Burning witches is always a bad idea for many reasons, but The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 takes it a step further. For one thing, Geralt might’ve burned the wrong witch.
The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 is based on The Witcher series of video games by CD Projekt Red, which is in turn based on the novels of the same name by Andrzej Sapkowski. Bartosz Sztybor served as the writer, while Vanesa del Rey served as the artist for both the comic book and the cover. Lastly, Jordie Bellaire did the colors.
The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 will go on sale on May 26, 2021. It will be available on Dark Horse Comics for a mere $3.99. Interested in a dark fantasy comic book series about witch burning? Check it out then.
Warning: spoilers for The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 ahead. If you have any interest in reading this comic book, stop here and come back once you’ve done so.
The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1: Plot Summary
The plot of The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 starts with, guess what, a witch-burning! Said witch-burning actually goes off entirely without a hitch, and our hero Geralt gets his payment for it without a hitch as well. Only, that’s not exactly true. See, Geralt keeps hearing a mysterious voice, questioning his choices in regards to the witch burning. The voice even shows up in his dreams, turning them into nightmares about burning. Maybe it’s some kind of magical curse. Maybe it’s his guilt speaking. Either way, he’s a got a big problem now.
Even helping some random woman under attack from water hags later on in The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 doesn’t really help. Especially when her husband seems oddly unconcerned about her safety when Geralt reports it to him. Instead, the man seems very concerned about his daughter, who he claims were kidnapped by witches.
So of course, Geralt goes looking for her in the local coven. He finds her and explains that he’s here to rescue her, courtesy of her father. Not surprisingly, she doesn’t want to be rescued and is very vocal about it. So vocal that she attracts the local witches. Said witches though, mention that said girl really doesn’t want to go home to her father because “she knows what’s best for her”. They also explain that Geralt’s mysterious voice is the fault of neither witches nor ghosts. Instead, it’s, surprise, Geralt’s own guilt talking, and they know how to make it go away. How? Well, you’re just going to have to find out in the next issue of The Witcher: Witch’s Lament.
The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1: The Good
I feel like The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 is basically a mystery story. Yes, there’s some action involving water hags, but mostly, you get the feeling that Geralt has just involved himself in a wider mystery around this town by burning that one witch. A witch who may or may not have been guilty of the crimes she committed, or at the very least, had extenuating circumstances that meant that she would not have deserved the death sentence. This is all just speculation, of course, until we find out what her deal is. Was.
So yeah, the plot of The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 is definitely one of the highlights here. The artwork is another. Vanesa del Rey’s art really draws you into the story, with dialogue sometimes appearing in an unconventional format, like printed on trees in the background and such. The art definitely highlights the story here and makes it better.
The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1: The Bad
Frankly, I have to really nitpick here to find anything bad to say about The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1. I guess the most I’d have to say is about Geralt’s decision to capture that witch so that she could burn at the stake in the first place. Like, dude, seriously. If you’re just going to act as judge, jury, and executioner; couldn’t you be bothered to look at all the evidence first before deciding on the accused’s punishment? Come on, Geralt. I thought you were better than this. Although to be fair, he does seem to be experiencing a lot of guilt about this, so maybe he does realize at some level that he probably screwed up. Badly. Maybe he’ll learn the next time he’s hunting a witch.
Conclusion
The Witcher: Witch’s Lament #1 is a darkly dramatic look at witch-burning in the world of The Witcher. No laughter here. Only the rising smoke and the stench of burning witch-flesh, along with a sneaking suspicion of a wider conspiracy going on here in this backwater town. Interested? Perhaps you’re either a fan of the games or the Netflix show? Check out this comic book on Dark Horse Comics on May 26, 2021.
Source: Dark Horse Comics
