Wytches #1 by Scott Snyder & Jock exceeded my expectations, and I urge you all who bought it to read Snyder’s afterword. I found it to augment the overall experience! It tells the real life origins of the Wytches story, that took place in rural Pennsylvania about 20 odd years ago.

The afterword tells of a wee lad Scott Snyder playing “witch hunters” with his neighbor friend, Ryan in the woods near his parent’s summer house. I won’t spoil the rest, but it ties in perfectly with the series, and captures the same creepy, foreboding mood. I just wanted to point out how it reads like a great ghost story, and the insight you’ll get as a reader into the whole Wytches concept, because I’m sure some of you out there are like me, and sometimes skip the afterwords, introductions, etc.(thank you internet for giving me ADD!)

In this issue, we’re introduced to the Rooks Family, and our protagonist, Sailor Rooks. She’s a troubled teenager in high school, who has recently relocated to a new town with her mom and dad, because of some recent trauma, that may, or may not involve the mysterious, titular “wytches”.

The story pacing, and the attention given to character development in the first issue is excellent. This isn’t a slasher/gorefest type of horror story(although, there’s plenty of blood for you sickos out there!). This is more of an unnerving kind of horror story, which is helped by Jock’s stark, yet expressive art. It’s easy to put yourself in the story, and actually feel a little scared while reading it, which is saying a lot for me, because I’m pretty sure that Kubrick’s The Shining is the only piece of entertainment that’s really scared me!

I’m not sure if the characters in issue one will stick around for the long haul, or if their story just makes up the first arc of the series, but either way, I’m putting Wytches at the top of my reading list for the foreseeable future!