Witch Doctor(comics)
| Witch Doctor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Skybound Entertainment |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Genre | Horror,Supernatural,dark fantasy,medical drama |
| Publication date | 2011–2013 |
| No.of issues | 10 (as of February 2013) |
| Main character(s) | Dr. Vincent Morrow, Eric Gast, Penny Dreadful |
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Brandon Seifert,Lukas Ketner |
| Written by | Brandon Seifert |
| Artist(s) | Lukas Ketner |
| Letterer(s) | Brandon Seifert |
| Colorist(s) | Sunny Gho,Jamie Grant,Andy Troy |
| Editor(s) | Sina Grace |
| Collected editions | |
| Under the Knife | ISBN1-60706-441-3 |
Witch Doctoris aUS comic bookcreated by writerBrandon Seifertand artistLukas Ketner.It was the first title published bySkybound Entertainment,an imprint ofImage Comics.As of early 2014,Witch Doctorconsists of a four-issuemini-series,an issue #0 printed as a flipbook withThe Walking Dead#85, aone-shotsubtitledWitch Doctor: The Resuscitation,and a second six-issue mini-series entitledWitch Doctor: Mal Practice,which debuted in November 2012. The first mini-series and #0 issue were reprinted in a collected edition calledWitch Doctor Vol. 1: Under the Knife,while the second mini-series andThe Resuscitationare scheduled to be collected asWitch Doctor Vol. 2: Mal Practicein June 2013.
A first issue was printed in July 2010, Black and White, with title "First Incision - Interview with the Tapeworm", the flipbook withThe Walking Dead#85 is the same, but colored.
Description
[edit]Witch Doctorcombines elements of thehorrorandmedical dramagenres.Theprotagonist,Dr. Vincent Morrow, is amaverickdoctor who specializes in "supernatural medicine," supplementing common medical practices with magic. Dr. Morrow's "cases" predominantly involve infectious supernatural creatures likevampires,demonic possession,as well as elements based on the cosmic horror ofH.P. Lovecraft.In the firstWitch Doctormini-series, Dr. Morrow treats (and battles) a vampire, demons possessing a child,faeriechangelings,andDeep Ones(crossed with theCreature From the Black Lagoon), among others.
Dr. Morrow is assisted by Eric Gast, aparamedicwho is apparently new to the world of the supernatural, and "Penny Dreadful", a college student who seems to be infected and controlled by a supernatural creature of some sort.
While Dr. Morrow demonstrates the knowledge of a practicing medical doctor, his equipment and diagnoses are almost totally supernatural. He wields Excalibur, owns the Holy Grail (used predominantly as an IV or a syringe) and many other magical artifacts. Spellcraft is provided mostly by these artifacts, as well as pills and intravenous infusions (for example, Morrow swallows a "sleeping pill" in order to cast a spell to put a patient to sleep).
List of major characters
[edit]- Dr. Vincent Morrow
- Eric Gast
- Penny Dreadful
Reception
[edit]The firstWitch Doctormini-series was both a sales and a critical success for Skybound, earning praise from comics media sources likeIGN,[1]horror publications likeFangoria,[2]andgeek culturemedia sites includingBoing Boing,[3]io9,[4]andThe A.V. Club.[5]
Witch Doctor#1 was number 163 onDiamond Comics Distributors' top 300 chart for June, 2011, selling an estimated 12,592 copies.[6]It was the fifth highest-selling title from Image Comics for that month, behindThe Walking Dead#86,Invincible#80,Spawn#208 andHaunt#16.Witch Doctor#1 received a rating of 4 out of 5 fromComic Book Resources,[7]a rating of 7.0 out of 10 fromIGN,[8]and a rating of 5 out of 5 fromComics Bulletin.[9]
Cory DoctorowgaveWitch DoctorVol. 1 a positive review onBoing Boing,calling it "charmingly demented" and stating "Ketner and Seifert's sensibility is perfectly potty, and their titular doctor is a blend ofDoctor WhoandSpider Jerusalem.The metaphysics they reveal through the gruesome adventures in this volume has a weird internal consistency, but it's so cockeyed and frankly revolting that I can honestly say it never occurred to me before they scarred me with it. "He concluded," This is a fine debut, and I can't wait for future volumes. "[10]
References
[edit]- ^"IGN: Witch Doctor #1 Review".Retrieved2012-01-25.
- ^"Fangoria: 2011: THE YEAR IN HORROR—LUKAS KETNER AND BRANDON SEIFERT ON" WITCH DOCTOR "".Retrieved2012-02-11.
- ^"Boing Boing Witch Doctor Vol. 1 Review".30 January 2012.Retrieved2012-01-30.
- ^"io9: In the comic book Witch Doctor, demonic possession and vampirism are diagnosed like chicken pox".26 June 2011.Retrieved2012-02-11.
- ^"Superhero and mainstream comics – December 2011".The A.V. Club.19 December 2011.Retrieved2012-02-16.
- ^"iCV2 Top 300 Comics Actual--June 2011".Retrieved2012-01-25.
- ^"Comic Book Resources: Witch Doctor #1 Review".22 June 2011.Retrieved2012-01-25.
- ^"IGN: Witch Doctor #1 Review".Retrieved2012-01-25.
- ^"Comics Bulletin: Witch Doctor #1 Review".Retrieved2012-01-25.
- ^"Boing Boing Witch Doctor Vol. 1 Review".30 January 2012.Retrieved2012-01-30.