First impressions count for a lot. It’s said that the first sentence in a book can make or break it. If it doesn’t catch the reader’s attention, then readers will put it aside and move on to something else. In truth, it’s more like the first couple of pages, but that first sentence is still quite vital, and that initial impression goes a long way to keeping people interested in a story.

The thing is, however, first impressions can be deceptive. The start of Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords was most impressive. The ending destroyed all of the enjoyment for the series for me. Likewise, books and comics can come along quite strongly and suddenly lose their inertia and just founder and fail. Conversely, a story that starts out slow can suddenly bloom and turn into something delightful and superb.

It took me two attempts (and a Guest Review) for me to get into The Wotch. There are several reasons for this. First, this comic is a comedy, and I’m not that big on comedies. Thanks to Shakespeare, many comedies are based on some level of pain, be it physical, mental, or emotional. (Indeed, the difference between a Shakespearian comedy and tragedy often was measured by the body count: in a comedy the protagonists would live, while in tragedies they’d usually die or wish they were dead at the end of the play.) And this is true for The Wotch as well.

Still, the comedic nature of The Wotch wasn’t the reason for my disdain. Instead, part of it lay in the foundation of the comic itself. Anne, the heroine and primary protagonist of the comic, was gifted with tremendous powers but had to keep this power a secret. I could forgive the first time Anne slipped up. She didn’t know she was being spied upon (and she even looked around to see if anyone was watching). I can forgive her revealing her abilities to her new friends, seeing that it’s human nature to want to share secrets (and it was obvious at least that Jason had already figured out some of Anne’s secret). But from there, Anne proceeded to indulge in downright idiotic public displays of her ability, withoutthinking through the possibility of being caught.

I’ve issues with stupid characters. It’s why I don’t watch most television (because most TV characters use their “innate” stupidity as a source of “humor” in the belief it’s easier to laugh at other people’s pain than your own). Perhaps I’m too empathic for my own good, or too critical of myself. (Heavens knows this is the fourth incarnation of this review, so that self-critical nature definitely is evident in my writings.) The thing is, I end up literally blaming myself for the stupidity of these characters. So when I found myself beating myself up for the actions of Anne, Jason, and Robin… I stopped reading.

And this ended up being a mistake. You see, The Wotch is actually quite an enjoyable and well-written comic. While Anne never has really suffered any significant consequences for the numerous things she’s been responsible for (something I’ve had issues with, actually), her good nature and cheerful outlook on life helps compensate for that. Anne’s mistakes are good-natured mistakes and later in the comic beyond her control.

Which of course leads me to tangent about the issue of consequences within The Wotch. The comedic nature of the comic and the concept of actual heartfelt consequences are almost at odds for each other. When Cassie (a secondary character and goth witch) tries to use a love potion on Robin, she ends up missing him each time and gives two other people (and a plant) the love potion instead. The worse that happens is that Cassie keeps getting love notes and the like. Likewise, when Robin ends up asking Cassie out on a dare, he ends up enjoying himself. His admission to Cassie about why he went on a date with her alienates her from him, but in time she did start getting over it. (Indeed, much of Cassie’s problems stem from an inferiority complex concerning Anne’s own magical abilities and what she perceives as her own shortcomings magically.)

Looking deeper into the comic, however, you can perceive that there are consequences for actions, some of them rather significant. The first and foremost came quite early in the comic when Anne told Robin and Jason that she was a Wotch. This allowed Xaos to learn who and where she was, and in turn led to several “tests” to increase her potential… and lead toward the prophecy where apparently his power will merge with hers and make Xaos all-powerful. Likewise, the “youth medallion” that Evan uses to relax led to an accident where Anne was turned into a 5-year-old. And Anne’s tendency to turn guys into girls resulted in the terrorist organization D.O.L.L.Y. taking an interest in Anne and her abilities as well.

The consequences aren’t just for Anne and her friends. The Wotch is actually two stories. The first is about Anne and her friends. The second concerns the villain exposed at the end of the first chapter of the comic: Xaos. Or more specifically, it involves those fighting him: The Resistance. The thing is, these aren’t heroes, not really. Oh, some of them are, but among them are those smaller villains who decided to strike against Xaos rather than work for him. They’re heroes by necessity instead of by desire. And instead of learning more about Anne, who is needed for Xaos’s plans, they are trying to kill her.

Nothing like burning your bridges before you reach them.

What’s more, they’re willing to ally themselves with psychopaths (and I don’t just mean Sykos, though he seems to be the latest threat to Anne and her friends). Xaos is carefully planning and building. He predicts and anticipates. The Resistance? They react. Even in their attacks against Anne, they’re still reacting… this time to the anticipated potential threat to them from this mysterious “Wotch”. While it is inevitable that when Anne eventually ends up in this alternative dimension that she would side with the Resistance (because she’s no villain and has already been warned about the Dark Lord watching her), the knee-jerk reactions of those in the Resistance makes it likely that Anne and her friends will stand alone against Xaos.

Not all consequences are deadly, however. Early in the series when Anne miscast her doppelganger spell, one aspect that appeared was her romantic side, which showed considerable interest in Robin. Her sense of defeatism and self-doubt likewise turned to Robin when he showed her comfort. While she’s not shown outward romantic interest since, she does care for him as a friend at the very least. She’s protective of Robin, but that seems to be about as far as it goes (well, besides being friends). As for Robin? Jason at the very least thinks Robin has a crush on her. It’s possible that he does. But I don’t think Robin’s ever going to act on it. And from what I’ve deciphered from friendships with female acquaintances of my own… it’s unlikely.

Women tend to treasure their actual friendships with men, and don’t want to ruin things with romance or dating. Some guys actually build on the friendship first, wanting to learn a bit about the girl first… and then if they like the girl and have similar interests then asking them out. And it rarely works out. Why ruin things with a romance that may fade? Why ruin the friendship? And the sad thing is, sometimes it still ruins the friendship. The friendship was based on false premises. When the guy finds out she’s not interested… the friendship may fade. Things may fall apart anyway. I don’t think this is the case with Robin and Anne in the comic… but the only real hint of relationship potential between these two came from a filler strip. Seeing that RL Anne and Robin (who both write the comic) are friends and married to different people… it’s unlikely that we’ll see a romance between character Anne and Robin, no matter how much the “shippers” may dream otherwise.

Another interesting bit that has happened is the appearance of Miranda West. Up to this point, Anne has been without a mentor. But with Miranda, we have the previous Wotch who’s willing to train Anne (and indeed has been working to clean up some of Anne’s messes… which also explains perhaps why Anne’s more spectacular mistakes have been hidden from public view). More interestingly is this new theme: not everything can be solved with a little magic.

This is something that has applications in real life. I’m not going to weigh in on the whole truth of magic and faith, but the truth is this: people believe. But faith or magic alone cannot bring about results. Praying for a job or using a spell to get a job will result in disappointment unless you go out and search for a job. The same is true for love, money, or anything else people try for with magic. And of all people, the one who learned this the most was Robin. He was anxious to learn magic at one point, and Anne pointed out that she didn’t need another magic-user to help her out. She needed a friend. Yet Robin realizes that being a friend is not enough. He’s been learning martial arts to be able to help out in a time of crisis, something I suspect will have ramifications in the future (though if this will be good or bad remains to be seen).

And of course there are the mundane threats to Anne’s secret. Another secondary character, Ivan, has long been investigating the various strange happenings. He’s finally narrowed the field of suspects. He knows Anne, Robin, and Jason are involved in something, and he’s not the type to keep secrets. This problem is going to come to a boil sooner rather than later… and I suspect the ramifications will be such that the only cure will be magical. Nor do I see Ivan escaping unscathed, as Miranda is rather protective of her apprentice.

Of course, all said and done, there is one other consequence that has had ripples throughout every story. When Anne first admitted to being the Wotch, she cemented her friendship with both Robin and Jason. These two have been there for Anne from the beginning. They’ve stuck by her even when she’s tried pushing them away. They’ve been responsible for some of Anne’s adventures and helped her in her times of need. Anne gains strength from them, and perhaps even a sense of purpose.

Not all consequences are bad, after all.

Addendum: Speaking of consequences, there is one last one for The Wotch, and I wonder if Anne had any inkling that this would come about. This isn’t something in the story, however, but as a result of the comic. Because what Anne and Robin have created here truly is magical, and has enthralled thousands of fans who love not only this comic… but those behind it.

Like many webcartoonists, creator-Anne has a life outside of the comic. Between work and school and the like, Anne had no time to spend on the comic. Frequent hiatuses started to creep in and caused pauses in the story. Anne wasn’t happy about it, and decided to see if her fans could help. She created a donation bar and offered to quit her part-time job to focus more on the comic if they donated enough money.

Her fans came through big-time. The donation bar evolved as a result, with animated events happening as each donation threshold was achieved. Indeed, sometimes the animations are even more amusing than the comic itself. But this isn’t quite the consequence I refer to, though it’s reflective of what happened afterward.

During the last months of the year, events started piling up on Anne’s life. It doesn’t help that it’s Christmas, traditionally a time of cheer and joy… and a time in which depression weighs even more heavily upon those suffering from it. When life takes a turn for a worse at this time of the year, it can hit quite hard. It’s hit hard for Anne, and while she’s not given us the details there’ve been hints in the comic itself (as art reflects life). So Anne’s gone on hiatus, and she’s not sure when she’ll return though she plans on doing so when she’s found a way through her problems.

In response, webcartoonists and fans have rallied behind her with guest strips, guest art, and an outpouring of respect, love, and support that is truly uplifting. The Wotch will continue to update with new fanart and fanstories as per the normal update schedule. This is telling, both of the type of person Anne is that she can get this sort of response from fans without seeking attention… and in how special the comic itself is. So if you’ve tried The Wotch in the past and couldn’t get into it… give it a second chance. Start a little further into the story if need be. Perhaps your tastes have changed in that time or the changes in the story itself may be more to your liking. It’s definitely worth a second look in my eyes.