GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES, by Zenescope Entertainment on 1/10/24, escalates Calabar’s misgivings about Gretel’s increasing darkness when they battle a witch with a knack for manipulation.
The Details
- Written by: David Wohl
- Art by: Allan Otero
- Colors by: Maxflan Araujo
- Letters by: Taylor Esposito
- Cover art by: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover price: $5.99
- Release date: January 10, 2024
Is GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES Good?
David Wohl urges Gretel down a dark path in an action-packed story that will keep you wondering if the witch-hunting hero is slowly turning into a villain. GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES builds on Gretel’s character in new and interesting ways, but the big conflict of this issue has less to do with the villain than it does with Calabar.
When last we left Gretel, she and Calabar shut down a child trafficking ring that profited from selling their supply to witches. The heroes eventually shut the ring down, but Gretel and Calabar were at odds over Gretel’s increasingly violent methods.
Now, Calabar decides to go solo in her witch-hunting activities to gain some perspective and take a break from Gretel. When Calabar disappears on her latest hunt, Gretel searches for her partner on a farm without livestock, owned by a demonic-looking witch with a talent for psychological trickery. Before the night is over, Calabar and Gretel’s partnership may be at an end.
For his part, Wohl leans hard into creating a rift between Gretel and Calabar that can’t be solved with a chat or a hug. Technically, Gretel hasn’t crossed an uncrossable line, but it’s clear her consumption of witch hearts is making her more aggressive, a development that Calabar can’t simply look past.
What’s great about GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES? Wohl methodically finds ways to poke and pick at Gretel’s relationship with Calabar to force the witch hunters on opposite sides of their cause. The rift is interesting because you can see both sides of the conflict, and it’s clear that bias and emotion are clouding Gretel and Calabar’s judgment.
What’s not so great about GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES? Gretel and Calabar collide at the farm of a demonic witch named Desire. While Desire may be egging each witch hunter on with dark thoughts, which should make her a powerful enemy, Gretel defeats Desire much too easily. You could take Desire out of this comic, and it almost wouldn’t make a difference.
How’s the art? Allan Otero is one of the top regular artists at Zenescope for a good reason. The magical battles are powerful, you get a few big bangs for a wow factor, and Araujo’s colors are solid.
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What’s GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES About?
[SPOILERS AHEAD – Click here if you just want the score without spoilers]
We begin with Calabar sitting at a dining table, chatting with a hooded figure about her misgivings regarding Gretel’s increasingly dark behavior. Calabar seems disoriented, but the hooded figure assures Calabar that she’s safe and in the company of someone who believes her. That someone is the witch Desire.
Elsewhere, Gretel comes to blows with Calabar’s paramilitary colleagues who will attack any witch, regardless of which side she’s on. Gretel defeats the guards and extracts the information she needs to find out where Calabar went. When Gretel arrives at Desire’s farm, she notices the livestock pens are filled with creatures that definitely are not livestock.
We conclude the issue with lethal deterrence, confused intentions, and a growing rift.
Keep scrolling for a closer look at preview images of the internal pages, or Click Here to jump right to the score.
Final Thoughts
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GRETEL: DARK IMPULSES continues Gretel’s journey down a dark path for the right intentions, creating heaps of relationship problems with Calabar. Wohl gives the partners authentic, dramatic reasons to be at odds without any easy answers, and Otero’s art is top-notch for Zenescope. That said, the main villain is defeated too easily, which hurts the satisfaction factor of this issue’s conclusion.
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