The Witcher: Blood Stone #1 (Dark Horse Comics)
Hello there! Padawan J here, the resident Star Wars expert from the ODPH! This week I'm going to be reviewing the FIRST issue of The Witcher: Blood Stone from Dark Horse Comics!
Geralts journeys have lead him to a mining town with a dark mystery. Treasure hunters continue to journey to the mountain town, but none of them ever return from their search. So just what is the cause? Let’s jump into it!
Credit: Dark Horse Comics // The Witcher: Blood Stone #1 by Daniel Freedman (Writer), Pius Bak (Art & Cover), Roman Titov (Colors), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Letters) is a strong start to the series that is sure to delight fans.
*** POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING ***
The Story
Daniel Freedman does an incredible job getting this series started off, and I really underestimated how much I was going to love this by the end of the issue. If you’re a fan of the novels, video games, television it’s going to feel like an entry into any one of those iterations of Geralt.
I really liked the way the issue started up and developed into more than Geralt initially thought. It starts off simply enough with Geralt passing by a town known as Plinth. It’s a mining town set in the mountains with a very tightknit community. Geralt is introduced to the problem by a man known as Baker-Smith.
I really liked the way the story progressed naturally, and how it felt like a story from the novel or especially one of the video games. I’ve put a LOT of hours into The Witcher 3 & it’s downloadable content and this story felt like one of the side-missions from that game. Geralt is presented with a job, he goes to investigate whatever it is the issue is, then eventually it turns out there’s more to the problem than anyone initially thought. The series is only going to be 4 issues, so there isn’t any time to play around with filler or side plots.
The story then takes another twist with the ending. It’s a twist even I didn’t see coming, but I thought it made for great story telling. It’s gonna be interesting to see how this plays out, to the overall story and how Geralt deals with it. I cannot emphasize how much I love this issue.
The Artwork
Pius Bak & Roman Titov did a spectacular job with the artwork in the issue and it really adds to just how great the issue is. Their art style is one that I haven’t really seen before and gives it such a unique look. From the way it’s drawn, to the way it’s colored in it has such a style that stands out from any other issue this week that helps put a special stamp on the issue.
FINAL POINT: As far as first issues go, this one is a fantastic one. It’s got a tremendous story that’s easy to jump into, even if you’re not a huge Witcher fan. Also the artwork is so spectacular it enhances the reading experience exponentially. This is a series you can’t miss!
Overall Grade: 9/10
Thank you for taking the time to check out my review. Be sure to reach out to me on Twitter, and let me know what you thought of the issue!
