WYTCHES #1 Review

Does this tale prove worth the hype? Read on to find out.

The official description from Image:

Across the globe, century after century, men and women were burned, drowned, hanged, tortured, imprisoned, persecuted, and murdered for witchcraft. None of them were witches. They died protecting a terrible and hidden truth: witches, real witches, are out there. They are ancient, elusive, and deadly creatures that are rarely seen and even more rarely survived. This October, superstar creators SCOTT SNYDER (SEVERED, Batman) and JOCK (SNAPSHOT, Batman) unveil WYTCHES, and introduce you to a world of unimaginable horror in a special EXTRA-SIZED FIRST ISSUE with 30 pages of story and no ads for just $2.99

Halloween season is upon us, and what better way to get into the mood than with a good horror based comic series. Proving to be awesome in so many ways, Wytches is definitely living up to the high expectation that fans have placed upon it. Unlike expected it wasn’t the horror factor that excelled here, as though the element did enough to quench my interest, it was the characters that firmly captured it. Between their mysterious background, and their personalities, the Rooks family certainly have a lot of depth to them, with daughter Sail certainly being a character worth following.

Scott Snyder has become one of the biggest names in the comics industry, with his current run on Batman never failing to impress. Despite this he somehow manages to top even that when it comes to his creator owned horror series, with both American Vampires and Severed being fabulous tales. He manages to once again translate this into Wytches, as though the horror element is more of a tease at the moment, the mystery and character depth certainly makes for a compelling read. He also introduces some interesting concepts, with the pledge at the start being the most intriguing.

If Snyder wasn’t enough to get fans excited about this series then artist Jock certainly was, with the return of the team behind Batman: The Black Mirror certainly having tongues wagging. Having such a recognisable style Jock’s art can either enhance a story, or make it feel awkward. Wytches proves to show the former, with his style being more than suited for this horror themed tale. His choice of layouts, and sharp inkwork really allows for a punchy intro to the issue, with Matt Hollingsworth‘s colours adding an extra level of spookiness. Additionally Jock also allows the characters personalities to come across, with the facial expressions adding both sorrow and hope at certain times.

Wytches #1 does a fabulous job of setting the scene for things to come, with the prelude giving the mysterious horror aspect, and the main story showing how this works around the normal world. The issue also shows some great character development, giving some brilliant introductions, and wonderful dialogue. All these are great reasons to buy this tale, with the fact it’s a double sized issue at $2.99 only being a bonus. Highly recommended.