The Okay Witch is a 2019 graphic novel by Emma Steinkellner.
Thirteen year old Moth Hush has enough trouble with life and middle school bullies, but when she discovers she comes from a family of witches, her world becomes so much more complicated.
The Okay Witch contains examples of:
- Ambiguously Brown: In "The Okay Witch and the Hungry Shadow", Sarah mentions that in olden times, she was born on the fictional Ile d'Ezer, an island in the ocean located near the Iberian Peninsula. The island belongs to no country, and immgrants and refugees find shelter there, from nearby European and African countries. Sarah, the mother of Calendula and grandmother of Moth, is apparently African by primary appearances, yet whether or not she has any other heritage besides that is a mystery so far.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The climax takes place in the aristocratic mansion of the Kramers
- Blood Magic: Some witch rituals involve blood. In an inversion of how this trope is often used, this is not depicted as evil.
- Character Name and the Noun Phrase: Not The Okay Witch itself, but a book series about witches Moth is a fan of. With names like “Hannah Candle and the Final Forest”, it’s suggested it’s an Expy of Harry Potter.
- Disappeared Dad: When Calendula is dating, she becomes romantically involved with a man who is Moth's father. Unfortunately, Cal attempts to cast a dark spell against her mother, which gets deflected onto Cal's boyfriend, inflicting an amnesia spell on him.
- Emotional Powers: Calendula's memory-wipe spell is caused by her emotional "Accidental magic - the worst kind of magic".
- For Halloween, I Am Going as Myself: Played with in Chapter 1, when Hush, before she knows she is a witch, goes as a witch for Halloween.
- Gorgeous Garment Generation: Before the ceremony in Hecate, Moth twirls to create a beautiful dress.
- How Do I Shot Web?: After finding out she’s a witch, Moth struggles to use her powers.
- I'm Mr. [Future Pop Culture Reference]: When Moth compares to Hecate to Disneyland, she's asked if that's a Dutch colony in America.
- Knight Templar Parent: Charlie's father, Mayor Bruce Kramer, is descended from a dynasty that established Founder's Bluff, and also has a dark reputation of being witch-hunters. When Mayor Bruce and the ghosts of his ancestors attack Moth, Calendula, and Sarah, they fight back. After defeat, Bruce makes a Heel–Face Turn, re-examining the Kramer family's legacy, and he follows up on this in the sequel by renovating the museum, focusing more on the general history of Founder's Bluff as a town instead of the Kramers' dark histories.
- Magical Land: The witch's land Hecate
- Mama Bear: Calendula attempts to fight the ghosts of the deceased Kramers, yet she becomes exhausted and faints after performing a spell. Sarah and Moth perform a healing spell to help Calendula recover, and she regains her strength.
- Monster/Slayer Romance: Although not exactly a romance, Charlie says "I'm still processing although your family being witches. And mine being witch-hunters!"
- No Place for Me There: At first, Hecate seems to be a perfect place for Moth. But it's not her world, and she refuses the Witch's Commitment
- Portal Book: Moth enters her mother’s magical diary and can experience her memories.
- Puberty Superpower: After Moth (vaguely) describes her first experience with her powers, her mom asks if she experiencing “Ladies’ business”.
- Really 700 Years Old: Calendula is really much older than she looks.
- Salem Is Witch Country: Founder’s Bluff, noted as being in coastal Massachusetts, has similarities with Salem.
- Secret Legacy: Moth finds out she comes from a family of witches.
- School Play: Moth becomes the Assistant Costume Mistress of her school's play. Until she has to act in it instead.
- Swiss-Army Tears: Sarah's tears, along with other magic, save Calendula.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Founder’s Bluff doesn’t keep its history with witches a secret. Until it’s revealed that the official version of their history is not the truth
- Two Beings, One Body: Mr. Laszlo's spirit lives in a cat. However, he and the cat are "like roommates", and the cat body will still behave like a cat.
