History ComicBook / Witch

* WhoWouldWantToWatchUs: On the MagiTek world of Nune-Boreal WITCH is so popular they have merchandise, cosplayers and an actual ''movie''; Hay Lin jokes about buying an action figure of herself because it has an MP3 player included. The [[spoiler: costume players]] actually help them defeat the villains of the issue.

* KneelBeforeFrodo: It's almost a {{running gag}}: At the end of most sagas, the Oracle orders the assembly to kneel before the guardians. They ''shouldn't'', given that it is the guardians' duty to protect Kandrakar, but the Oracle usually underlines that they went above and beyond the call of duty.

* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Yan Lin early in the first saga.

* {{Bowdlerise}}: In the original Hyperion translation, some comic panels were censored or removed due to the transformations involving the girls getting naked (albiet with color filters and BarbieDollAnatomy). Averted in the JY translation, however, which keeps the panels as they were in the original Itialian releases, and leave in the ones that were removed in the old translation.

''W.I.T.C.H.'' is an Italian fantasy comic series created by Alessandro Barbucci, Barbara Canepa, and Elisabetta Gnone and published by Disney Italia. First published in April 2001, the series ended with October 2012's issue. The comic series spanned a total of 139 issues, broken up into eleven sagas. However, the English translations of the comic ended after issue seventy-four.

* AccompliceByInaction: Ari of Arkhanta, who possesses a slave he uses only for his greedy motives, has a massive grudge against the oracle of Kandrakhar, the benevolent figure who saves everyone's life once a week. Why ? Unlike the man, who obsessed about changing his son, the Oracle didn't ever try to "cure" the child's illness.

* GenreBlindness: the Oracle told them many times that their greatest strength is their unity. Anyway, the girls will often use the LetsSplitUpGang move at the worst moment. Will also told Hay Lin that monsters don't exist ''at the beginning of the Ragorland saga'', ie after 60 issues in a AllMythsAreTrue series.

** We know there were guardians before W.i.t.c.h., including one with Hay Lin's grandmother. But we never find out what they fought against. (The portals open every 1000 years, and Phobos and Elyon are humans, so it's very unlikely they fought against them, or that they are 1000 of years old)

** Will and Irma's fathers as well as Elyon's adopted father are all called Thomas, or Tom for short.

* PoliticallyCorrectHistory: When all of the girls travel back in time, they find out that they have exact lookalikes in 5 countesses from London. That includes Taranee and Hay Lin.

** Nerissa was sealed inside a coffin inside a mountain until [[spoiler: the aurameres were merged together, breaking the spell that kept her locked away.]]
** [[spoiler: And now we have Nihila]]

* TeacherParentRomance: Will's mom begins dating one of her teachers. Will tries to sabotage the relationship but fails. [[spoiler:They end up eventually getting married]].

* {{Tomboy}}: All the girls have different quirks and hobbies that don't classify either as complete girly girls nor Tomboys: Will prefers baggy clothes, but is very sporty, with swimming being her main hobby. Hay Lin's main hobby is to sew and design clothes, but she is also a complete geek, especially over anything space-related. Taranee is a dancer and Cornelia an ice dancer, but neither shy away from breaking a sweat doing manual labor. The girliest is Irma, but only in her clothes, that often have flowers and girly details; she's also a couch potato that likes junk food and is not above of making bad jokes to irritate Cornelia.

* WingsDoNothing: At first, the guardians wings are useless and Hay Lin is the only one who can actually fly. [[LampshadeHanging At one point in the third saga, Orube asks why they even have them if they can't use them.]] However, in the seventh saga, the girls get a power upgrade which include bigger wings that allow them to fly (but Cornelia is afraid to). {{Justified}} in the New Power story arc, where it's revealed that [[spoiler: the powers of the Guardians were ''incomplete'', and when they get their full power at the start of the arc their wings actually start working]].

* ActionGirl: Every single guardian, which makes them an AmazonBrigade

* BigBad: Once a story arc. Some of them even come back!
* BiggerIsBetter: {{Subver|sion}}ted. Irma tries on two occasions to use breast expansion to her advantage, but in both occasions ends up being embarrassed. Played straight with Will, who prefers her Guardian form because of the larger chest.

* BullyHunter: Initially only Cornelia and Will, but by the end of the first story arc all the Guardians help in keeping in line their school's bullies.
* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: Implied to not be necessary, but used anyways, sometimes Will calls every element, sometimes everyone calls her own. In a variation, while "Earth", "Fire", "Air" and "Water" have been always called, in the first issues, Will said whatever was on her mind (Energy, Heart, etc.) one time, she ended up saying just her own [[http://a.imageshack.us/img321/476/willelement16th.jpg name]]. Of course, in English, her name [[MeaningfulName takes on a whole new meaning]] [[HeroicWillpower when you think about it]].

* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: comes with the ElementalPowers: Green Earth, Blue (Turquoise) Water, Red/Orange Fire, Silver (Sometimes baby blue) Air and Pink... energy? Willpower? Whatever Will's power is.
* ComicBookTime: Over ten years since the series started, and the girls don't appear to have aged at all and are still in the same school. Occasionally there is evidence to suggest events taking place during a certain season, such as summer holidays, but it's debatable how much time as actually passed most of the time.

* CostumesChangeYourSize: When the girls transform into their guardian forms, in addition to changing outfits and gaining wings, they get taller and gain boobs.
* DarkMagicalGirl: Elyon

** And there was a 3 part special detailing [[spoiler: Caleb saving Elyon from a curse, and both of them eventually realising that they've fallen in love with each other.]]

** Christhoper (Irma's little brother) age fluctuates wildly. Sometimes, he's a small child of similar age to Lillian (younger or older than her) and sometimes he's basically a pre-teen.
* DeusExMachina: This is sadly the standard way the Guardians win in each arc- they never actually win by their own merits. Meridian Arc? Elyon beats Phobos while the girls are tossed aside. Nerissa Arc? ''Shagon'' is directly responsible for Nerissa's defeat, damaging her almost fatally. Ari's arc doesn't suffer from this... but the human world situation, which was really bad, is solved by the Oracle (who is just an observer). Endarno Saga? Himerish beats down Phobos off-screen. Then, Phobos' backup plan is foiled by... Napoleon (who in the comic is a mere house cat). The most ridiculous DeusExMachina sequences were the superpower manifestation in the Dark Mother Saga -- after the girls get beaten down they somehow let loose a new power they didn't know anything about and it overpowers Dark Mother with ease. Then there's the defeat of the White Queen, where the girls literally pull a completely unknown tactic out of their hats that we never see again. If there was one thing the cartoon improved, this was it.

* EmbarrassingNickname: please stop calling Cornelia "Corny"

* KneelBeforeFrodo: it is almost a {{running gag}}: at the end of most sagas, the Oracle orders the assembly to kneel before the guardians. Which they ''shouldn't'', given that it is the guardians duty to protect Kandrakar, but every time the Oracle underlines that they did way beyond their duty, and were smarter than the "wises".
* LegacyCharacter: The Guardian Powers,[[spoiler: and even the Oracle title]]
* LethalChef: Will is on the same level of [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Akane Tendo]], having once put powdered soap in place of the flour. Orube can't cook due lack of familiarity with Earth ingredients and cooking implements (the first time she cooked she set the kitchen on fire, but only that once) and clumsiness outside the way of the warrior, but while she's slowly getting better she still has a long way to go (she once set on fire the ''[[EpicFail water for the pasta]]''!). To be fair, Will has never done anything in a kitchen before, and her mother expected her to be the primary cook after William was born, without classes or teaching her herself, just cookbooks to help her. No matter how smart one is, that situation can be very stressful.
* LightIsNotGood: the girls sided with the White Queen, won... And wondered whether they chose the good side.

'''Will:''' Fighting, as always. I think they are a couple.
* LimitedWardrobe: [[SubvertedTrope Completely absent in spite of this being a Disney series]]: most characters have signature ''styles'' (such as Cornelia's preference for long skirts, Will's love for practical outfits, and so on), and the few exceptions are {{Justified}} and tend to be aliens. And even then, the only ones who are ''never'' seen in a different outfit are Kandrakar's Elders, who wear white robes every time they're seen as Elders-meaning that Yan Lin (who wasn't initially an elder), Himerish (who [[spoiler:was temporarily deposed as Oracle and later gives up the title]]) and Luba (who loses her position as a punishment) ''are'' seen in different outfits.
* MagicalGirlWarrior

** Will and Irma's fathers are both called Thomas, or Tom for short.

* OneSteveLimit: Will's baby brother is named William. During a visit from other members of the family, Will got frustrated when they started calling William "Will" while referring to her by her real name, [[EmbarrassingFirstName Wilhelmina.]]

* AsLongAsItSoundsForeign: No, Taranee isn't an African name. Hay isn't a Chinese name, either. (though it's possible that the writers got it mixed up with the name "Hui" - not to be confused with the term for Chinese Muslims - which means "intelligent", "bright".)

!!WITCH provides examples of the following tropes:

* CloudCuckoolander: Hay Lin: very quirky and artistic, cheerful and absent-minded, constantly writing on her palms and using her own expressions like "spacious" (which in her language means "cool") and "weirdific".

* TeacherStudenrRomance: Will's mom begins dating one of her teachers. Will tries to sabotage the relationship but fails. [[spoiler:They end up eventually getting married]].

* AllYourPowersCombined: Cornelia accidentally ends up with all five elemental powers early in the second saga, and attempts to use the power boost to [[spoiler: restore Caleb to his human form. It doesn't end well.]]

* AloofOlderBrother: Nigel Ashcroft, Taranee's love interest, has one in Danny, who's resentful of the Cook household due to having been put on trial for vandalism by Taranee's mother.

* BittersweetEnding: Happens frequently.

* ByThePowerOfGreyskull: Implied to not be necessary, but used anyways, sometimes Will calls every element, sometimes everyone calls her own. In a variation, while "Earth", "Fire", "Air" and "Water" have been always called, in the first issues, Will said whatever was on her mind (Energy, Heart, etc.) one time, she ended up saying just her own [[http://a.imageshack.us/img321/476/willelement16th.jpg name]]
** Of course, in English, her name [[MeaningfulName takes on a whole new meaning]] [[HeroicWillpower when you think about it]].

** Whether Yan Lin is Hay Lin's paternal or maternal grandmother. At the very beginning of the story (before going to Kandrakar permanently), Yan Lin addresses Chen as her son. But later in the comic, Joan mentions Yan Lin telling her bedtime stories when she was a child. Later again, Joan's parents are shown, and her mother is definitely not Yan Lin.
*** [[spoiler: Hay Lin's family is pretty complex, Chen was the servant of Joan's family, and they fell in love, so if Chen's family all were servants of Joan's family could Yan Lin have told Joan bedtime stories as a nanny.]]

** Christhoper(Irma's little brother) age fluctuates wildly. Sometimes, he's a small child of similar age to Lillian(younger or older than her) and sometimes he's basically a pre-teen.

* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler: Near the end of the first saga, Caleb is reverted to a flower by Phobos as punishment for his betrayal. Cornelia is later able to restore Caleb to human form in the second saga.]]

* HeroicSacrifice: There has been several of these.

* KilledOffForReal: let's be clear, the WITCH are nice girls, but if you are the BigBad and they have to unleash AllYourColorsCombined, they don't care whether you will be depowered or killed. The Oracle never forbid them to kill. Expect a lot of RedemptionEqualsDeath, too.
** [[DeaderThanDead Phobos got his soul disintegrated]], as the Guardians didn't want to take chances and were ''furious'' for what he had just done (particularly Will, who had been subjected to a MindRape).

* LethalChef: Will is on the same level of [[Manga/RanmaOneHalf Akane Tendo]], having once put powdered soap in place of the flour. Orube can't cook due lack of familiarity with Earth ingredients and cooking implements (the first time she cooked she set the kitchen on fire, but only that once) and clumsiness outside the way of the warrior, but while she's slowly getting better she still has a long way to go (she once set on fire the ''[[EpicFail water for the pasta]]''!).
** To be fair, Will has never done anything in a kitchen before, and her mother expected her to be the primary cook after William was born, without classes or teaching her herself, just cookbooks to help her. No matter how smart one is, that situation can be very stressful.

* NoodleIncident: We know there were guardians before W.i.t.c.h., including one with Hay Lin's grandmother. But we never find out what they fought against. (The portals open every 1000 years, and Phobos and Elyon are humans, so it's very unlikely they fought against them, or that they are 1000 of years old)
** [[spoiler: Matt being from Kandrakar]]
*** Parodied when Will asks how important he was, and just then Kandor call him "captain".

* OlderThanTheyLook: Himerish, Endarno, Yan Lin and everyone else in Kandrakar. ReallySevenHundredYearsOld and TimeAbyss can also be applied.

* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: We!
** And Ew.

* SealedEvilInACan: Nerissa was sealed inside a coffin inside a mountain until [[spoiler: the aurameres were merged together, breaking the spell that kept her locked away.]]

* SexierAlterEgo - The titular ''Comicbook/{{WITCH}}'' are fairly average (albeit skinny) teenagers in their normal form. When transformed however, they are changed to look much more... adult. Lampshaded on more than one occasion.
** BreastExpansion is present is the comic book, but not as prevalent as in the series.
* ShoutOut: Hay Lin has a little Franchise/SailorMoon on her monitor, along with a monster that kinda looks like Godzilla. Irma has plenty of Disney paraphernalia, including a [[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Little Mermaid]]. In the Dark Mother Saga, [[spoiler: [[WesternAnimation/CaptainPlanetAndThePlaneteers they combine their powers]] to create a powerful being to defeat her]]

** In a recent issue, there are five countesses named [[Literature/LittleWomen Josephine, Margareth, Elizabeth, Amy and Louise]]

**

*** [[spoiler: Hay Lin's family is pretty complex, Chen was the servant of Joan's family, and they fell in love, so if Chen's family all where servants of Joan's family could Yan Lin have told Joan bedtime stories as a nanny.]]

'''''W.I.T.C.H.''''' is an Italian fantasy comic series created by Alessandro Barbucci, Barbara Canepa, and Elisabetta Gnone and published by Disney Italia. First published in April 2001, the series ended with October 2012's issue. The comic series spanned a total of 139 issues, broken up into eleven sagas. However, the English translations of the comic ended after issue seventy-four.

An animated adaptation of the comic was later aired on [[Creator/ToonDisney Jetix]]. See ''WesternAnimation/{{WITCH}}''.

* CharacterDerailment: Matt, Will's boyfriend. We get to know him as a uncomplicated regular guy, who loves to play guitar, is good with animals and loves Will very much. After his brush with fame (he goes on tour with Karmilla, In-Universe rock idol) the guy changes abruptly: he grows cold and distant towards Will, outs himself as a creature of Kondrakar origin and becomes W.I.T.C.H. 's combat trainer in the New Power Arc. It's like his whole personality and background got thrown out of the window.

* CharacterDerailment: Matt, Will's boyfriend. We get to know him as a uncomplicated regular guy, who loves to play guitar, is good with animals and loves Will very much. After his brush with fame (he goes on tour with Karmilla, In-Universe rock idol) the guy changes comletely: he grows cold and distant towards Will, outs himself as a creature of Kondrakar origin and becomes W.I.T.C.H. 's trainer in the New Power Arc. It's like his whole personality got thrown out of the window.

* Fauxshadowing: When Orube moves to Heatherfield, a reclusive famous pianist next door seems to get interested in her. Nothing ever comes of it.

* AbortedArc: Whatever happened to Irma's and [[spoiler:Joel]] relationship? We see them very much in love, then girls have to attend to some usual otherwordly business, then to another, than to another...and the next time we see Irma swooning over a guy it's some bloke called [[spoiler: Stephen.]] None of the other W.I.T.C.H members ever point this out or do as much as recall [[spoiler: Joel's]] existence.

* Aborted Arc: Whatever happened to Irma's and [[Joel]] relationship? We see them very much in love, then girls have to attend to some usual otherwordly business, then to another, than to another...and the next time we see Irma swooning over a guy it's some bloke called [[Stephen.]] None of the other W.I.T.C.H members ever point this out or do as much as recall [[Joel's]] existence.

** The Ibsens in the Ragorlang saga are probably named after HenrikIbsen. In keeping with the [[ThemeNaming Norwegian theme]], the Ragorlang's appearance is based on TheScream (the chapter in which it appears is called "The Screaming Man").

* ForeignExchangeStudent: The Ragorlang saga gives us Erin, who turns out to nt even be from Earth, but from a FantasyCounterpartCulture of India - oh, and she was recruited by the Ibsens to create strife among the Guardians. [[spoiler: In the end, she makes a HeelFaceTurn, reunites with her missing brother, and returns to her world.]]

* {{Tomboy}}: All the girls have different quirks and hobbies that don't classify either as complete girly girls nor Tomboys: Will prefers baggy clothes, but is very sporty, with swimming being her main hobby. Hay Lin main hobby is to sew and design clothes, but is also a complete geek, specially over anything space-related. Taranee is a dancer and Cornelia an ice dancer, but neither shy away from breaking a sweat doing manual labor. The girliest is Irma, but only in her clothes, that often have flowers and girly details.. she's also a couch potato that likes junk food and is not above of making bad jokes to irritate Cornelia.

* ShoutOut: Hay Lin has a little Franchise/SailorMoon on her monitor, along with a monster that kinda looks like Godzilla. Irma has plenty of Disney paraphernalia, including a [[Disney/TheLittleMermaid Little Mermaid]]. In the Dark Mother Saga, [[spoiler: [[CaptainPlanet they combine their powers]] to create a powerful being to defeat her]]