My Rating
“The Gathering”
New York City Public Library – Main Branch, Midtown Manhattan, Andy Kale has just landed his dream job. As a bookworm, and grandson to one of New York’s most well-respected experts on the occult and mythology, Andy has always wanted to work in the library’s less well known section containing rare books from around the world. On this day, however, the library director has already stifled Andy’s curious innocence.
“Just box the books for storage!” Lou ordered. “No borrowing, and no taking of the books!”
In the next few minutes, Andy would find a heavily bound book with some unknown scripture in the title. His heart would skip a beat. Would he be this lucky to find an artifact of this caliber so quickly? This place was awesome! Then a blast of light exploded from the pages as Andy opened the cover. Then darkness and the void.
What dark forces has Andy Kale unleashed onto the world that frightens even the most powerful sorcerers on Earth? Who was Andy and Jennifer Kale’s grandfather, anyway? Will the Sorcerer Supreme find enough allies to aid him in his biggest task known to date? Collect the series to find out!
Reviewer Notes
As a fan of Doctor Strange, I became aware of Topaz from earlier volumes in the Doctor Strange series. When researching her character last year, I came across a reference to this four-issue miniseries called “Witches”, released in 2004. Since it’s the Halloween season, I figured I would break out the Witches and discover just what this storyline was about.
With so many big events that Doctor Strange and his allies have faced over the years, it’s hard to get excited about past events like this one. However, after reading the first issue here, I can say that all the magic-based characters are about to collectively crap their pants. This story begins with a gathering of witches. Their goal? Well, all the details are unclear. We will have to wait and see.
I don’t know much about writer Brian Patrick Walsh, but he crafts a good intro. The main selling point of this comic is the art of Mike Deodato Jr. For those hardcore Marvel fans out there, you will recognize his name as his art is pretty amazing. If you like details in your comics, this is one of the guys to follow.
I did enjoy this comic even with its onslaught of advertisements. Compared to today’s standards, this level of shillery may seem obsessive. This was the height of the Game Boy phenomenon. I had to laugh at the Heroclix ad. Oh Heroclix, why did they love you so? I give Witches #1 four out of five stars.
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