Writer: Vincent Ferrante
Artists: Scott (p), Victor Dominicus (i & colors)
Publisher: Witchhunter
“Witch-hunts aren’t about hunting witches. They never were.” That’s the logline for writer/creator Vincent Ferrante’s self-published Witch Hunter. The comic provides a very silver-age retro feel to the table, but does so in its own, solitary fashion. The humor is quirky to the point of uniqueness while maintaining its affectiveness. In seemingly pilgrim times, the main character is burned at the stake in the first few pages after being retrieved as a young child from an obvious occult ceremony. His soul is retained in a green stone by a man until he can be restored. When he is, he is revealed to be the powerful Witch Hunter, who faces off with supernatural beings.
In the first issue, he is sent after a kidnapped little girl into a red-light district grotto of monstrous creatures. He meets with several beings along the way; the most recognizable being Medusa and a large mummy with thick leather gloves. Okay, perhaps you’re like the reviewer and fail to recognize the glove-handed mummy. It does bring up one point concerning the humor which might have the reader doing a pleasant double-take on the lines. Ferrante’s humor doesn’t seem to miss, although you might have to squint your eyes a couple of times before you start laughing to yourself: “We will destroy you. Because you suck.”
Intentionally or not, the artwork by Scott is very much a retro style, recalling Gold Key’s Doctor Solar for this reviewer and other material from that area. Story-wise, early House of Mystery material comes to mind. The feel is deeply entrenched in the best of the Silver Age, with the purple color choice for the costume vaguely recalling Archie’s poor attempt to "update" The Shadow with a purple and green costume. Luckily, the team on Witch Hunter are far more successful in the use of purple than Archie proved to be. Perhaps in no small part because they were not up against a long recognized history with the character, but mostly the fact that the combination of purple, gray, and black with green, pink, and red accents works to an amazingly good effect, despite what it may sound like.
If you’re looking for a good indie read with a Silver Age feel that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you should check out Witch Hunter. Heck, you should check out Witch Hunter anyway. Ferrante’s done something unique here, and better than that, it’s good in both story and art. Comic-hunts were always about finding well-done, entertaining comics with heart, and Witch Hunter hits the bulls-eye in the Minotaur.
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