Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 7, 2017
Price: $14.99
Creator(s): Kate Leth (writer); Megan Levens (art)
Format: 136 pgs., Full-Color, Trade Paperback
ISBN: 978-1-5067-0183-7
Age Rating: 14 and up
ICv2 Rating: 4 Stars out of 5
This collection of a recent mini-series is a lot of fun. Nothing remarkably original, but even the tropes are arranged nicely and used in an entertaining fashion. Dark Horse described it as "Supernatural meets Buffy and The Craft," but it’s difficult not to notice similarities to Charmed. Three young witches are trying to do what’s right, as well as to keep the heritage of magic alive. The character personalities are what make the story work, and they are clear enough that the reader can tell when one of them is acting out of character, and see that it’s a plot point.
The three young witches get burglarized by a revenge-driven creep with more power than he should have, and a mysterious way of covering his tracks. He steals something important, as well as a bunch of miscellaneous stuff. The why and how of the theft confuse the witches enough that they don’t notice some things until almost too late.
The road trip to recover their belongings, along with some strange encounters along the way, leads to a satisfying story. It was good urban fantasy, with a couple of odd side trips into the frankly surreal.
There are extras in the book, including character sketches, but no explanation is given as to why some of the sketches are by a different artist entirely. The color palette section by the colorist is very informative. The readers rarely get to see the behind-the-scenes part of what a colorist does, and this is a very nice insight.
For teens and up, based on the writing and themes.
--Nick Smith: Library Technician, Community Services, for the Pasadena Public Library in California.
