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Published by: Dark Horse Comics
Released on: Mar. 19, 2014
Writer: Paul Tobin
Artist: Joe Querio
Cover: Joe Querio
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The Witcher is a monster-killing wanderer, who gets his jollies taking down the flesh-hungry beats with his trusty blade, riding atop his trusty steed. Encountering a hunter named Jakob, the two men share some food, fire, and wine. The Witcher identifies himself as Geralt, but Jakob knows right away what he Geralt is. At first that seems like a bad piece of knowledge to have, but Geralt quickly shows Jakob he is in fact a friend, not a foe. Goodbye, Mr. Drowner monster.
Jakob's wife Marta was turned by vampires a number of years ago and the guy can't seem to let her go. He keeps within sight of her, up on the hill watching the two men, at that very moment, and Jakob shares his story with Geralt. The next day the two men head off together, taking a short cut through The Black Forest (you know THAT won't go well for someone). Within, they run into a droopy-boobed “grave hag†in an old cemetery, and a “leghen†- some fucked up looking forest-carcass creature thing- deeper in the woods. Then they follow some magic songbirds, only to find an old house and someone Jakob is very familiar with.
Based on a video game of the same name, which was based on a series of books of the same name, The Witcher makes its way to the comic book format, courtesy of Dark Horse. Don't ask if this comic is anything like either aforementioned Witcher items, as this reader has no idea if this book follows its own story or one of those. Set in a fantasy world, there's plenty of room for all sorts of unholy monsters and beasts, and the story wastes no time with making sure the reader sees some action. The story moves fast, the dialogue as well, although the dialogue is certainly not of the era the story presumably takes place in, which feels like medieval times. Artwork is strong, at times showing some signs of some John Romita, Jr. work (at least his stuff in the 90s). This may not be anywhere close to artists he admires, but all the same, this reader sees it and likes it.
The character of The Witcher feels like an amalgam of some Robert E. Howard characters, but one can suppose it's not easy to assemble a story and character like this without Howard's undeniable influence on fantasy writing. At this point the series feels average, but by no means below average in entertainment value. But monsters galore and the promise of some hacking and slashing should get any reader interested in this type of tale to pick up the next issue to see where it goes.
