In the original series The Last Witch from author Conor McCreery, young Saoirse discovers the birthmark across her shoulder is actually a witchmark, which allows her to resist dark magick… and take it for herself. She must learn to control her power, or the Cailleach and her handmaidens will release the Eater of Worlds from the faerie lands, destroying all life on the planet.

Check out our review for issue #2 below!

Note: This review contains mild spoilers.

The Last Witch #2 Review

While the first issue of The Last Witch left me a little on the fence, the second blew me away. I LOVED it!

I was worried this would be a series that only gives you the slightest hints of magic until you get to a big “showdown” at the end. But this definitely wasn’t the case. Issue #2 immediately drops you into the action, and it’s good. Really good.

Saoirse enters the castle to find her brother bewitched, unable to escape the magical influence of the Cailleach. Well, she thinks it’s the Cailleach. Later, Saorise finds out it wasn’t the Big Bad at all – just one of her handmaidens, known as Black Annis. And if that wasn’t the Cailleach… oh boy, is Saoirse in for it in this series. Black Annis was very powerful and very scary (look at those teeth!). And if she’s one of the underlings, what’s the faceoff with the real Cailleach going to be like?

Besides diving right into the magic and thrills, this issue continues to expand on the underlying mythology too. Issue #2 explores the background of the Cailleach, introducing her handmaidens and their true goal: to help the faerie king escape his prison, so he can take over the world. Between this background, Saoirse’s witchmark, Black Annis’ magical commands, and the payoff from collecting herbs in the last issue, McCreery immerses us in not just the magic, but the culture of this story.

The art in The Last Witch is stunning. I love seeing magic portrayed in comics and graphic novels because visual artists always find such beautiful, distinctive ways to illustrate it in action. Black Annis’ fire looked incredible, and the warmth contrasted so well with the muted, cool tones of the village in winter. The magic leaps off the page and brings you into the world. (Kudos to V.V. Glass and Natalia Nesterenko for their work on this.)

In addition to the impressive blend of magic and folklore, the issue balanced exposition well. We learned a lot about the overarching plot and the relationships between our characters in this story, but it always felt natural. There were always enough action and twists interspersed; it never felt boring. It left me excited to get my hands on the next part of the story for sure.

The Bottom Line

If you love magic, folklore, determined kids, and scary villains with world-ending plots, you’ll love The Last Witch. 

Get your copy of The Last Witch #2 from Boom! Studios now.