WITCHBLOOD #2 – An Honest Review

In WITCHBLOOD #2, available from Vault Comics on April 28th, 2021, Yonna recovers from her injuries with the help of an old friend, and the Hounds of Love tear their way through Texas for answers.

The Details

• Written By: Matthew Erman, Lisa Sterle
• Art By: Lisa Sterle
• Colors By: Gab Contreras
• Letters By: Jim Campbell
• Cover Art By: Lisa Sterle
• Cover Price: $3.99
• Release Date: April 28, 2021

Was It Good?

Comics are a visual medium. For a comic to be considered good, you need a compelling story married to compelling art.

The story is somewhat interesting. You can tell the vampires have a goal, they’re pursuing it ruthlessly, and Yonna is pulled in as a reluctant hero. The execution has some spot flaws, but the overall premise is there.

The art in this issue is not good. Several panels look rushed, slapdash, and inconsistent. Some panels barely rise above the level of stick figures scribbled in a notebook. In a strange turn, the colors were the oddity in issue #1, but the colors save the art from being a total loss in issue #2. Kudos to Contreras for saving this issue’s bacon.

What’s It About?

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Yonna survives through the night on her barely-repaired bike and makes it to the Mahopi Trailer Reserve, the home of her healer witch friend, Liana. Yonna survived but passes out on Liana’s doorstep. (Read our WITCHBLOOD #2 review to find out how Yonna got injured and what she’s running from.)

Cut to New Madrid, Texas. The town is no stranger to vampires, and law enforcement sets up the equivalent of speed traps to catch vampires. The Hounds of Love (our vampire, cowboy, biker gang from the last issue) ride into town looking for information about the map LaBelle acquired.

The Hounds avoid any run-ins with the law and make their way to a local watering hole. The Hounds slaughter all the patrons and force the bartender to tell them where they can get their fortunes told.

This scene lacked sense on multiple levels, in both story and art. This world is publicly aware of vampires, acknowledges them as a threat, and puts measures in place to catch or arrest them. Yet, a group of vampires walks into a bar with no defenses in place, the bartender makes no move to call for help, and nobody runs for the door.

Compounding the problem is the wildly inconsistent and unfinished art. There’s one panel, let’s call it the “Plead – Grab” panel, where this reviewer couldn’t make sense of the action that was happening with two figures standing on a pool table. It’s just bizarre.

Yonna wakes up in Liana’s trailer sometime later after some rigorous healing work. The two bicker as old friends who’ve known each other for a very long time and accept each other’s strengths and weaknesses. The tone of the relationship feels akin to an aunt and a niece.

Liana makes her living by selling herbal remedies, sometimes of the psychedelic variety. She lives a quiet life, but she senses trouble is brewing with these vampires searching for Esme, their absent witch queen. Yonna is unconcerned because she believes Esme can’t be reached since nobody knows where she’s gone. Liana isn’t so sure.

Liana asks Yorra to beat the vampires to Esme before something terrible happens, starting with locating Amaya the Daystar in New Madrid. Yorra declines to help and rides off on her motorcycle that Liana had repaired while Yonna was unconscious. What’s interesting about this scene is the insight into Yorra’s carefree hopelessness. There’s not much backstory so far, so it’s difficult to tell what experiences Yorra has endured, but we do get the sense that she’s presenting an outward facade of moving on when it reads more like she’s running from her past.

Back to New Madrid. The Hounds walk into a crystal shop (again, no alarms or excitement outside in this quiet town after an entire bar full of patrons is slaughtered?) where Amaya the Daystar is holding a late-night sales presentation on learning how to perform crystal divination for the low, low, price of $49.99.

Yorra races down the highway and consciously chooses not to head to New Madrid. Suddenly, a magical briar of thorny vines and roses sprouts from the gas tank and forces the bike towards New Madrid. Liana is getting her way whether Yorra likes it or not.

After the sales presentation, only Amaya and the Hounds are left. The vampires confront her asking for their fortunes so they can find Esme. Amaya refuses and quickly sprouts crystal weapons and armor to protect herself.

There’s a battle of sorts as it seems the vampires can acquire the power of the witches who’s blood they drink. In this case, they recently drank from a fire witch, and the shop explodes into combat between fire and crystal.

We conclude this issue with the setup for the next leg of the race towards finding Esme.

How Does It End?

The Hounds try out Ash Divination. Yorra feels powerless. “…And The Future Is Full Of Fangs.”

Final Thoughts

WITCHBLOOD #2, available from Vault Comics on April 28th, 2021, has a creative and interesting premise, but the plot structure has some rough spots and the art is a regrettable step down from the first issue.

Score: 6/10