#dreamqueen

[towritecomicsonherarms]

Scarlet Witch #2

[why-i-love-comics]

Scarlet Witch #2 (2023)

written by Steve Orlando art by Sara Pichelli, Elisabette D'Amico, & Matthew Wilson

[scarletwitchpanels]

Wanda using her pain as a weapon in Scarlet Witch #2

[doctorslippery]

Herbie Crespo

[comicwaren]

From Scarlet Witch Vol. 3 #002

Art by Sara Pichelli, Elisabetta D’Amico and Matthew Wilson

Written by Steve Orlando

[justdealingwithsomeissues]

There is also a backup story in this book. It has almost been 10 months since we saw this group get snatched up and we are finally gonna find out what has been going on with them.

[splooosh]

Daughter of Nightmare

Sara Pichelli

[celeb-corner]

Mrunal Thakur beyond prettiest in saree 😍🔥❤️ #mrunalthakur #mrunal #saree #sitaramam #noorjahan #traditional #pink #pretty #cute #beautiful #naari #sanskari #woman #lady #classy #beauty #angel #fairy #dreemgirl #dreamqueen #crush #tollywood #kollywood #beauty #queen #fashion #style #GlamLight #trending #photoshoot #latest #sweet https://www.instagram.com/p/CnFFhOxP09B/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[scarlet--wiccan]

Scarlet Witch #3 is a stunningly beautiful piece of sequential art, and I'm still loving all of the growth and improvements I noted in last month's issue-- it's got better pacing and momentum, meaningful cast involvement, more well-realized magic, fresh takes on old concepts, and exciting new worldbuilding, all packed into the first three issues. Dauterman's interiors totally sold me on Lore's new look, and I thought she was just as uncompromisingly evil and delightfully menacing here as she was in the 90s.

But in a lot of ways, I kinda felt like this issue was treading water. I think Orlando has a really solid grasp on fluid, dynamic magical combat-- this gorgeous fight sequence joins the ranks of Wanda's previous battles with Dreamqueen, Hexfinder, and the Wicked Witch-- but Wanda's conflict with Lore was little more than a rehash of what is swiftly becoming a tired trope. Wanda is confronted with representations of her traumatic past, which she overcomes by calmly, confidently using therapy-speak to remind the reader that she's healed and moved on. We have seen this multiple times, in Scarlet Witch and other recent titles, but this sequence in particular felt like a drawn-out redux of a very similar beat, also set on the Witches' Road, from #13 of Scarlet Witch (2016).

In the end, Wanda chooses to literally rise above Lore's attempt to trap her. I understand, of course, that Wanda's urgent need to return to Lotkill takes precedence, but this is the second time in as many issues that she's opted to simply bypass a threat, rather than finishing it off.

And in a lot of ways, this undersells Lore's threat, and kinda wastes her potential. She is more than Wanda's dark mirror-- she actually poses a fascinating moral quandary. In Scarlet Witch (1994), Lore reminds Wanda that she was born in a different world, where magic follows different rules, and she has only ever been true to her nature. How, then, can she be judged? Then, the answer was simple-- Lore was a relentless predator and a threat to all life in the multiverse, so she had to be stopped. But now, in the Land of the Dead, Lore has found an environment where she can be true to herself without harming the living. One can imagine that Orlando's Wanda, who places so much value on transformative justice and the right to self-determination, would be happy to leave Lore to her own devices, but if all witches wind up in Lore's underworld when they die, then Wanda would potentially be condemning an entire community-- including her own family and ancestors-- to an eternity of torment.

So, what's the solution? I don't know, but I think that investigating it would be a much more interesting story that what we saw here. I really hope that Orlando has plans to revisit Lore, and that he's given the time and space to do so. If the series can actually remain focused on the world of witches and witchcraft, it shouldn't be difficult for him to circle back-- and I'm guessing that will be the case, based on what we know about the upcoming Amaranth arc. If Wanda can conjure a solution for Dreamqueen that allows her to survive while mitigating harm, I imagine she could do the same for her own variant.

As an aside, while I do appreciate what Orlando was doing by having Lore combine multiple terrors from Wanda's past into new nightmarish dreamscapes, I really don't like that this moment obscures the racial aspect of the violence Wanda experienced growing up in Transia.

[616scarletvision]

[ID: a comic cover depicting Wanda Maximoff in her Scarlet Witch (2023) costume, laying on her side and raising one hand, bright white magic emanating from it. The starry magic in her hair swirls out behind her, the purples contrasting against the white background. The colors are rich and warm. End ID.] id by @kirbydots

SCARLET WITCH #2 : SCARLET WITCH BATTLES DREAMQUEEN!  

STEVE ORLANDO (W) • SARA PICHELLI (A) • Cover by RUSSELL DAUTERMAN // VARIANT COVER BY ALEX MALEEV // PLANET OF THE APES VARIANT COVER BY LEE GARBETT // STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY C.F. VILLA // STORM BLACK HISTORY MONTH VARIANT COVER BY ERNANDA SOUZA

Wanda Maximoff is no stranger to grief, so when Viv Vision stumbles through Wanda’s door, exhausted and terrified of the nightmares playing her mother’s death on repeat, Wanda dives into Viv’s dreams to find the cause of the android’s suffering. And it turns out Viv isn’t alone in her mind… Scarlet Witch faces off against DREAMQUEEN in a reality-bending battle for Viv’s freedom! PLUS! This issue includes a special super-heroic back-up story featuring Scarlet Witch and Storm celebrating Black History Month!

[ultrameganicolaokay]

Scarlet Witch #2 by Steve Orlando and Sara Pichelli. Cover by Russell Dauterman. Variant covers by (2) Alex Maleev and (3) C.F. Villa. Out in February 2023.

“SCARLET WITCH BATTLES DREAMQUEEN! Wanda Maximoff is no stranger to grief, so when Viv Vision stumbles through Wanda’s door, exhausted and terrified of the nightmares playing her mother’s death on repeat, Wanda dives into Viv’s dreams to find the cause of the android’s suffering. And it turns out Viv isn’t alone in her mind… Scarlet Witch faces off against DREAMQUEEN in a reality-bending battle for Viv’s freedom! PLUS! This issue includes a special super-heroic back-up story featuring Scarlet Witch and Storm celebrating Black History Month!”

[prettywitchiusaka]

One last Nightmare-related headcanon I have revolves around his daughter, Dream Queen.

Basically, she has the same backstory as she does in the comics; reborn from her mother, a succubus, after Nightmare forced himself on her and trapped her in Liveworld.

Key difference is that Nightmare trained her to be his successor, and let her go into the real world, long before The Ancient One sealed him away, to go hunting. Only problem is, Dream Queen got a little too addicted to the thrill she got from consuming human's fear and wanted power now, so Nightmare trapped his daughter in Liveworld, permanently.

So when she makes a reappearance in modern day, she implants her dream seeds into Clea's mind, planning to use her as a conduit into the real world. Stephen is too late to save Clea from Dreamqueen's influence, so he's forced to go to Nightmare for help.

One last idea I have though? Dream Queen really likes Michael Jackson. Not to an obnoxious level, but whenever she's by herself, listening to music and/or dancing, she usually has something from him or the Jackson Five on in the background.

[why-i-love-comics]

Scarlet Witch #2 (2023)

written by Steve Orlando art by Sara Pichelli, Elisabette D'Amico, & Matthew Wilson

[scarletwitchpanels]

The Scarlet Witch capturing Dreamqueen in Scarlet Witch #2

[comicwaren]

From Jane Foster & the Mighty Thor #005

Art by Michael Dowling, Jesus Aburtov and Erick Arciniega

Written by Torunn Grønbekk

[graphicpolicy]

Hexfinder sets out to slay the Scarlet Witch

Hexfinder sets out to slay the Scarlet Witch #comics #comicbooks #scarletwitch #marvelcomics

This August, a witch hunt begins! Wanda Maximoff is currently using her chaos magic to help the people who need her most in the pages of writer Steve Orlando and artist Sara Pichelli’s hit ongoing Scarlet Witch series. Along the way, she’s battled against the likes of The Corrupter, Dreamqueen, Scythia, and more, but her jaw dropping mystical feats have drawn the attention of a deadly new foe……