. I kind of understand where they're trying to go with this, but I really do hope that the character developments improve in the next volume.
If you're looking for a great indie read, I suggest that you go halfsies on this wish a friend or get it from the library, if you can. This isn't a bad graphic novel & it has the potential to be really great, but it just doesn't seem to be as "OMG! MUST READ!" as some of the other books out there are.Read more ›
I was really looking forward to this book and it didn't disappoint. The book is unapologetic about how these characters feel. And while you can say you'd react differently in their situations, you'd be lying to yourself. The humor is quite dark at times and it fits the subject matter perfectly. I don't mean witches, either. I'm talking about teenagers. Yikes! Mean girls behaving unabashedly... well... mean! Entertaining and vivid. I loved the book!
I thoroughly enjoyed the quick dialogue and witty retorts provided by Jamie Rich in this volume and am looking forward to the next story. I don't know what's in the works, but I sure hope it's released soon.
Joelle Jones' interludes were too few for my tastes. Before picking it up I was hoping the penciling would be a pretty even split between her and Nicolas Hitori De. Still, the art isn't disappointing at all and captures the mood perfectly of the story. I'll be seeking out more by all three of these talents just as soon as I post this review.
Mr. Rich's "Mean Girls meets The Craft" ends up being his most enjoyable project to date. The tormented halls of high school provide the perfect backdrop for his own powers of scathing wit and existential stickiness; It's the kind of setting that allows him to be a kid in the Devil's candy store.
Eschewing the standard "Afterschool Special" ethics lesson, the book, as imagined as it is, stills retains a bitting truth most stories of this nature either ignore or cover with plastic mouse ears. He lets mean girls be what mean girls are -- mean! Combine that amoral attitude with magical powers -- and you've got three teenaged shrews who are unstoppable. I've never understood anyone who thinks that despicable characters have no entertainment value. If that were the case, shows like, The Soup would have disappeared a long time ago!
Make no mistake about it. These girls are mean; and they are very fun to watch.
The story, combined with the exceptional art of Nicholas Hitori De and Joelle Jones makes for a wonderful tale of high school power plays, witchcraft, and evil fun.
Jamie's quick witted sarcasm really comes through in this book. I cant seem to put it down, It pulls at me. The art flows clean across the pages, and Joelle's flashbacks are fantastic. Cant wait for volume 2.
At first glance, it could seem like this is just another take on the well used "mean girls" story. But the girls' biting sarcasm and witty dialogue makes this very fresh and entertaining! Jamie Rich's dark humor shows up throughout the story, and it's fantastic.
I really enjoyed the art, it makes them look innocent and friendly, while you know that inside they're mean, catty, and using magic to get their way in life. I really love the flashback sequences as well.
