Klarion is a young practitioner of the dark arts from Witch World, an otherworldly dimension where everyone is at least somewhat knowledgeable about dark magic. The problem was, being a child, he was constantly under the direction of adults who dictated what he could and could not do with his powers, as well as what kind of sorcery he could study. Chafing under this supervision Klarion secretly used his power to open a gateway into the normal universe, and he and his cat familiar, Teekl, embarked on a journey to learn all there was to know about witchcraft, as well as cause some chaos along the way.

The illustrations are colorful and bright, and Aster’s facial expressions depict his thoughts beautifully. Just the idea of a boy forbidden to do magic, a traditionally female activity in the story, is enough to get my attention.

Major Story Arcs

Size Alteration: Whether this was a product of his energy absorption or in fact a combination with it is unknown but Klarion has shrunken Batgirl and kept her in a magical ball. Then, well… then all the work that went into setting up great plot points were just misused and things happen for no real reason. Like, the one thing I was really looking forward to happening at the end of the book, happens out of nowhere about 75% of the way through and the last 25% was soooooo boring and really just, unnecessary. There just wasn’t the payoff that I was waiting for. There is no questioning of this rule, even though the grandmother’s twin brother was cast out of the group years ago for doing his own forbidden magic. The twin brother’s downfall is actually at the crux of what is happening to the missing boys. Yet even after all that history, the prevailing attitude is that “magic is for girls and shapeshifting is for boys.” It’s sad, but what a great commentary on our own society, where certain professions (teaching, nursing, secretarial work) are for girls and others (doctors, engineers, computer scientists) are for boys. AMBIGUOUS SETTING In 2021, an Ostertag graphic novel, The Girl From The Sea, was published. She described it as "teen summer romance graphic novel" set in Nova Scotia, focused on the story of a 15-year-old Korean Canadian girl named Morgan falling in love with a selkie named Keltie. [27] [a] She noted that it is somewhat based on her experience spending summers at Wilneff Island in Nova Scotia as a kid and called the book her "first serious foray" into the romance genre. The Girl from the Sea has been nominated for the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology. [28]

Cute graphic novel! It’s a little light on plot, but it’s great for elementary readers looking for supernatural fantasy. WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE WITCH BOY Ned and his twin brother build a raft, but it is not seaworthy, and Tam dies. Ned survives only through Tam's soul and his mother's magic. But the villagers are convinced the wrong boy lived, especially because the experience left Ned without words. Meanwhile, practical Áine lives in the forest with her bandit father, who is being overtaken by a strange force. Molly Ostertag Books, Author Biography, and Reading Level". Scholastic. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019 . Retrieved October 28, 2019. ok, that looks more like Calvin and Hobbes but trust me, there's a Noelle Stevenson vibe running throughout, too) This endearing and often funny graphic novel cohesively combines queer teen romance, realism, and fantasy."Some time later, Klarion joined forces with the Contessa, using his witchcraft to switch the ages of Earth's teenage and adult heroes to sow chaos and turn public opinion against superheroes, though to Klarion it was nothing more than a devilish prank. During this period, Klarion referred to himself as "Klarion... Bum, Bum, Bum... the Witch-Boy" and insisted that others call him by that appellation as well. [3] Afterwards, Klarion was targeted by Lobo, who was outraged at the indignity of being turned into a child. Klarion expressed extreme loneliness after losing his "playmates" following his defeat, but was cheered up when he befriended the time-lost child hero, Ariella Kent. [4] Infinite Crisis Wolf, Tony (March 27, 2015). " 'There Have Always Been Women In Comics' – The Testament Of She Makes Comics". Bleeding Cool. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021 . Retrieved March 28, 2021.

Psychic Link: Klarion has an innate psychic bond with his cat, allowing him to communicate with Teekl and see through Teekl's eyes. Then, during a night of shapeshifting practice, one of the boys goes missing. Aster knows he can search for the boy with the witchcraft he’s been secretly learning. Could breaking his family’s most important tradition save the day—or ruin everything? Action Comics • Adventure Comics • Adventures of Superman • Superboy (Volume 3) • Superboy (Volume 4) • Superboy (Volume 5) • Superboy and the Ravers • Teen Titans (Volume 3) • Young Justice Other titles... When a mysterious danger threatens the other boys, Aster knows he can help — as a witch. It will take the encouragement of a new friend, the non-magical and non-conforming Charlie, to convince Aster to try practicing his skills. And it will require even more courage to save his family . . . and be truly himself.I loved how I keep feeling as if I was reading a fairy tale, an adventure, a magical fantasy with dashes of epic fantasy all seamlessly stitched into a perfect combination. Klarion appears in the "Witching Hour" Halloween event as the source of chaotic magic that is interrupting the Halloween festivities in Gotham. In a tweet on December 10, 2020, Ostertag said that Morgan is Korean Canadian while Keltie is "white with a summer tan." Klarion the Witch Boy appears in The New Batman Adventures episode "The Demon Within", voiced by Stephen Wolfe Smith. Using a mystic branding iron that originally belonged to Morgaine le Fey, he takes control of Etrigan, but is eventually defeated and imprisoned in a crystal ball.