W.I.T.C.H. is an Italian fantasy, magical girl comic series written by Elisabetta Gnone, Alessandro Barbucci, and Barbara Canepa. The series was first published in Italy in April 2001 before the series was released in other countries. As of January 2005, W.I.T.C.H. has been released in over 65 countries. The final issue of W.I.T.C.H. was released on October 2012, concluding the series' 139 issue run.