Wytches by Scott Snyder is one badass creep-fest horror comic that will make you want to turn the page fast enough to tear the binding.
I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with horror. I don’t have the stomach for horror films, they’re too visceral. I prefer to consume my horror in print. The works of Stephen King have been a part of my literary consciousness since my high school days and I’ve enjoyed books like The Exorcist although I’ve never seen the film adaptation. Wytches contains much of the same frightful traits, and when paired with incredible artwork, Snyder’s story belongs on the same shelf with the masters of horror.
The book was referred to me by an employee at my local comic shop who has similar tastes and I can’t thank them enough. When I first read it I was in awe at the tale Snyder crafted and the way he makes you empathize with the characters and their situation all the while making you feel like something is creeping up behind you.
Reading Wytches again recently, the fear was still present–even more so.. I found myself enraptured in the story, eager for the next bite of story but hesitant because I know that whatever is on the next page will chill me to the core.
On the surface, the story is about a teenage girl named Sailor, her father, and her wheelchair bound mother. But underneath you have a family struggling to deal with doubts and insecurities. If the struggles of interfamilial relationships weren’t frightening enough, you then have the creatures living inside the trees in the nearby trees. When these elements intermix we get to see what this family is really made of. If self-doubt and fear had a face… well, wait until the end of issue one.
In the following issues we see the characters find their strengths and reveal weakness. Friends and new enemies are revealed. Primal terrors are faced and… I don’t want to reveal too much. You should just read it for yourself.
Originally published as a six issue miniseries, Wytches has since been collected into a single book for easy reading. The visual style of artist, Jock, and the use of lights and darks employed by colorist Matt Hollingsworth blend with Snyder’s story to create a whole that is near perfection.
Eric Onkenhout
@EricOnkenhout