My Rating
“Witchland: The Graphic Novel”
The house. None of the kids dared walk past it once the rumors began.
“A witch lives there,” they would whisper to friends and anyone else willing to listen. For the few skeptics remaining at Richland High School, peer pressure from the true believers usually came in the form of taunts and double-dares.
“If you don’t believe us, go check it out for yourself,” was the typical challenge. “Just don’t take any of the witch’s sticks!”
Someone—presumably the Witch—had placed a small pile of sticks in a pyramid formation near the front of the house. Tonight, Brett’s girlfriend Shannon would become the latest Richland student to tempt fate by proving the entire story was nothing more than teenage bullshit.
Would she really get cancer just for taking one of those sticks?
According to Brett’s friend Nick, another boy from school had stolen one of the cursed sticks the previous year. Days later, he was diagnosed with cancer. Coincidence? Nick certainly didn’t think so.
“It wouldn’t have anything to do with the Hanford Nuclear Power Plant nearby, would it?” Shannon retorted with contempt. “The kid worked there last summer, didn’t you know?”
She had a point.
The residents of Richland had a long and complicated history with cancer and the nuclear industry, but that was decades ago. The plant had changed, safety standards had improved, and those terrible stories belonged to another generation—or so everyone wanted to believe. For Brett’s friend of a friend, however, there was only one logical explanation.
The Witch had cursed him.
Now Brett and Shannon stood across the street from the sinister-looking house. The property wasn’t abandoned, but years of neglect had taken their toll on the home and surrounding yard. Just as Brett and the others had promised, a small pyramid of sticks waited on the driveway about fifteen feet from the front door.
It was time for Shannon to show these assholes that their precious urban legend was complete bunk.
With a little encouragement, she marched onto the property and kicked the pile apart. Sticks scattered across the concrete in every direction. But Shannon wasn’t finished. If she was going to destroy the legend, she might as well go all the way.
She sprinted toward the house and pressed the doorbell.
“No!” Brett yelled.
Too late.
Shannon peered through the living-room window. Nothing. Only darkness.
Then a woman appeared.
A human silhouette stood somewhere beyond the glass. Was it the Witch? Shannon couldn’t tell. Within seconds, however, she knew she had made a terrible mistake. With a scream, she spun around and bolted toward the street.
Wide-eyed and terrified, Brett scolded his girlfriend for what she had done, but Shannon wasn’t listening. Whatever she had seen inside that house had scared the hell out of her.
Then they looked back toward the driveway.
The sticks were once again stacked neatly in their original pyramid.
How the hell was that possible?
Brett and Shannon weren’t about to stick around and find out.
Is there really a witch living in the quiet suburbs of Richland, Washington? Why are so many of the town’s residents being diagnosed with cancer? And can Richland’s newest environmental engineer uncover the truth behind the mysterious little girl with the witch eyes?
Collect the graphic novel to find out!
Reviewer Notes
A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Tim Mulligan, author of Witchland: The Graphic Novel. He asked if I would be interested in reviewing his one-hundred-page horror story for the Relic Keep. As someone who has been a fan of independent publishers and horror comics since the 1980s, I was more than happy to take a look. A few days later, a PDF copy arrived in my inbox.
I went into Witchland with absolutely no expectations, which is sometimes the best way to discover an independent comic. I can say that I came away impressed by the overall quality of the production. I wasn’t familiar with Highpoint Lit Publishing before reading the book, but it’s always good to see companies helping independent creators get their work into the hands of readers.
The Artwork
The illustrations by Pyrink immediately brought me back to the days when publishers such as Dark Horse, Valiant, and First Comics were introducing readers to artwork that didn’t necessarily follow the traditional Marvel and DC house styles. I loved those books because you never knew exactly what you were going to get when you opened one. After decades of artists working in variations of the Jack Kirby-inspired “Marvel way,” independent comics weren’t afraid to get weird.
Visuals
Witchland has some of that same visual DNA. Pyrink’s artwork isn’t trying to imitate the superhero books sitting beside it on the shelf. There’s a rough, unusual quality to the illustrations that fits the story’s supernatural atmosphere. At times, it reminded me of some of those older Dark Horse horror comics I used to pick up during the late 1980s and early ’90s.
I did have some problems with the panel layouts. A few pages become a little wonky when panels of different sizes are placed beside one another. There were moments when I had to stop and figure out whether I was supposed to continue reading toward the right or drop down into the next column. That immediately takes you out of the story. This isn’t a problem exclusive to independent comics, either. Marvel and DC have occasionally struggled with the same thing. Some artists resort to using arrows to guide readers from panel to panel, but I’ve never been a big fan of that solution. A tighter alignment of the rows and columns would probably eliminate most of the confusion.
As for the story itself, I enjoyed what Tim Mulligan was trying to accomplish. Witchland mixes supernatural horror with real-world science and history instead of giving us another traditional haunted-house story. The main plot revolves around a non-traditional family leaving Seattle for Richland in hopes of building a better life. Their initial concerns about fitting into their new community and dealing with local bigotry quickly take a back seat when a supernatural force enters their lives.
Then there is the radiation.
The history surrounding the nearby Hanford nuclear site gives Witchland an unsettling foundation in reality. Cancer, environmental contamination, urban legends, and supernatural horror begin bleeding together until you’re no longer sure where the science ends and the curse begins. Throw in a twist ending, and Mulligan had my attention all the way through the finale.
I love movies and books that play around with this kind of material. Give me an old local legend, a creepy house, some questionable government history, and a possible witch, and I’m probably going to stick around to see where it goes.
Vanali—or “Van” for short—was easily the breakout character of Witchland for me. The guy is entertaining as hell, especially once the red wine starts flowing and his mouth gets moving. I only wish he would have done a little less name-dropping during those alcohol-induced rants.
At times, the constant use of real-world companies and product names became distracting. I started wondering whether Tim Mulligan was secretly collecting product-placement money on the side. A few scenes reminded me of the product-placement gag from Wayne’s World. I kept waiting for Van to stare directly at the reader while holding up a box of Tide laundry detergent.
All Joking Aside…
All joking aside, dialing that back a little would have helped. Real-world brands can make dialogue feel authentic, but when too many appear together, I start noticing the products instead of the characters.
Other than those complaints, Witchland was an enjoyable independent horror story with an interesting premise and enough originality to separate itself from the endless supply of generic supernatural comics on the market. More importantly, I wouldn’t mind returning to this world. Give me another story featuring Vanali and Shannon, and I’ll gladly see where Mulligan takes them next.
I’m giving Witchland: The Graphic Novel a solid three out of five stars.
If you’re into independent horror comics and graphic novels, this one is certainly worth checking out. I would also like to thank Tim Mulligan for reaching out and introducing me to his work.
Until next time…keep watching those sticks.