REVIEW: The Witcher: The Ballad of Two Wolves #3

World Of The Witcher

We’re thrown into part 3 of this issue titled ‘Ballad Of Two Wolves’ with the world of the Witcher firing on all cylinders. We’re introduced to plenty of familiar elements from the white-haired silver sword-swinging protagonist Geralt to his bastard bard friend Dandelion; If you’ve played the games or indulged in other Witcher media, you’ll recognize them as both are written very true to their characters. Like always when we follow Geralt of Rivia, he’s on the trail of a monster, and this story opens with the murder of a noblewoman, with Geralt suspecting foul play as he inspects the body.

When the duo hit the road, their usual brand of strong and stoic meeting, playful and chatty, is joined by a short angry fellow who seems rather attached to the victim. Dandelion dreads riding with two silent chaps, while Geralt and the newcomer seemed to be in agreement not wanting to endure another of the bard’s thrilling tales. From the moment you open the book, everything is as it should be in Geralt’s world, and I want to take some time to complement the artists and writers on this book for making it feel like such a natural extension of the video games. You feel like you’re riding along for one of the many side-quests as Geralt rides off into the woods to investigate a murder by a possible werewolf.

Bloody Battle

During a battle in the woods where our party fends off a horde of nekkers, each of their skills and personalities is showcased, playing off one another, and I immensely enjoyed the newcomer questioning Geralt only to be later saved by him and then for Geralt to be later saved by the bard; the interplay and characterization make me want to work something like that into my own writing; perhaps this will be a series to keep my eye on. After coming out of the woods, they follow up with their lead, who appears to be a witch who has set up shop as the local healer. While the art has a charm all its own, the writing continues to take centre stage with more detailed dialogue and natural chemistry between the cast we are given during our short time with them, which leads to my biggest problem with this issue.

That’s It!?

I was so engaged with this issue I was surprised by the end of 28 pages; we’d only just reached the major conflict when the murderer-turned-monster finally appeared after a charming trek through the woods and an enchanting evening with a witch were left out in the cold with a sudden stop! This is more of a problem with the format of floppies, but it cuts off just as things start to get good. I’m not going to waste any more of my word count complaining about the weakness of the format, but if you like The Witcher, consider buying this series when it releases a volume that collects all the issues into one complete story.

3/5 Stars

“Feels like a side quest right out of the games, and I mean with the highest praise I can offer. Too short but should be checked out once the full story is available as collected volume.”

Writer: BARTOSZ SZTYBOR
Art: MIKI MONTLLÓ
Publisher: DARK HORSE