In this review of “Supernatural #1”, we join Sam and Dean as they deal with a demon (So, a typical day for these two).
SUPERNATURAL #1
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Eder Messias
Main Cover: Clayton Crain
Variant Covers: David Cousens, Eder Messias, Clayton Crain
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: October 29, 2025
This review contains spoilers
The first scene of Supernatural #1 involves a guy named Ritchie telling his wife all about how their fortune’s about to change…when disaster strikes. Disaster, in this case, involving the wiskey bottle in his hand to dissolve, and himself to burst into flame.
From there, the scene shifts to a diner. Sam and Dean Winchester are at a diner, Dean asking his brother for money due to a bit of credit card fraud on his part. While Dean’s eyeing the waitress, Sam’s still reeling from the loss of his girlfriend Jess. It’s brought up that how she died was strikingly similar to what killed their mother, and they’re both out to get the demon responsible.
They drive to the home of Ritchie and Gloria, Sam having had a vision of his death. They claim to be sent by the brewery he’d worked for. After speaking with his widow, they learn that 1) he’d developed ideas for the brewery but wasn’t really paid fairly for his work, and 2) the police chalked it up to spontaneous human combustion.
As the guys discuss the case and look through their father’s journal for clues, they’re approached by a brewery employee named Effie. She brings them to the brewery to figure things out. As it turned out, the lab burned a day after Ritchie did (and that’s a bit too freaky to ignore).
As it turns out, they’re dealing with an imp. Whoever traps an imp is stated to get anything they could possibly want…but at the cost of their soul getting condemned to Hell. Because she’d been there for the bottling, Effie worries about it coming for her.
The Winchesters have the bottling spell written down, but there’s some debate as to who should do the actual trapping. Effie winds up being the one to go through with it. She reveals herself to be the place’s CEO. Ritchie, as it turned out, had stolen the bottle from her, and she didn’t know the full spell, so the fact that the Winchester brothers did is a major boon for her.
She offers them a partnership, but they decide to take their chances elsewhere.
As I read through Supernatural #1, I could definitely pick up on the vibes of the early days of the show, back when the threats being dealt with were more Monster Of The Week rather than Biblical And Apocalyptic. So, going for a new comic series using the early series format is definitely the right choice, particularly for anyone that may be new to the series itself.
A lot of the dialogue when Sam and Dean are together helps to establish who they are, what they’re all about. It’s a refresher for those who are fans already, and a handy introduction for those who are just starting. For the existing fans, it’s like being reacquainted with old friends.
That said, it feels a little weird to know that they’re not rolling in the Impala this time around (it’s established that they grabbed a loaner thanks to credit card fraud complications). It does make narrative sense, but when you get so used to their car as a character, it feels a bit odd.
The creative team brought in all of the classic hallmarks of your typical Winchester adventure in Supernatural #1: the classic rock aliases when they interview someone, Dean’s flirty nature, John’s journal with as much information about supernatural creatures as he could cram in there… It’s familiar territory, but in a sort of comforting way.
The artwork works well for Supernatural #1. Not too cartoony, not overly realistic, and it nails the guys’ likenesses pretty well. And the dialogue between them is very true to the characters, so combined, I could practically hear the voices of Jared and Jensen coming from the characters on the page, and I appreciate that.
Final Thoughts
Supernatural #1 works as both a jumping-on point and a reunion with old friends. Saving people, hunting things…Supernatural is back. It’s a great starting point for those new to these guys and their whole world, and a nice refresher for the fans.
