COSMYX, THE TIME WITCH #1 / Created by ALYSIA ANDERSON / Character Designs by KELLYE PERDUE / Art by ASIAH FULMORE /Cover Art by ALAINE BAYBAYAN / Published by TIME CRUNCH COMICS

At first glance, Dorothy is your average teenage delinquent. She oversleeps and is late for school, when she bothers to show up at all. She rarely turns in her homework. She gets into a lot of fights, but only to defend herself from the mean girls or to stop the local bodega from being robbed.

Most of this is due to the death of her father and her secretly living in a hospital while she tries to get a handle on things. However, unbeknownst to Dorothy, she is a witch with the power to control time. To further complicate things, there’s a prophecy, a lot of people who want to kill her, and the only other witch Dorothy can find to teach her is a snooty billionaire who thinks she’s an idiot.

It’s not the best start to being a magical girl, but it’s what Dorothy must work with if she is to get her life under control, save the world, and maybe get her crush to notice her when it isn’t embarrassing.

There are many magic girl manga that repeat the same tropes. The clumsy, ordinary girl struggling to get along. The world of magic they never knew about. The easily annoyed mentor forced to prepare them to face a prophecy. Put like that, it’s possible to name a number of series that fit the bill. However, Cosmyx, The Time Witch #1, while cut from the same cloth, manages to be just original enough to be noteworthy.

Alysia Anderson’s script for this first issue is focused on developing the character of Dorothy. We are shown that she leans toward justice, tries to help others, and has a low tolerance for bullies in any form. This establishes an immediate barricade between herself and rich witch Constance Grove. Another notable point is how magic works in this world. We are given just enough of a taste of the mythology to want to know more, much like Dorothy herself after her first lesson in using her power.

The artwork by Asiah Fulmore also follows the standard art tropes for a magic girl manga. Speed lines emphasize the motion. The faces are exaggerated to better indicate the character’s emotions. And of course there are glorious transformation scenes, with memorable character designs by Kellye Perdue. The action is a little unclear in some of the later fight scenes, but not enough to be confounding.

Fans of Sailor Moon, X-Men, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer will find a welcome companion in Cosmyx, The Time Witch. While I am far from the target audience of this book, I can see it being a hit with tweens and teen Shojo readers. This first volume is far from revolutionary and doesn’t push the boundaries of the genre, but it is a solid start towards something special.

Cosmyx, The Time Witch #1 is now available at TimeCrunchComics.com