In this the second issue of Dark Horse“s The Witcher of Flesh and Flame, Prince Dandelion and the titular Geralt of Rivia, along with us, the reader, are dropped unexpectedly into a stylized fantasy version of an exotic Sultan“s court complete with harems, eunuchs and plenty of palace intrigue. Our heroes are charged by King Nibrass with locating the man who murdered their prince one year earlier. The main complicating factor is that our own Witcher, calling himself Lambert, knows a lot more about that incident than he is letting on because he is the main suspect!
The story is not heavy gritty nor groundbreaking. It treads comfortably upon numerous familiar narrative elements found in from escapist and orientalist works from earlier eras ranging from Mozart“s “Abduction from the Seraglio”“ in 1782 to the Technicolor musical “Kismet”“ in 1955 and many more. In it we meet the jealous King“s guard, the sensual and clever concubines, and the wise sorceress who plots with our heroes while remaining loyal to the king ”” are all familiar plot elements but done here in a way that acknowledges the well-worn scenario that our heroes find themselves in. As a result, the creative team for Witcher seems to enjoy playing around on all of these familiar chords for the modern reader, and they do so in a fun and knowing way. If you truly enjoy fantasy escapades with supernatural and sc-fi elements, this story lands a lot of the expected punches in the right spots without being heavy-handed or overworked.
 Prince Dandelion has to ask himself, “What would James T Kirk do?”“ The Witcher #2
I am reminded of Green Lantern and Green Arrow issue #92 from 1977 where those two heroes warp into a “Robin Hood-esque”“ dimension just long enough to have some danger, romance, and heroism in a fun low-stakes and visually appealing one-shot story. The structure and setup of such fantasy tales need not be innovative if it is done well, and the art and story team of Aleksandra Motyka and Marianna Strychowska definitely does it well.
One key element that deserves high praise in this book is the color palette. The pastel golds pinks and blues that dominate the Sultan“s world are absolutely spot on, inviting the reader into a world that feels less like a comic book and more like a painting by Mucha or vintage full-color plate illustration by N.C. Wyeth. In recent years I feel many comic colorists reach for the same reliable tones to match a certain publisher“s house style or cinematic VFX trends of the recent past, but the colors of this world seem ideally selected for the mood and pseudo-orientalist vibe that the story calls for. As if the setting was pulled from a tapestry featured in a work of early 20th century fantasy rather than a depiction of any real earth culture overlaid with quasi Middle-Eastern/Persian overtones. This stylized sense of warmth and nuanced artificiality was a huge factor in the book bringing me as a reader willingly into this world. Any more garish or abrupt colors would not have evoked the same ”˜magic.“ Bravo and Huzzah for the deft and beautiful work of colorist Lauren Affe.
In a final more light-hearted note, some fashion-conscious readers and fans of Return of the Jedi will either cheer or jeer the prominent use of metal bikinis by our two clever concubines Dayo and Ameena. [Which reminds me, wasn“t the first act of ROTJ another example of a ”˜Rescue from the Sultan“s Palace“ story-type?] Well just as Leia“s metal bikini is still the cause of a few raised eyebrows, I think the intersection of anatomy and costume of the two concubines is also a bit mysterious. Not sure how these garments actually stay in place or offer support for the feminine form, but that secret, along with many others, may be revealed in a future issue. Lastly I should note there is abrupt full nudity in a grim autopsy scene which seemed a bit discordant with the lighter fantasy tone of the larger story. This scene aside, the book as a whole reads like it would be appropriate for teens or even a library readership.
Recommend this for fans of fun dimension/crossing sci-fi fantasy romps. 4/5!
[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
(W) Aleksandra Motyka (A/CA) Marianna Strychowska
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