Archie Comics is, of course, known for its eight decades-worth of stories set in the fictional town of Riverdale where teenagers Archie, Jughead, Betty, Veronica, and Reggie get into a whole host of romps and hijinks and misadventures. However, the publisher is just as known for its comics following the magical mirth and mischief of teenager Sabrina Spellman. In Sabrina the Teenage Witch, we read as Sabrina–who lives with her aunts in the nearby town of Greendale–navigates her life as a half-witch/half-mortal, juggling both family, romance, and learning how to use her newfound powers.
Next Wednesday, October 7, 2026, Archie Comics and Oni Press are launching a new Sabrina the Teenage Witch comic series, just in time for spooky season. Part of the first wave of a brand-new line of comics set in the greater Archie universe, Sabrina the Teenage Witch will be in the hands of the magical creative team of writer Corrina S. Bechko (EC’s Blood Type) and artist Kano (Daredevil). I spoke with Corrina S. Bechko recently about where we find Sabrina in the first issue, her experience with the teenage witch, the staying power of Ms. Spellman’s tales, and her favorite part of working on the series.
I’ve been a fan of Sabrina the Teenage Witch for quite some time, both the comics and the recent Netflix series. What is such a joy about this inaugural issue is that it feels like a perfect magic spell comprised of ingredients taken from across Sabrina’s decades-long history in pop culture. Whether you’re an older fan or a new reader, Bechko, Kano, and the entire creative team have given fans an entry point that is easily traveled with plenty of surprises along the way. Bechko and the creative team have brewed up a cauldron of novelty and fun that flies its witch’s broom to new heights. They’re creating something special with infinite re-readability that has its place in the grand library of Sabrina tales.
FreakSugar: Before we get into the book itself, what is your personal history with Sabrina the Teenage Witch?
Corrina S. Bechko: Sabrina has been around for a lot longer than I have, so she (and the whole Archie gang) have just kind of always been there for me. I did watch the show, of course. But in general I’ve just always had a sense of the existence of a fun teenage witch.
FS: Where do we find Sabrina and company at the start of the series?
CSB: Since she is such a cultural touchstone I figured readers would rather skip the early parts of her life and get right to the action, which in this case is her magic. So we meet Sabrina just after she gets her powers, but before she fully understands how to use them. Plus, this means we get to meet a Salem who can talk. Or, as Salem says, a Sabrina who finally knows how to listen.
FS: Kano’s artwork is a perfect mix of classic and modern. Just draws in the reader completely. What has the collaboration been like with you and the creative team?
CSB: I can’t believe how lucky I am to work with Kano! The way he captures emotion, the little extra details… It’s all absolutely perfect. As soon as I saw his designs for the characters I felt like I knew them better than I had before. That in turn gave me dozens of new ideas for stories. In short, he’s been a dream to work with. I’ve got to give a shout out to my editor Megan Brown as well. She’s got amazing storytelling instincts and reads with a careful, insightful eye.. Making comics with a team like this is a joy. I hope all the care and excitement we bring to the process comes across to readers.
FS: The character of Sabrina has spanned six decades. Why do you think the character has been such a pop culture mainstay?
CSB: I think she’s both relatable and fun. She’s got typical teen problems, but she also has the ability to fly and a talking cat. Navigating those things is a lot, but doesn’t growing up always feel like a lot? I’m quite a ways past being a teen, but I still feel like being a person in the world is hard sometimes. Watching a character like Sabrina figure things out is cathartic. She’s got so much curiosity about the world, so much enthusiasm, but also sometimes a lot of self-doubt and maybe a moral quandary or two. And yet she’s always up for the next adventure. Watching her navigate these things never gets old.
FS: What’s been your favorite part of working on Sabrina so far?
CSB: I think it’s the ability to inject a little joy and mischief into the world. In many ways we live in a dark time. I love to write horror and dark sci-fi, but I think sometimes (and perhaps now more than ever) it feels good to take a break from the bleak and lean into something more optimistic.
FS: Following up on that, has there been a character that you’ve enjoyed working on more than you expected? Or found an angle on writing the character that surprised you?
CSB: I figured I’d love to write Salem, and I do. So no surprise there. I think the character that surprised me most is Harvey. He’s Sabrina’s maybe love interest, and at first I wasn’t entirely sure how I’d fit him into where we start with Sabrina’s story. But then he started doing things I didn’t quite expect, like being devoted to a childhood friend and worrying excessively about being a safe driver when he has friends in his car. So I’ve come around to looking forward to writing the scenes he’s in because now I understand what Sabrina sees in him. I do realize that despite being the writer it sounds like I’m talking about people I hang out with in real life or maybe just eavesdrop on. All I can say in my defense is that’s the magic of Sabrina.
FS: Besides Sabrina, are there any particular witchy properties or stories you particularly love? Or any that have acted as inspiration for this series?
CSB: A lot of the witches I love are darker than Sabrina. For instance, I do love the film The Witch. Other recent witchy films I’ve enjoyed include Hellbender and Heresy. And of course Rosemary’s Baby. And Suspiria. And Black Sunday. And Weapons. And… Well, I guess I just really adore horror movies. But I think for Sabrina I reach in a bit of a different direction. Maybe more toward David Lynch, Steve Erickson, or Leonora Carrington. Sabrina’s adventures might get dark on occasion, but they also touch on a larger world full of beauty and weirdness and wonder.
FS: What kind of research did you do for the series? Did you delve into the 60 years-worth of Sabrina comics and TV series?
CSB: I sure did, and continue to do so! There’s a ton of Sabrina out there. I read and watched as much as I could before I began, and then tried to put most of it aside. I think it’s important to know what came before, but it can also be paralyzing if you allow it to be. At a certain point I had to just tell her stories in my own way.
FS: What are you reading right now?
CSB: I always have several books going. I wish I had an extra me just to read, honestly. I’m currently deep into The Children by Mellisa Albert, Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 1 by Kelly Thomas and Hayden Sherman, The Big Cats and their Fossil Relatives by Mauricio Anton, and Slow Gods by Clair North. Normally I wouldn’t have two novels going at the same time but one had to go back to the library and now there’s a wait to get it again. Now you know why I need an extra me.
FS: Is there anything you can tease about what we can expect to see later in the series?
CSB: As Sabrina becomes more adept with her magic we’ll get all sorts of surprises. Another realm full of magical creatures, a grimoire that wants to be something more than a book, and the truth about broomsticks. We’ll also see lots of little stories and extras in the form of backups to the main tale that will shed some light on other characters.
FS: Are there any other projects you’re working on you’d like to discuss?
CSB: I currently have two stories in anthologies that are being crowd funded. I’m doing a story about the legendary cactus cats of the American Southwest, with the amazing Leonie O’Moore handling the art, in Bump in the Night. That’s now funding on Zoop. And, over on Kickstarter, a true departure for me: I have a prose story about a hapless dog who gets more than he bargains for when he hunts a fairy rabbit. Shockingly, there are no cats at all in that one! You can find that in Hallowzine #4. And of course the trade of Blood Type, about a vampire trapped on a tropical island, came out earlier this year from Oni. The art in that one is by the incredible Andrea Sorrentino.
FS: If you had a final pitch for Sabrina the Teenage Witch, what would it be?
CSB: You’ll believe a girl can fly, a cat can speak, and that a magic wand can’t solve every problem.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 goes on sale next Wednesday, October 7, 2026, from Oni Press and Archie Comics.
From the official issue description:
YOUR LOCAL TEENAGE WITCH IS CONJURING UP MISCHIEF! JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN, HUGO AWARD–NOMINATED WRITER CORINNA BECHKO (GREEN LANTERN: EARTH ONE, EC’S BLOOD TYPE) AND EISNER AWARD–NOMINATED ARTIST KANO (DAREDEVIL, EC’S CRUEL UNIVERSE) SUMMON A NEW SPELL OF MAGIC AND MISCHIEF IN A BRAND-NEW ONGOING SERIES HELL-BENT ON LAUNCHING COMICS’ MOST ICONIC SORCERESS-IN-TRAINING INTO A SPECTACULAR NEW ERA FOR ARCHIE COMICS! Who’d ever want to be ordinary when you could be a teenage witch instead? Still reeling from the surprise revelation of her secret birthright, and with Halloween just around the corner, high schooler Sabrina Spellman is honing her craft one hex at a time and figuring out how to balance her magical new life with the crushing responsibilities of being 16 years old. But when her feline familiar, Salem, drops a mythical trickster onto Sabrina’s literal doorstep, she might not be able to keep her two worlds from smashing together like busted pumpkins on All Hallow’s Eve. No time for fate. No time for destiny. No time for homework. Sabrina’s about to find out that being a teenager is far from magical . . . even when you’re a teenage witch! Plus, a special trick (and treat): Explore the inner workings of Sabrina’s secret guide to familiars, featuring the spellbinding artwork of Nick Cagnetti (Spirit of the Shadows)!
