VAN HELSING: HEXED, by Zenescope on 7/17/24, continues Liesel Van Helsing’s to find her friend, Julie Jekyll. This time, the trail leads to the world’s most dangerous witch.
Credits:
- Writer: Pat Shand
- Artist: Julius Abrera
- Colorist: Grostieta
- Letterer: Taylor Esposito
- Cover Artist: Igor Vitorino (cover A)
- Publisher: Zenescope Entertainment
- Release Date: July 17, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $6.99
- Page Count: 50
- Format: Double-Sized Issue
Covers:
Analysis of VAN HELSING: HEXED:
First Impressions:
Oh, what a tangled web we weave. Writer Pat Shand delivers a banger of an adventure for Liesel Van Helsing that finds the titular hero taking on a dangerous challenge to help her friend, but will victory present even greater problems in the future? In this case, all signs point to ‘yes.’
Plot Analysis:
Van Helsing: Hexed begins in the middle of a battle in an underground lab. Liesel Van Helsing fights off a group of “Man-Leeches” created by a low-level scientist who worked for The Syndicate. When the monsters are dispatched, Liesel applies painful pressure to the scientist for information about her missing friend, Julie Jekyll. The scientist, sadly, has no data to give.
Pat Shand knows Liesel well, possibly better than anyone, so starting an oversized issue with Liesel in the middle of a battle with scientific monstrosities fits like a glove for the character. Better still, Liesel’s fight is motivated by the concern and love she has for Liesel, so new readers will get the character perfectly.
Later, Liesel invites Alex Igor over to help with equipment repair, but Igor quickly deduces an ulterior motive. Liesel wants to know if Julie contacted Igor for help, and he confirms as much, although he promised not to say anything. He also knows Julie exhausted all scientific means for her lethal condition, so she struck out to find supernatural help. Liesel contacts all her magical friends, but to no avail, so Liesel deduces Julie may have visited a dark magic user for ais. In this case, Liesel seeks out Mother Margaret.
In fairness, Liesel arrives at one conclusion to the next by leaps and bounds of assumptions. Pat Shand loosely connects the dots to explain how Liesel arrived at Mother Margaret’s door, but there’s quite a bit of hand-waving to pull it off.
Mother Margaret easily deflects any intimidation by Liesel and confirms Julie came to her for help. Surprisingly, Mother Margaret agreed to cure Julie, but only if she performed a dangerous task. Julie agreed to the deal a week ago and hasn’t been seen since. Now, Liesel offers to complete what Julie started.
What is this task? Find and kill a powerful witch rival, Hecate, using a charmed ring provided by Mother Margaret. Hecate is bewitching a wealthy philanthropist who helps the underprivileged and poor, forcing the philanthropist to secretly feed the life force of those she helps to Hecate. When Liesel finds the philanthropist’s help center, everything looks as it should, but nothing is as it seems.
The issue concludes with illusions, mind-controlled friends and innocents, and a witch’s black heart.
Overall, Pat Shand delivers a solid Van Helsing story with heart, action, monsters, and magic to tickle your fancy. For an oversized issue, the pacing stays high, and the story is strong enough to hold your attention. Plus, the ending is a strong tease that bigger problems are on the horizon.
Artwork and Presentation:
Julius Abrera’s artwork is super rock solid. Abrera presents a set of visuals that fit neatly within the Zenescope “house” style with strong figure work, well-crafted action, dynamic panels, and smooth transitions. Plus, Grostieta’s coloring work is exceptional.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
If new readers are wondering about the nature of Julie Jekyll’s condition (Hyde is killing her at a cellular level), check out VAN HELSING: FINDING NEVERLAND for the details on that unfortunate development.
Final Thoughts:
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VAN HELSING: HEXED is another rock-solid issue with a twist. Instead of vampires, Liesel tries her hand at fighting witches to help a friend. Pat Shand continues to demonstrate why he’s the default Van Helsing writer with an oversized issue that flows beautifully. Plus, Julius Abrera’s artwork is excellent.
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