Wytches Volume 1 By Scott Snyder and Jock
Wytches volume 1 is an Image published book written by Scott Snyder(New 52 Batman), art by Jock(Dredd), and colours by Matt Hollingsworth(Hawkeye). Even if you know very little about the comic book industry, these are some big names and you might have seen some of their previous work.
This book is not your everyday take of the myth of witches. It takes the witches we know from movies and TV, and flips it on its head in a horrifying way. In some interviews Scott has said that this was a reinvention of the classic witches, to make them more darker and scarier. Taking away from the sorcery side of things and turning them more into creatures.
This book certainly had a lot of traction behind it, even with readers that wouldn’t dabble in much work outside of Marvel or DC, the reason being that the creative team behind this project have such well respected names in the industry. Especially with the ongoing success of Scott Snyders New 52 Batman run.
The story is top notch which is what I expect from the very talented Scott Snyder. The first look at what messed up stuff Scott Snyder could create was when I first read Batman The Black Mirror which also includes the art of Jock, this Batman story really had a dark, twisted ending which isn’t exactly what you expect from a Batman story so its no surprise Jock and Snyder would let lose when they got a shot with their own Image title.
Wytches is set in New Hampshire following the Rooks family, who just moved to escape a trauma involving the daughter Sailor. We find out very early what the trauma was, but to avoid spoilers ill leave it for you to find out for yourself. Needless to say its messed up and sets the dark tone for the whole book. Sailor, like many teenagers is struggling to find her way in school, and the events of the first issue only add to the hardship. The Wytches are very present through out the book, and you do get to see them a few times which some people might say takes away from the horror side of things and more often than not in film and such, the threat is always more scary when you cannot see it. that’s not the case here, I think I wouldn’t have found them as scary if I didn’t see them up close a few times. Every thing about their design gives me chills.
The art definitely adds to the creepiness of the books. Jocks art is both beautiful and terrifying. His design of this new version of witches will haunt you for a while, as some of the panels in this book are genuinely terrifying. The colouring of Matt Hollingsworth is also a brilliant addition to the story as it sometimes adds to the sense of panic and confusion in some of the bigger scenes
This book really picks up the pace half way through and quickly turned into a one sitting book where I had to see how this story unfolded, always a great sign when reading anything. It deals with a very scary threat but also with some touching real world problems involving Sailor and her father.
It isn’t very hard to sell someone of this book if they’ve heard of the names of Scott, Jock, or Matt. Not only that but it’s all collected in a 9.99 Volume 1 from the very well established publisher, Image Comics. If you like or dislike horror, this is still a must read for all comic book lovers.
