Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

What did you think of Wytches, Vol. 1? How do you think it compares to other horror BotM's we've read like Locke & Key, Vol. 1: Welcome to Lovecraft, Harrow County, Vol. 1: Countless Haints and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Vol. 1: The Crucible?

Tune in to the IRCB Podcast on Wednesday, May 31st to hear our discussion of this book. If it's ok to read your comments on the show, please include "OK TO AIR" in your post!

OK TO AIR

Hey all! I just discovered the podcast and the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ group, so I figured I'd jump in! I actually read Wytches a few years ago and really dug it. I'm a huge Scott Snyder fan, so when I heard that he was heading over to Image to do a horror series–and that FREAKING JOCK was going to be the artist–I was pretty psyched. Thankfully, I wasn't let down–I actually think Wytches might be one of the strongest series that Snyder has done (and that's coming from someone who is a diehard fan of his Batman and American Vampire stuff). And while I know Jock's artwork can be a bit of an acquired taste for some, I thought it was the perfect fit to Snyder's story.

One of the things that Snyder does really well is paint loving relationships that are believable and that don't feel forced. The father-daughter relationship here was beyond touching, to the point that it actually reminded me a lot of early M. Night Shyamalan's stuff (yes, I'm a Shayamalan fan :)), particularly Signs, where so much of that movie's impact came from the strength and authenticity of the bond between Mel Gibson and his children. If they do a movie of this–and last I heard, Brad Pitt and his Plan B had acquired the rights to do just that–I really hope they get a director who's able to handle the familial/relationship-stuff as well, just as much as the horror stuff. (In fact, why not call Shyamalan to maybe do it? Between Split and The Visit, the man IS on a big of a comeback...okay, day dreaming is over, I swear).

Snyder says that there's another arc coming at some point, so hopefully we won't have to wait too long. It's a testament to the characters that he developed here and the strength of the Wytches-mythology-and of course Jock's amazing art� that I'm positively psyched to see what the next chapter of this story looks like.

FanboyBen wrote: "Hey all! I just discovered the podcast and the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ group, so I figured I'd jump in! I actually read Wytches a few years ago and really dug it..."

Welcome to IRCB Ben! I'm so glad you found and joined us. I couldn't agree more with your analysis of Snyder and Jock's work. I am a huge fan of this series, and I am so excited to talk about it on the podcast again.

Personally, my dream director for it would be Joss Whedon. Moving interpersonal relationships and troubled-yet-kickass female characters are his M.O.

Ooh, I love the Joss Whedon idea. And you know what would make that doubly cool, it that it would see Joss Whedon making a return to the more horror-ish elements from Buffy–I don't think he's really done anything in that vein since. You just know that he would NAIL the relationship between Sailor and her dad.

OKAY TO AIR

4.5/5.0

Full disclosure � I’m not a horror fan. Movies, books, comic books, etc� I can’t remember the last horror movie I watched.

That said � this book was amazing! Story, characters, dialogue, art, arc. All of it � amazing!

Scott Snyder’s writing style is subtle, raw and real. He manages to provide enough backstory and context to keep the reader informed without falling into the trap of spewing heavy-handed, laborious exposition that bogs down the overall reading experience. Backstory information is presented naturally, keeping the overall flow of the story moving along. For instance, the fact that Sailor’s dad battled a drinking problem was presented fairly late in the book yet added a whole new layer of depth to the overall story and the complex relationship between Sailor and Charlie. His guilt. His predilection to be overly protective. His efforts to make Sailor and his wife, Lucy, comfortable in their new home. All of this behavior becomes clearer through the lens of his alcoholism.

Snyder’s writing (along with Jock’s artwork) creates a complex, cinematic feel. The story jumps seamlessly back and forth through time with carefully placed dialogue boxes tying things together. One of my favorite panels (in Chapter 4) shows Charlie sitting on the Ferris wheel while Sailor is trying to climb up to him. The lower right-hand panel on page 101 (in my Comixology version) shows Charlie screaming with the detached dialogue “There’s no such thing as monster� ripped from his conversation with Lucy about his encounter with legless woman (Clara?). I can almost feel the scenes cutting back and forth yet still grounded in the overall story.

My only (slight) nitpick � there are times when Jock’s art (and/or Hollingsworth’s colors) can be a bit hectic and difficult to decipher.

Beyond that, highest recommendation! Beautifully executed story.

(Feel free to air)

So this is my first time reading and contributing to a BOTM and as it was Snyder and his Batman work that got me into comics I'll be honest I was super excited to read it.

The story and writing was standard Snyder, incredible. However the artwork for me got a little hard to follow. I know this is a terrible thing to say and it was all for effect and enhanced the horror theme but as someone who focuses more on the text and uses the artwork to enhance, it did very little to draw me in.

I know that this all sounds terrible and that I'm bashing the book, I am not. I loved the book, will definitely be reading more but I just wish I could appreciate the artwork as it should have been.

I love how diverse this group is. Me and Jamie for example. I thought the story was the strong point where for him it was the artwork.

I'm looking forward to this group broadening my appreciation for comics and everything they have to offer.

Ross wrote: "I love how diverse this group is. Me and Jamie for example. I thought the story was the strong point where for him it was the artwork..."

Yeah! It seems like anytime you get a more unique art style in a comic, whether that's really cartoon-y, hyper-realistic, etc., you have some people who love it and others who really don't like it. Personally, I think both the writing and the art are really strong, and that they work together to make a whole that's more than the sum of its parts.

For me, the hectic, disorienting art from Jock and Hollingsworth really heightened the sense of confusion, panic and dread in the supernatural scenes. Hollingsworth's vivid colors and strategically placed splashes were especially effective at evoking a brilliant, dizzying tension. His use of obscuring splashes reminded me of J.J. Abrams' use of lens flare during Star Trek space battles to achieve the same disorienting effect.

Snyder's dialogue was also really impressive to me. His characters have their own unique voices that don't feel forced at all. I especially appreciate how real Sailor felt, instead of the weirdly forced teen talk we frequently get in comics (*cough Runaways cough*).

Jamie wrote: "Ok to air.

WOW. I didn't realise we had read 4 "horror " books.
That needs discussing!!!

Locke & Key was my favourite, easily.
Then Wytches, followed by Harrow County with Sabrina in last place."

I know, right?! Clearly we have a few horror fans in IRCB :)

My ranking would be 1) Wytches, 2) Locke & Key, 3) Sabrina, 4) Harrow County.

That being said, I enjoyed all of them. I'm also told Harrow County, Vol. 2: Twice Told is a lot better than vol. 1.

Ryan wrote: "Snyder’s writing (along with Jock’s artwork) creates a complex, cinematic feel. The story jumps seamlessly back and forth through time with carefully placed dialogue boxes tying things together...."

Yessssssss!!!!!! You've absolutely hit the nail on the head here. This is so difficult to do, and they did it masterfully.

Ok To Air...

I really Enjoyed this book both Snyder and Jock are some or my favorite creators, Jock's art brings this uncertainty and confusion that play along perfectly with the story Snyder is trying to tell.
I did have to re read this book when i originally got it as it's harder to capture everything in the serialized format. so going forward i will wait til the end of the Arc.
I have the Artist's Edition of issue one, definitely something worthy of display

OK to Air

Wytches became a bit of a conundrum for me. I'm not a huge horror fan, but I appreciate it when it is done well. I have enjoyed Snyder's work in Batman and loved Jock's work with Green Arrow. So, I felt going in that this one had a lot going for it. But, in the end I felt so so.
Artwork: Typical Jock. Wonderful stuff. It was easily the best part of the book for me. I love the angles that he takes in framing reaction shots from characters. It always makes them seem much more honest than just the straight on shot. The coloring lent a wonderful unease to the story that really aided in providing a foreboding feel to the area and environment.

Story/Writing: As previously stated I have read Snyder before and enjoyed his style. This is really no different. He provides a clean access to the characters and doesn't waste panels. Snyder is a solid writer who never pushes past his talents, nor undermines them.

However, I felt that this book would have been much better served in creating an entirely new villain. All the details were there, I LOVED the idea of the "pledged" thing. But, in taking a well established character idea, witches, and changing a few things to make them more menacing really wasn't that creative. It cheapened all the other good stuff that was going on.

Wytches is a book that had a lot of good things going for it. It could have been something really great. But, it just failed to bring that "it" thing that could have pushed it over. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone looking for a good read. But, I can't help but feel that it just had so much potential, and was just short of being able to obtain that thing that would have set it apart.

The IRCB Wytches BotM podcast episode is up, and guess who liked and shared it on Twitter? None other than Scott Snyder and Jock themselves!

If you haven't had a chance to listen yet, you can find the episode online at . The IRCB Podcast is also available through iTunes, Android, Google Play, or your favorite podcatcher.

Damn that's legit. It just shows more to of their character how the support and appreciate their fans

Ross wrote: "Damn that's legit. It just shows more to of their character how the support and appreciate their fans"

Right?! They are the best <3

That's awesome.

I did get around to rereading Wytches and I liked it more the second time around. The character dynamics are great. Some of the confusion I had about what exactly was happening went away this time. I've got mixed feelings on the art still. The color splashes all over the page help set the tone and I like that it becomes more pronounced the closer the wytches are. They felt overused to the point that I couldn't always appreciate Jock's drawings though.

Phillip wrote: "I did get around to rereading Wytches and I liked it more the second time around. The character dynamics are great. Some of the confusion I had about what exactly was happening wen..."

Mike and Nick talked on the episode about feeling the same way regarding the splashes being over used. I'm glad you enjoyed it more the second time around!