Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special (Review): Perfect Way To Spend Halloween
WYTCHES: BAD EGG HALLOWEEN SPECIAL (ONE-SHOT)
Written by: Scott Snyder
Art by: JOCK
Coloring by: Matt Hollingsworth Lettering by: Clem Robins
Published by: Image Comics
10/10
Anybody that has read "Wytches" by Snyder and Jock, knows what an absolutely pulse-pounding and terrifyingly amazing series it is. This one-shot, that was previously released in the Image+ magazine has been recollected along with the 13 page conclusion. Released on Halloween, of all days, was an ingenious decision on their part. I have been a huge fan of the series and was thrilled when they announced this book and it was even better than I could have imagined. I haven't been this excited about Halloween since I was a kid.
The story introduces us to Sebastian and Jackson, who are caught in opposite sides of the war of good and evil. Sebastian is the son of Clara the Wytch hunter, who Snyder has said is going to be a major character in Wytches Vol. 2. He and his mother belong to a long line of Wytch hunters called, "The Irons". They move to a town to hunt "High Horn" Wytches and Jackson's family happens to be the ones they're hunting. Clara has been training Seb to be a hunter also and one of the lessons, was to never get to close to anybody. He of course builds a close friendship with Jackson, which makes it that much harder for him to kill Jackson's family.
The story dives into the backstory of both "The Irons" and the history of Wytches, that really helps the narrative of the main series and answers questions I was left with after Vol.1. These two kids having their lives already planned out by parents whose intentions are on completely different paths, is what really drives the story. While it may seem that what Jackson's parents have planned is more traumatic, Seb's more is no better. The way Clara is shaping and molding Seb in to the man she expects him to be, she also isn't letting him be a kid, but I guess at least she isn't trying to feed him to a Wytch. The ending definetly through me for a loop and left me even more anxious for Vol. 2. I can't wait to read more about Seb in the next series.
Snyder has created the most terrifying witches (Wytches) ever created. The way a "baby" Wytch is "grown" in a burrow and fed a human child in order to grow in power is disturbing. Jock once again has drawn one of the scariest books I've read in a long time. His rendition of Wytches is something that will haunt me and keep me up at night. His art combined with Matt Hollingsworth's coloring is a horrific and chilling masterpiece. The chaos of color combined with the tight line work of JOCK's art and they brilliant writing of Snyder, easily makes this one of the best books out there.
This book once again shows what an amazing team Snyder and Jock are. I can't wait for "Wytches" to return next year, there's no other horror book like it.