HORROR COMICS REVIEW: The Nine Lives of Salem #1 (Archie Comics)

The Curator

About The Nine Lives of Salem #1

Writer: Cullen Bunn

Artists: Dan Schoening and Ben Galvan

Colorist: Matt Herms

Letterer: Jack Morelli

Cover Artists: Dan Schoening and Robert Hack

Publisher: Archie Comics

Genre: Horror

Release date: February 26th, 2025

The Nine Lives of Salem is part of the Archie Horror imprint of Archie Comics. It is a one-shot comic book issue focusing on the Sabrina the Teenage Witch supporting character, Salem.

The Nine Lives of Salem #1 - Cover A by Dan Schoening

The Nine Lives of Salem #1 Review

Long time readers of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina have long been waiting on a story starring her eponymous feline compatriot. A story just as spooky as the mainline Sabrina Spellman comics but which balances the nuance of small town horror with campy slice of life storytelling. Thankfully, the hiring of The Empty Man writer, Cullen Bunn, who has carved out a career of writing for both the horror curious and obsessive fan alike - gives us a one-shot which adds to the lore of Salem.

Following Salem’s journey into a haunted house, we learn about his life before a transformation spell left him in the body of cat. A story that depicts Salem as a truly detestable human being who would do anything to further his knowledge of witchcraft. Even going so far as creating and binding malformed imps to his person so they would do his bidding. Usually acts of violence. Though, when he turned into a cat, he temporarily binded his imps to new masters. But with those masters dead and buried, the imps are here in the haunted house to kill their master and finally be free from his binding. What follows is a tale of a fight for survival against these demonic mutations which, when Salem is close to dead, ends with a twist you won’t see coming.

The combined talents of Schoening and Galvan have created a rickety old house which provides the ultimate atmosphere for this revenge vs fight for survival story to take place. It’s a Sabrina Spellman story implanted into a comic with an 80s horror aesthetic. An aesthetic which doesn’t overrun the story’s purpose as a Chilling Adventures of Sabrina lore expansion - instead very much adds to it. Though, due to its penchant for smaller demonic creatures going head to head, I wouldn’t be surprised if fans of Charles Band and Kenneth J. Hall’s Puppet Master franchise fell in love with this Salem-centric story. Or even if you loved the CW show and long for more horror of that flavour.

Maliciously thoughtful, Cullen Bunn has saved this one-shot from becoming another one of those “throw in your longbox and forget about it” comic book issues. He’s created an otherworldly spooky, grounded-in-Archie Comics, campy story that treads the fine line of being neither folk horror nor a gothic horror fable. It’s equally both - and that’s what made reading this so fucking enjoyable.