The Structure of Charmed Season 10

And a sneak peek at the Charmed #4 cover

On his Tumblr Pat Shand posted a sneak peak of the Charmed #4 cover (featuring Piper) and his plans for the structure of the season.

"Here’s your first PAT IS SUPER MEAN SNEAK PEEK at the cover for Charmed #4. No context, no explanation, just pure mean teases."

"I mentioned on Twitter that I’m not going to talk about Charmed #5 at all. And that’s true. ‘Cause anything I say would be a spoiler. And you don’t want to be spoiled, do you? Don’t answer that."

"I will talk about the rest of the series, though. I moved onto the sixth issue a few days ago, and I’m slowly writing that one."

"With the sixth issue in its rough draft phase, though, I thought now would be a good time to talk about the structure of this season."

"I’ve been where you guys are. I was a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Supernatural, and a BUNCH of others shows that would later become comics. In the case of the “seasons” of comics, the books that sought to continue the narrative of a show that has ended, it causes the fandom — and me — a bit of a mental conundrum. These are comics, yes, and we should think of them — and specifically, CHARMED: SEASON TEN — as such. However, they’re also something else. With the use of the “season” terminology, a word I specifically requested we use for this series, along with my request that we begin with a new #1, we are appropriating the format episodic television. That purposely leads fans to think of what we’re doing as a television show, and when I was reading books that did the same thing, I found it unfair when creators urged the fans not to try to box comics into what they expect from a TV show. I saw countless fans arguing fucking PASSIONATELY over whether a single issue = an episode or if an arc = an episode. It seems trivial in the face of the fact that, either way, we’re getting more story. But people care. I cared. And passion is never trivial."

"CHARMED: SEASON TEN is going to be comprised of arcs and one-shots, yes. #1-5 is an arc. #6 and #7 are one-shots. #8 - 10 is an arc. That’s all set in stone. If all goes according to plan and I don’t make a last minute change, #11 will be a one-shot and #12 - 15 will be an arc."

"However, to me, each issue represents an episode. The arcs are glued together by an overarching narrative, while the one-shots resolve themselves by the end of the story. However, each chapter of the arcs also sets out to do something specific, to deal with a specific theme or subplot. And, by the end of the season, even though there are arcs and one-shots telling their own stories, it will create a tapestry that also tells one large story about a family of witches and their hubbies. And Cole. And someone else."

"So anyway, there it is. An excessively rambly confirmation that ISSUE = EPISODE."