Review by Frank Plowright
The Witcher is Geralt of Rivia, armed with a medallion that offers some protections against the supernatural as he wanders Central Europe in medieval days. The creative team of Paul Tobin and Joe Querio shone on ‘House of Glass’, presented as The Witcher Vol. 1, and so a reprise is very welcome.
Completely by chance Geralt falls in with a bunch on a mission to rescue a child abducted from a wealthy family. The complication is that she’s been kidnapped by a Vulpress, and those on the rescue mission are unaware their mission is futile as the child will no longer be human. As money is at stake, though, greed and stupidity prevail over sound advice and Geralt discovers he’s in considerable danger and unable to trust his senses.
The best fantasy/horror series have an adaptable lead character able to slot into an assortment of different scenarios, and Tobin here drops Geralt into circumstances far removed from the spooky house of the previous book. In both cases the threat of what seems to be real might be mere hallucination, but the difference here is a very definite hunt occurring, with the victims being picked off one by one. Tobin makes clear their demise is generally due to that same combination of greed and stupidity, lessons never learned.
Much of Fox Children is set in a swampy location infested with supernatural creatures keen to feast on humans, and Querio and colourist Paul Barrera between them provide the necessary fetid atmosphere. Barrera uses earth tones to supply the gruesome side of nature, while Querio’s people are a distinctively mixed bunch and his horrors have a suitably fearsome appearance.
This isn’t quite as enjoyable as Tobin and Quiero’s previous outing, although as creative standards remain high, that may just be a matter of personal preference when it comes to the type of story being told. There’s less mystery here, although the ending is unpredictable and satisfying.
Tobin pairs with Piotr Kowalski for Curse of Crows, which is also available along with Fox Children in hardcover among the content of the first Witcher Library Edition, or in the bulky paperback Omnibus.
