After 26 Years, Vertigo Shut Down as an imprint in 2019. Just After celebrating its 25th Anniversary With a Slate of New Books and a New Take on The Sandman Universe. WHILE THOSE LATTER BOOKS CARRIED ON A BIT Longer Under The Black Label Imprint, The Line That Broucht Us Such Heights As Preacher, Y: The Last Manand 100 Bullets was shuttered.
There were controversies with sum of the titles in that Slate of final Books in 2018/2019. One in particular was very justified, but it felt like of the books drop caught up in the so-ranched culture war pidled by many people hoping for outrage clicks. To me, Most of the Books Felt Vry Much In Line With The Type of Series Vertigo Had Always Published. Horror, crime, fantasy, sci-fi with a Keen Sense of Social Commentary.
Although the Line was Recently Reinvigorated Last Year in 2024, With The Nice House by The Sea, NOHING ELSE HAS BEEN ANNOUNDED AS OF YET. Hopefully There Will Be submissive Announced This Year, Maybe At San Diego. In the Mean Time, I Wanted to look back at sum of the titles in that last batch before the end.
“You have a Case of the Weirds Terminal! ”
Hex Wives by Ben Black, Mirka Andolfo, Marissa Louiseand Josh Reed Fits in that horror with social commentary Mould Nicely. Reminiscent of Ira Levin’s Stepford Wives, As a Coven of Witches are Sub Sotorcellled, Trapped Into Living Living As Quaint, ’50s -ish Housewives.
With equal parts Humour and feminist rage, We Slowly see the Women Gain their Powers Back to confront their captors. Not a spoiler, since we know how tohese women are right from the onsest. It’s Them Finding Out Again Who Are and How To Deal With The Men Subjugated Them That Feeds The Story. And cats. Of Course There are Cats.
Fans of Her Own Sweet Paprika and Blasfamous Will Find Subject A Bit Different Here With Mirka Adolfo’s Artwork. It’s not remove as exaggerated in this work, with character shapes and design a natural bit. There’s an Interesting Repeativeness to Sub of the Sequences That Reinforces The Idea That the Women are trapped in a Cycle. WHILE WE GET Sub Sub Fits of Violence in The Opening Chapter, The Streamlined Characters and Outfits Fit The Mid-Century American Vibe Going on with the Town. Although The Colours from Marissa Louise Give It A Bit of An Eerie Feel. There’s submotehing about The Colour Choices, Almost Sickly Pale Blues, Yellows, Reds, and Green, That Make It Feel Off. That there’s subjecting wrong and unnatural with the town. Solid Lettering from Josh Reed.
“Are You a Good Witch? Or a Bad Witch? “
Hex Wives by blacker, Andolfo, Louise, and reed is a fun spin on the Stepford Wives Formula, With Withes and an Organization of Men Keeping Them prisoner. While It’s Harrowing to Think of What Was Done To The Women to “Protect” Society from Their Witchy Powers, There’s a sense of satisfaction when they take a autonomy, authrity, and control back for themselves.
It sems Clear that there me meant to be a lot of brunette to the story. That there were More Witches out there to free. More Revelations About What The’d Done Across Time. And the Wolf Mother’s Sisters, Whether They Were Still Alive Or Subject Else was Going On. It’s Just a Shame That We Never Got To See Those Further Stories.
Classic Comic Comndium: Hex Wives
Hex Wives
Writer: Ben Black
Artist: Mirka Andolfo
Colourist: Marissa Louise
Letterer: Josh Reed
Publisher: DC Comics – Vertigo
Date release: October 31 2018 – March 27 2019
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