Wytches

After witnessing a grisly supernatural murder, Sailor Rook, along with her father and mother, move to a small town, hoping for a fresh start. But the twisted horrors hidden in the woods have traveled with the family, and they must now uncover one another's dark secrets to stay alive. No stranger to horror, Snyder (American Vampire) uses familiar genre archetypes to create an easily accessible environment, with quick twists and unexpected reveals to put a fresh spin on a seemingly familiar story. His scares are as grotesque as they are original the wytches trap their victims graphically in trees but what makes this book stand out is the chemistry between the Rooks. The interactions between an anxiety-ridden Sailor and her earnest father are so genuine and heartfelt that the final reveal and fate of the Rooks create a shocking end to a well-executed story. A layer of watercolor and paint splotches over the angular drawing and darkly colored art scheme cultivates a disorienting and at times off-putting look that matches the disturbing atmosphere. Fans of horror comics should look no further.--Blenski, Peter Copyright 2015 Booklist

This monster-fighter origin story masquerades as a damsel-in-distress tale. Wytches follows the Rook family as they move to a small town in the wake of several family tragedies, only to find something much worse in the New Hampshire woods. Writer Snyder (Batman, The Wake) deftly weaves myths and folktales of New England witchcraft together with modern rural monster fiction. Art from Jock (The Losers, Detective Comics) strikes the right balance between family drama and creepy underground monster chases, and the colors by Matt Hollingsworth (Hawkeye) make the scary scenes even scarier. Sometimes Jock and Hollingsworth's art can make things difficult to discern, but this always feels on-genre and intentional. Flashbacks of the Rook's tragic past are spring-colored and bright, but the modern-day horrors are rendered with autumnal reds and browns. The book underplays teenage Sailor Rooks's attempts to fit in at a new high school, but then that's already well-worn territory for stories like this. As it stands, Wytches is a strong, symbol-heavy starting point for a new take on what lurks just beyond the shadows. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.