Words: Matthew Erman
Art: Lisa Sterle
Colors: Gab Contreras
Letters: Jim Campbell (1-2), AndWorld Design (3-10)
Publisher: Vault
This review will contain spoilers.
There’s a motorcycle winding the back, desert roads of Texas. Rumblin’ Rose carries Yonna and her familiar Bhu across the country, through backroads and small towns as the trio avoids the witches and responsibilities of the countryside. Yonna has chosen a life of solitude or – at very least – avoidance. She is a witch and bears the responsibility of being the first of her kind – and wants NOTHING to do with that.
That is until she, her witch allies, witch hunters, and a vampire biker gang cross paths. Yonna, Bhu, and Rumblin’ Rose are taken from their free-rolling life and put on the roads to destiny (or something poetic like that). Yonna has to team up with neglected friends and powerful enemies to stop the determined vampire biker gang from using Witch Blood to destroy the world. Will these once-enemies be able to save the world, witches, and keep the secret origin of their powers safe?
Witchblood Issues #1-10 collect the first (of hopefully many) arc of Yonna’s journey. The grays, browns, and faded greens of rural Texas clash with the neon colors of the characters’ hair, blood, and panache. The characters are bold, engaging with regular mortals with a confidence and style that can only be obtained through exposure to Supernatural Forces. Each character stands out from the crowd – even if they’re wearing a shawl or a simple summer dress. They are not like the boring folks of the towns they live in; they don’t fit in.
This ragtag crew doesn’t try, either. They slide into towns and introduce themselves in the most bold of ways. They lecture a filled bar about strategy; tear out throats; and feed on blood while jamming to Alan Jackson’s Chattahoochee. The creative team even asks the reader to listen to Chattahoochee while reading.
The music is what makes Witchblood stand out. It’s not often that a comic comes with a soundtrack and Erman, Sterle, and team often prompt readers to enjoy a certain song or two in order to set the mood. It adds an interesting depth to the comic that can highlight the humor, the drama, or the surrealism of the scenes. I mean, a massacre set to Chattahoochee? Not what I was expecting!
Witchblood is a fun read for fans of witches, vampires, witch hunters, and the Texan desert. It’s filled with color, flashbacks, and stories of loyalty. It’s a ragtag crew coming together to save the world and working through the betrayal and pain that comes with partnership. This is a crew that sets their differences aside and saves the world in the most neon of ways. How can you resist that?
- Witchblood #1 - February 1, 2022
- Reburn #1 - January 11, 2022
- The Unfinished Corner - November 16, 2021
