Spellbound is a 1988 Marvel Comics 6-issue limited series written by Louise Simonson and Carl Potts, and illustrated by Carl Potts, Terry Shoemaker, Christie Scheele, and Joe Rosen.
The story acts as a Genre Deconstruction of a High Fantasy series. The otherdimensional Spellbinder, Zxaxz, was once a noble hero who used the powers of chaos and order for good—but when he forged magical rings to drive the Other, an evil Spellbinder, away, the increased power drove him mad. Now setting his sights on any realm which may be a threat to him, Zxaxz targets Earth and Erica Fortune, a university professor, and her family, all of whom have latent psychic powers.
With Zxaxz threatening to destroy Earth, Erica quickly becomes the new Spellbinder to stop him, encouraged by Zxaxz's former minions. But the power she wields will drive her insane eventually—and in short order, she grows more and more erratic and uncaring towards those she loves. Ultimately, the greatest danger Earth faces may not be Zxaxz, but Erica herself.
After the series' cancellation, it received a followup in Marvel Comics Presents 138-142 that closed the book on Erica and her family's story; none of the characters within have been seen since.
This comic series contains examples of:
- Blessed with Suck: The Spellbinder can reshape matter on an atomic level, levitate objects, fire energy blasts, and essentially do whatever they want, but the power will drive them mad and alienate them from anyone they may care about.
- Enemy Mine: The last two issues have Erica and Zxaxz attempting a truce to stop the Other, but since both of them have gone mad at this point it's extremely difficult for them to work together.
- Genre Deconstruction: Of high-fantasy stories. The incalculable power a Spellbinder holds has potential for greatness and destruction, but will eventually drive the wielder mad no matter what, and Erica's fairy companion knows and encourages its use in order for her to become strong enough to stop Zxaxz.
- Greater-Scope Villain: The Other was an evil being so strong Zxaxz created the magic rings to stop him, driving most of the series from there.
- Protagonist Journey to Villain: The series' plot revolves around Erica turning from fledgling magical superhero to a villain worse than the one she's trying to stop.
- Psychic Powers: Erica, her brother Roy, and her little sister Sally all display various amounts of psychic powers.
- Superhero Horror: An early example in the genre that's completely bloodless but no less horrific, as the power Erica wields alienates her from mankind and she becomes a villain worse than the one she's trying to stop.
- Unstable Powered Woman: As part of using the Spellbinders' powers, Erica is warned that she inevitably will become mad over time. After defeating the evil Zxaxz and the even more powerful being called the Other by exiling herself to another dimension, the follow-up series in Marvel Comics Presents had Erica fully succumb to her power's effects and become a tyrant in a short amount of time. It ended in her being imprisoned in a crystal while her brother Roy took over the mantle of Spellbinder Supreme and destroyed the rings, putting an end to the Spellbinders' threat.
- A Villain Named "Z__rg": The main villain's name is Zxaxz.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: The main conceit of the series is that using the Spellbinders' power will drive the wielder mad no matter what, and it's only a question of when it will happen to Erica.
