Anyone who played a game from The Witcher series knows that it’s never light on the creepiness factor. Fortunately, or unfortunately if you’re looking for a good night’s sleep, the comic book series The Witcher: House of Glass continues the spooky tradition of the video games and original book series.
Written by Paul Tobin and designed by Joe Queiro (artist) and Carlos Badilla (colorist), House of Glass continues Geralt de Rivia’s journey. Set in an unspecified time, House of Glass functions as a slice of life story, another experience for Geralt to notch into his resume of monster hunting and slaying. However, before Geralt can tally that notch, he must help a lone huntsman with a haunting secret, a lost succubus find her way, and he must escape from a mysterious manor he stumbled upon deep within the Black Forest.
Tobin’s writing is great. The characters, primarily Geralt, felt alive and I could easily “hear” Geralt’s gruff voice as I read through his dialogue in the speech bubbles. The huntsman and succubus were both equally as well-done, though the inclusion of the latter felt more like fan service than anything. The succubus didn’t really serve a purpose beyond a brief will-they-won’t-they tension that anyone who knows Geralt will already know the answer to. The huntsman, fortunately, was more integral to the story and his story is one that I will not forget for some time.
What initially caught my eye was Mike Mignola’s cover art. While I was a bit disappointed that Mignola wasn’t the artist of the series, Queiro and Badilla did a great job working to bring the characters to life. The art was haunting and on-par with my highest expectations for what someone like Mignola, who has worked with creepy stories (Hellboy), could pull off. There was never a panel in the series that I felt was unnecessary, nor one that I felt looked sloppy. From beginning to end, I felt like the art and coloring paired excellently with the overall tone of the story.
If you like The Witcher games, and can tolerate reading through a comic book, House of Glass is an easy recommendation for me to make. Even if you’re new to The Witcher franchise, the comic series offers a great glimpse into what the world of The Witcher is like: grim, desperate and unforgettable.
