Sabrina the Teenage Witch writer Corinna Bechko explains what makes the new series great

Many people may only know Sabrina the Teenage Witch from the classic TV show starring Melissa Joan Hart or the darker Netflix reimagining Chilling Adventures of Sabrina with Kiernan Shipka, Chance Perdomo, and Tati Gabrielle. However, the character has been around for over 60 years. Because of that, the comic books and subsequent adaptations have gone through transformations to keep the franchise fresh. Now it’s time for writer Corinna Bechko (Star Wars: Legacy) to bring comic book readers her take on it.

Yes, Bechko’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Oni Press will be released on October 7, 2026, and Bam Smack Pow had the opportunity to chat with her about it ahead of its release. Because the Sabrina Spellman franchise has been a fixture of pop-culture for six decades, the first thing I needed to know was if this connected to any of the previous iterations.

Mark Lynch: We’re starting at the beginning of Sabrina becoming a witch. If any, how much of this series will resemble the original comic book strip, the series with Melissa Joan Hart, the Netflix project, or the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comic book?

Corinna Bechko: Sabrina has been around a long time. She’s going on 65 in mortal terms! So of course she’s had many adventures across a multitude of media. Fortunately, she (and the whole world ofArchie, really) are comfortable fitting into just about any genre. She’s starred in romances, gag strips, horror stories, you name it. So, when I started thinking about how to carve out a spot for this new Sabrina, I quickly realized finding untrodden ground wasn’t a winning strategy. Instead, I tried to absorb as much of the tone and feel of priorSabrinaas I could, then set out to write the best story I could. I hope it feels like a Sabrina book, which is to say a little bit mischievous, a bit spooky, has a sense of joy and discovery, and sometimes gets a bit wild. 

Mark: I’m digging Aunt Zelda’s new look. What inspired the change in style?

CSB: Didn’t Kano (the artist) do a great job with her? I just love his interpretation! I wanted the aunts to feel like people in their own right. To Sabrina, they are just her family. She’s always known them and relies on them, but I wanted to signal that they have lives apart from being caretakers. We’ll dig into what those lives are like with some upcoming backup stories, and one of them will have Zelda’s new look making a lot of sense to careful readers. 

Mark: The first issue had a dark vibe and showed that this isn’t an all-ages title. Will things continue to get darker, and will things get bloody?

CSB: There’s definitely a spooky vibe, but that one is a Halloween story, so it leans into the ways magic can be dangerous. Future issues will feature minimal bloodshed (I think Patrick might have that covered withArchie in Hell) but will have a lot of suspense and some scary moments. But there will be mischief and joy too as Sabrina learns how to better control her powers. I love the idea of magic as a powerful tool that gives her entry into a mysterious world that hides not only monsters but wonder as well. 

Mark: How much of a role will Salem play in this series, and will we see more familiars later in Sabrina the Teenage Witch?

CSB: I adore Salem, so readers will see a lot of him. He’s so much fun to write, and somehow he keeps strolling into stories even when I didn’t originally think he would be featured in them. And, possibly due to my background in zoology, other familiars keep popping in for cameos too. So definitely expect to see a lot of them. 

Mark: As we’ve already seen, the world of magic can lead to some extraordinary creatures. What kind of classic new monsters and spirits can we expect to see?

CSB: After I saw Kano’s first sketches for issue No. 1, I immediately noticed that he’d done an amazing job with the little imps. So I knew it would be a crime to not stock future issues with beasts both zany and scary. Expect to see all sorts of creatures, from rabbits that turn out to be more than they seem to interdimensional hag fish. Sabrina doesn’t always play by the rules, so why should we? With an artist like Kano along for the ride, there’s no limit on where Sabrina’s adventures can take her. 

Sabrina the TeenageWitch No. 1 will be released on October 7, 2026. Stay tuned to Bam Smack Pow for more Sabrina and the rest of the characters from the Archie universe.