Review by Frank Plowright
When her mother dies twelve year old Effie is delivered to her elderly Aunts Carlota and Selimene, who don’t know her, and live in Brooklyn, a long way from home. Younger readers will quickly pick up that the Aunts are the witches of the title, but before delving into any hocus-pocus Sophie Escabasse takes the time to explore Effie’s feelings about her mother’s death and her new surroundings. It’s a strong sequence bringing home Effie’s spirited character despite her grief and resentment.
Escabasse mitigates that with the charm of her art, in which even grumpy Aunt Selimene eventually reveals a kindly personality, and with the nice idea of cutaways showing the layouts of each floor in Effie’s new home. This is reprised later when the basement is properly explored.
It takes a fair while to reach the revelations about witchcraft, but the method of introduction has been set up efficiently and by the time Effie discovers her legacy we’ve come to know her well. This approach serves to distance Witches of Brooklyn from Harry Potter, the 21st century touchstone for any youngsters concerned with magic. Any teaching occurs at home, and for the time being the joy of discovery supplants any overarching good versus evil theme. Introduced along with the magic is the whimsical Francis, a sort of comedy relief in an already light story, but not as funny as Escabasse intends him to be.
Other matters work very well, such as the clash of ancient talents with the modern world, the revelation that not everyone is as they’re presented to the world, and the creative methods used to solve problems. The result is a cheery all-ages graphic novel with a little bit of magic. The series continues with What the Hex?
