The Witcher Vol.1 (Graphic Novel) Review

Dark Horse Comics’ first offering from the world of The Witcher is a can’t miss for fans of the series.

It’s kind of weird when you think of The Witcher’s path as a property. First starting out as a novel series, then making the transition to video games, and now to comic books, The Witcher has quietly set foot in three different areas of entertainment and done a bang-up job in all of them.

The games themselves, from CD Projekt Red, have become almost legendary amongst modern RPGs and have pushed maturity and storytelling to the next level. Although I’ve never read the books, I have played the games, and the third (and final) title in the series that’s due next year is one that I’m very much looking forward to.

If that fits you too (and really, even if it doesn’t), then you might want to take a long look at the collected edition of House of Glass, the first graphic novel collection of Dark Horse Comics’ The Witcher comic books. House of Glass ran for five issues altogether and you’ll find all of them plus the covers (variants too) and a sketchbook included here. All in all, it makes for a nice little package to give fans more than just a bare-bones bundle of single issues.

Not that the issues aren’t a pretty big draw all by themselves, because they certainly are. House of Glass starts off with Geralt of Rivia arriving at a strange lakefront where he meets a hunter named Jakob. Seems Jakob has is bound to the lake and its surroundings by none other than his dead wife-turned vampire. Maybe. It’s… complicated.

House of Glass has more turns and twists than you might be used to seeing in a comic book, especially a horror comic. It’s also extremely mature, dark, and filled with some of the most interesting characters I’ve read in a while. How often is it that you actually read a story about a monster hunter that co-stars a succubus, a ‘grave hag’, and a cursed mansion deep in the woods? The title House of Glass is just as much a character here as any other here too, which adds in another dimension to the book- and possible casts some lasting impressions that may even make a return to the Witcher-verse at some point.

Writer Paul Tobin’s script is a terrific one. Not only does it have the twists that I mentioned earlier, which definitely kept me guessing as a reader right up till the big reveal, but it’s brooding and dark and fits Geralt to a ‘t’. Likewise, Joe Querto’s pencils are moody and cast a palpable feeling of dread as the House of Glass is laid out and it’s secrets revealed.

Final Thoughts

This one’s a winner, plain and simple. And if you’re a fan of The Witcher, House of Glass is as close to a must-read as comics get- and if you’re not, well, it’s still a excellently creepy tale filled with some great dramatic moments and solid action.

Although there’s nothing announced as of yet, I’m seriously hoping that Dark Horse will indeed be continuing to tell tales of The Witcher, mainly because this volume alone makes it a book that I’d love to add to my monthly pull list. If that doesn’t say something, I don’t know what does.