The Witcher is a comic book series that has been published by the American publisher Dark Horse Comics since 2014. It is based on The Witcher media franchise of CD Projekt. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
The stories presented in the series are mostly originals, written not by Andrzej Sapkowski but by other writers; the exception being volume 2, Fox Children, which adapted a story from the anthology Season of Storms . [1] [7] The first issue debuted in 2014, with story by Paul Tobin. [1] Although Dark Horse Comics is an American publisher, a significant proportion of artists involved in the project have been Polish. [1] In particular, volume 4 (Of Flesh and Flame) was both written and illustrated solely by Polish artists. [8] [9]
It is the second The Witcher comic book series, following the Polish series published in 1993–1995. [10]
In 2014, Jesse Schedeen reviewed issue 1 of the first volume (House of Glass) for IGN, noting that while the story "doesn't stand out as being remarkably different from other violent fantasy comics, it's definitely an enjoyable read that requires no familiarity with the source material". [11]
In 2015, Charlie Hall reviewed the issue 1 of the second volume (Fox Children) for Polygon , writing that the series has the potential to explore "moral ambiguity" which the franchise is known for. [12] Torin Chambers at Bloody Disgusting! wrote that the issue is worth recommending, although it would have benefited from an explanatory page for those less familiar with the universe. [13] Likewise, Joie Martin at the Geek Initiative agreed that given the interesting cliffhanger, those who read the first issue will likely want to pick up the next one. [14]
In 2017, Donna-Lyn Washington in her review of volume 3 (Curse of Crows) for the Review Fix concluded that the book is a good story "told in a way that wants you to seek out everything related to this character". [15] The issue was also reviewed that year by Dana Folkard for Impulse Gamer, who called it "an engaging and exciting read". [16] Jason Segarra at AIPT was less impressed, describing it as "a fine story, just not a great one", and noting that it feels like a forgettable sidequest. [17]
In 2018, Ricardo Serrano Denis reviewed the first issue of volume 4 (Of Flesh and Flame) for The Beat. He praised the comic for "one of the truest and most genuine game to comic transitions in recent memory", although he noted that the comic is perhaps less accessible to casual readers than the previous three volumes, and seems to aim more at fans of the series already familiar with the franchise. [18] The issue was also positively reviewed by Patrick Hellen at AIPT, who noted that "this is a great start to a new limited series". [19] On the other hand, Tomasz Gardziński writing for Polish magazine Spider's Web was much more critical, calling it disappointing both when it comes to art and plot. [20]
In 2019, Jody Macgregor reviewing The Witcher comics for PC Gamer, wrote that "Andrzej Sapkowski's books survived being adapted for games and for TV and they make for pretty decent comic books as well". She also ranked the released comics (both from Dark Horse as well as those published by CD Projekt independently); for the Dark Horse works available in time of writing she ranked them worst to best as: House of Glass (volume 1), Of Flesh and Flame (volume 4), Fox Children (volume 2) and, best, Curse of Crows (volume 3). [21] A year later, Nick Smith reviewing the Omnibus Edition Volume One, which collects the first three volumes as well as a short story previously published by CD Projekt, gave it 4 out 5 stars, noting that the fans of The Witcher universe "will really enjoy the book", but that it also "stands on it own" for the casual readers. [22]
In 2020, Matthew Aguilar in a capsule review for Comics called the first issue of volume 5 (Fading Memories) "another excellent addition to the franchise" giving it a score of 5 out of 5. [23] Calum Petrie writing for Flickering Myth gave the issue a score of 9 out of 10, concluding that "this is one of the strongest first issues I have come across". [24] The issue was also praised by Jonathan Brown at Monkeys Fighting Robots who noted that all readers, both fans of The Witcher universe as well as those new to the universe, "will adore this comic". [25] Tomasz Gardziński writing for Polish magazine Spider's Web called the volume an interesting experiment, a psychological thriller worth reading at least once, praising the author for ambition in taking the story in interesting and novel directions, but criticizing the story for a number of plot holes and characters, for acting irrationally. [26] The volume was also reviewed by Bartłomiej Romanek for Polish newspaper Dziennik Zachodni ; Romanek positively reviewed the artwork and the story, but also noted that the book is "heavy" and quite different from most prior works in The Witcher universe, focusing on psychology more than on slaying fantasy monsters, and therefore it may disappoint some fans which expected something similar to what they are familiar with and focused on action instead of introspection. [27]
In 2021, Mark Scott at BIG COMIC PAGE reviewed the first volume of volume 6 (Witch's Lament) as average, praising the story but criticizing the inconsistent quality of artwork, giving the issue 3/5 score. [28] Later that year, Marcin Zwierzchowski, discussing the series in the Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, noted that it presents a solid level, but plot-wise, does not equal that of Sapkowski's originals until volumes 5 and 6 (Fading Memories and Witch's Lament) written by Bartosz Sztybor . Zwierzchowski praised Sztybor's plots for not repeating old motives, like those of Tobin's or Motyka's, but by bravely – and according to the reviewer, successfully – going into uncharted territories. [1] On the other hand, Cian Maher, reviewing Witch's Lament for TheGamer, criticized the book for changing Geralt of Rivia's character too far. [29]
Story Arc | Issue | Release Date | Story | Art | Colors | Cover |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
House of Glass | #1 [30] | 19 March 2014 | Paul Tobin | Joe Querio | Carlos Badilla | Dan Panosian & Dave Johnson |
#2 [31] | 23 April 2014 | Joe Querio | ||||
#3 [32] | 21 May 2014 | |||||
#4 [33] | 18 June 2014 | |||||
#5 | 16 July 2014 [34] | |||||
Fox Children | #1 [35] | 1 April 2015 | Paul Tobin | Joe Querio | Carlos Badilla | Joe Querio |
#2 [36] | 6 May 2015 | |||||
#3 [37] | 3 June 2015 | |||||
#4 [38] | 1 July 2015 | |||||
#5 [39] | 5 August 2015 | |||||
Killing Monsters (HC) | 19 May 2015 | Paul Tobin | Max Bertolini | Carlos Badilla | Joe Querio | |
Curse of Crows | #1 [40] | 31 August 2016 | STORY: Paul Tobin with Borys Pugacz-Muraszkiewicz & Karolina Stachyra DIALOGUE: Travis Currit | Piotr Kowalski | Brad Simpson | Grzesiek Przybyś |
#2 [41] | 5 October 2016 | |||||
#3 [42] | 2 November 2016 | |||||
#4 [43] | 7 December 2016 | |||||
#5 [44] | 22 March 2017 | |||||
Of Flesh and Flame | #1 [45] | 19 December 2018 | Aleksandra Motyka | Marianna Strychowska | ||
#2 [46] | 23 January 2019 | |||||
#3 [47] | 20 February 2019 | |||||
#4 [48] | 3 April 2019 | |||||
Fading Memories | #1 [49] | 25 November 2020 | Bartosz Sztybor | Amad Mir | Hamidreza Sheykh | Evan Cagle Jeremy Wilson (variants) |
#2 [50] | 30 December 2020 | |||||
#3 [51] | 27 January 2021 | |||||
#4 [52] | 31 March 2021 | |||||
Witch's Lament | #1 [53] | 26 May 2021 | Bartosz Sztybor | Vanesa del Rey | Jordie Bellaire | Vanesa del Rey Anato Finnstark (variants) Stefan Koidl (variants) |
#2 [54] | 30 June 2021 | |||||
#3 [55] | 28 July 2021 | |||||
#4 [56] | 25 August 2021 | |||||
A Grain of Truth (HC) [57] | 27 April 2022 | Jacek Rembiś Travis Currit | Jonas Scharf | José Villarrubia | Kai Carpenter | |
The Ballad of Two Wolves | #1 | 21 December 2022 | Bartosz Sztybor | Miki Montlló Oriol Pérez | Miki Montlló Helena Rossetti | Jakub Rebelka |
#2 | 25 January 2023 | |||||
#3 | 22 February 2023 | |||||
#4 | 6 April 2023 | |||||
Wild Animals | #1 | 20 September 2022 | Bartosz Sztybor | Nataliia Rerekina | Patricio Delpeche Agustina Vallejo | Sara Kipin Matt Smith Manuele Fior |
#2 | 25 October 2023 | |||||
#3 | 13 December 2023 | |||||
#4 | 14 February 2024 | |||||
The Lesser Evil | 22 December 2023 | Jacek Rembiś | Adam Gorham | Patricio Delpeche | Kai Carpenter | |
Corvo Bianco | #1 | 8 May 2024 | Bartosz Sztybor | Corrado Mastantuono | Matteo Vattani | Tonci Zonjic Neyef Jorge Molin |
#2 | TBA | |||||
#3 | TBA | |||||
#4 | TBA | |||||
#5 | TBA |
Title | Release Date | Collects | Cover | ISBN |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Witcher – Volume 1: House of Glass [58] | 24 September 2014 |
| Mike Mignola | 9781616554743 |
The Witcher – Volume 2: Fox Children [59] | 16 December 2015 |
| Julián Totino Tedesco | 9781616557935 |
The Witcher – Volume 3: Curse of Crows [60] | 21 June 2017 |
| Grzesiek Przybyś | 9781506701615 |
The Witcher – Library Edition Volume One [61] (hardcover) | 31 October 2018 |
| Mike Mignola | 9781506706825 |
The Witcher – Omnibus Edition Volume One [62] (trade paperback) | 20 November 2019 | 9781506713946 | ||
The Witcher – Volume 4: Of Flesh and Flame [63] | 17 July 2019 |
| Marianna Strychowska | 9781506711096 |
The Witcher – Volume 5: Fading Memories [64] | 28 July 2021 |
| Evan Cagle | 9781506716572 |
The Witcher – Volume 6: Witch's Lament [65] | 24 November 2021 |
| Vanesa del Rey | 9781506722238 |
The Witcher – Library Edition Volume Two [66] (hardcover) | 14 September 2022 |
| Evan Cagle | 9781506726915 |
Andrzej Sapkowski is a Polish fantasy writer, essayist, translator and a trained economist. He is best known for his six-volume series of books The Witcher, which revolves around the eponymous "witcher," a monster-hunter, Geralt of Rivia. It began with the publication of Sword of Destiny (1992), and was completed with the publication of standalone prequel novel Season of Storms (2013). The saga has been popularized through television, stage, comic books, video games and translated into 37 languages making him the second most-translated Polish science fiction and fantasy writer after Stanisław Lem.
Guy Davis is an American creature designer, concept artist, illustrator and storyboard artist who has worked on film, television, comic book and video game projects. He is known for his collaborations with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, including the television series The Strain (2014–17) and the films Pacific Rim (2013), Crimson Peak (2015) and The Shape of Water (2017). Beforehand, Davis was the regular artist for the Hellboy spinoff comic B.P.R.D. (2003–2010), as well as the artist behind his own creator-owned comic The Marquis (2009).
Aliens vs. Predator is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics between 1989 and 2020 on an intermittent basis, written and drawn by various artists. Dark Horse also publishes the Aliens and Predator lines of comics.
Jeff Mariotte is an American author who lives in Arizona. As well as his own original work, he is best known for writing novels and comic books based on licensed properties.
Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.
Sean Gordon Murphy is an American comic book creator known for work on books such as Joe the Barbarian with Grant Morrison, Chrononauts with Mark Millar, American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest and The Wake with Scott Snyder, Tokyo Ghost with Rick Remender, and the miniseries Punk Rock Jesus.
Xena: Warrior Princess is a series of comic books based on the television series of the same name. Topps Comics and Dark Horse Comics created a series of comics tying into the property. In 2007, Dynamite Entertainment acquired the rights to the series.
Jeff Lemire is a Canadian comic book writer, artist, and television producer. He is the author of critically acclaimed titles including the Essex County Trilogy, Sweet Tooth, and The Nobody. His written work includes All-New Hawkeye, Extraordinary X-Men, Moon Knight and Old Man Logan for Marvel; Superboy, Animal Man, Justice League Dark, and Green Arrow for DC; Black Hammer and Mazebook for Dark Horse; Descender and Gideon Falls for Image Comics; and Bloodshot Reborn for Valiant.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Nine is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2011 to 2013. It is the sequel to the Season Eight comic book series, a canonical continuation of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The Season Nine brand also incorporates a new Buffy spin-off series, Angel & Faith, and two spin-off miniseries Willow: Wonderland and Spike: A Dark Place. The core series consisted of 25 issues and each miniseries consisted of 5 issues.
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi is an American comic book series set in the Star Wars universe. The series, published by Dark Horse Comics, is written by John Ostrander, penciled by Jan Duursema, inked by Dan Parsons, and colored by Wes Dzioba. It is set in the earliest days of the Jedi Order, beginning 36,453 years before the events of the original Star Wars film. A preview issue, #0, was released on February 1, 2012, and followed by the first issue on February 15, 2012. Dawn of the Jedi ended after the third arc since Marvel Comics acquired the Star Wars comic license in 2015. The miniseries concluded with the last issue, Force Wars #5, released on March 19, 2014.
Charles Soule is an American comic book writer, novelist, musician, and attorney. He is best known for writing Daredevil, She-Hulk, Death of Wolverine, and various Star Wars books and comic series from Del Rey Books and Marvel Comics, and his creator-owned series Letter 44, Curse Words, and Undiscovered Country, which he co-wrote with Scott Snyder, and as the co-creator of the Marvel Comics and Star Wars characters Ren, Blindspot, Inferno, and Lash. His debut novel, The Oracle Year was released by Harper Perennial on April 3, 2018. His follow-up novel, Anyone was released on December 3, 2019, also by Harper Perennial. His third novel, Star Wars: Light of the Jedi, was released by Del Rey Books on January 6, 2021, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
Cullen Bunn is an American comics writer, novelist, and short story writer, best known for his work on comic books such as Uncanny X-Men, X-Men: Blue, Magneto and various Deadpool miniseries for Marvel Comics, and his creator-owned series The Damned and The Sixth Gun for Oni Press and Harrow County for Dark Horse Comics, as well as his middle reader horror novel Crooked Hills, and his short story work collection Creeping Stones & Other Stories.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is an American multimedia franchise consisting of three television series, a live-action film, comics, books, video games, home media, and soundtracks. The franchise began with the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008. The series is set in an Asian-inspired fantasy world in which some people can telekinetically manipulate one of the four classical elements: air, water, earth, or fire. Only the titular "Avatar" can bend all four elements and is responsible for maintaining balance in the world.
Mass Effect: Foundation is a Canadian science fiction comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics featuring several secondary characters from the original Mass Effect trilogy. The fifth Mass Effect comic series to be produced, Foundation is a tie-in to 2013's Mass Effect 3: Citadel downloadable content, the story of Foundation explores the characters' backstories prior to their meeting with Commander Shepard. Much of its narrative is framed as reconnaissance by the antagonist of Citadel, Maya Brooks, as the point-of-view character, with the first issue exploring her childhood and origin story.
Star Wars is a Star Wars comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics between 2013 and 2014. The series was written by Brian Wood, and follows the main characters of the original Star Wars trilogy soon after the events of the original film. It ended after a 20-issue run, largely due to the Star Wars comics license being transferred to Marvel as part of Disney's acquisition of Lucasfilm.
Psycho-Pass: Inspector Shinya Kogami is a Japanese manga series written by Midori Gotou and illustrated by Natsuo Sai. The manga is a prequel to Production I.G's 2012 Psycho-Pass anime series, focusing on the younger days of Shinya Kogami, an Inspector working for Public Safety Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division in contrast to his darker characterization from the television series where he is recognized by the Sybil System as a latent criminal.
The Witcher is a six-issue comic books series, written by Maciej Parowski and illustrated by Bogusław Polch, mostly adapting Andrzej Sapkowski's early stories about The Witcher. It was released from 1993 to 1995 in the Komiks magazine published by Prószyński i S-ka. The comics were the first attempt to portray The Witcher universe outside the novels. While initially the series received mixed reviews, it has become more popular later, and is accepted as an important milestone in the development of The Witcher's franchise, as well as setting the visual style of the universe.