witchbloodWitchblood #3

Created by: Matthew Erman and Lisa Sterle
Colored by: Gab Contreras
Lettered by: Andworld
Published by: Vault Comics

This review contains spoilers for Witchblood #1 and #2, both available now at your local comic shop. 

In the third issue of Witchblood by Matthew Erman, Lisa Sterle, Gab Contreras, and Andworld, the wheels are still turning, and the reader arrives in yet another new locale. The on-the-road issue-by-issue framework of Witchblood is beginning to become clearer, and you’d be a fool not to settle into Yonna’s figurative sidecar for the ride.

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The Darkness in the Sheds of Town

In Witchblood #3, just as in the first two volumes, we are introduced to a new witch: Yoshi Von Teufel. However, rather than approach her from the perspective of the Hounds of Love or Yonna, in this issue, we see what the local witch looks like through the eyes of Atlacoya, who we first met back in issue one.

We quickly discover that, like Yonna, Atlacoya has allies of her own… and although we don’t get to know them as well as we might like in this issue, it’s becoming clear from the pattern of the series that their time in the spotlight will surely be arriving soon enough.

In a similar vein to the previous issue, which gave us a look into different types of magic from different spell casters, in this issue, we get more insight into the anti-magical techniques used by Atlacoya (hint: ever considered using a circulatory system as a method of spreading out a salt ward).

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More Magic from Yonna

The other highlight of this issue is the chance to see more of Yonna’s distinctive magic, which we first glimpsed (in a somewhat different stage) in the debut issue. In this instance, we get to see what the process of concocting a spell looks like: it turns out it’s more feeling than you’d expect (at least when it comes to Yonna’s distinctive magical brand).

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Better still, the visual gag that is the fruit of her potion-crafting labors is too good to reveal, but rest assured that there’s no way it won’t elicit a reaction.

What’s Around the Next Witchblood Bend?

witch bloodOf all the excellent pages in this issue, my favorite may have been Yonna’s hand-drawn map of the United States. I screeched to a halt when I came to this page and drank in every detail. With forbidden spaces, hilarious notations, and a map key that defines important symbols (including the one that denotes where to find family, so as to avoid them).

This panel reveals the great potential of the series, and indeed, the notion of exploring every corner of this map in measured, issue-by-issue servings is tantalizing indeed.

Each issue of Witchblood so far has offered a distinctive, entertaining chapter in an increasingly interesting tale, and there’s no reason at all to think the pace will slow down from here. With more unexpected characters and occurrences unseen but waiting just around the next narrative bend, you can bet your car, big iron, or witchy familiar that I’ll be following this story until the wheels come off.

Witchblood #3 is available today at your local comics shop.