“Witches Get Stitches Part 2”
Creative Staff:
Story: Ray Fawkes
Art: Alvaro Sarraseca
Colors: Salvatore Aiala
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
What They Say:
Purgatori! She’s the girl with the great horns and the biggest body count. Now she’s fighting battles inside and out — monsters trying to kill her in the trackless forests of Europe, and witches trying to take control of her one-track mind. And through it all, one central question nags her over and over – How the hell did she end up in Norway?! She’d better figure things out, or someone’s gonna get gored in the fjord.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Having enjoyed the recent miniseries that brought Purgatori and Vampirella together, it was a lot of fun to leap from that to this series and just let our leading character be that without having to deal with other iconic characters. Ray Fawkes had a lot to cover in that opening installment and while it was a touch wonky at times, I definitely liked it. And I’m far more engaged with this second installment where it’s a bit clearer and more streamlined. The book makes out really well with Alvaro Sarraseca on board for the artwork as I really like their style and approach to her design which certainly keeps the attractiveness but doesn’t overly sexualize her, which sounds weird considering how little she wears but we’re talking about the framing of scenes and panel that doesn’t lean into it being all about the fanservice.
The book spends a little time with the witches that are orchestrating things and we see a sliver of doubt for a moment on how the plan is going but they are all pretty unified here. There’s nothing really new that comes from that segment of the book here but it’s nicely done to help touch on them a bit and provide contrast to what Purgatori herself is going through at the moment. Having her dumped in Norway is a surprise to her at first but it being up memories from when she was there ages ago and had taken the memories from someone called Skrade, which filled her in on a lot of things for the people of that time. Here and now, she’s got a few creatures that are causing her troubles but there’s also someone from the order of Saint Luke that she engages with after he sort of saves her.
There’s a number of beasties in here that she’s dealing with, one before Asim reveals himself, and it’s fun to watch as she’s kind of playfully adversarial with him but they’re both on the same track right now in that they’re hunting witches. She’s looking for the one that was part of the group that landed her here and they face a few other creatures together before they get closer to that. Which, of course, is a trap being laid by those that remained in the city where things started, and that allows for some good action to unfold as Purgatori tries to get close to her. It has a solid build-up that brings both her and Asim closer together in a way that works in terms of a larger mission while still making it clear that they’re on their own individual paths. Asim’s easy to like very quickly here and provides a good contrast and balance to Purgatori.
In Summary:
I enjoyed the first issue of this a lot but it had some clunky moments that it was able to overcome with the rest of it. The second issue is a lot smoother in what it’s doing here and a whole lot more engaging and fun to read. Sarraseca’s artwork is great as we see both Purgatori and Asim handle what’s coming at them – which is nicely designed as well – and it avoids really sexualizing Purgatori a lot. I mean, she’s clearly there and almost naked for most of it, but it’s not a piece that does constant tit and ass shots but plays out like something normal. The story is coming together bit by bit and I’m enjoying the slow teasing out of things at the moment as it reveals more of itself.
Grade: B+
Age Rating: 15+
Released By: Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: November 17th, 2021
MSRP: $3.99
