The Witcher, Vol. 9: Corvo Bianco

The Witcher (Dark Horse Comics)

by Bartosz Sztybor, Corrado Mastantuono (illustrator), Matteo Vattani (illustrator)

A rightful claim to the estate of Corvo Bianco stands between Geralt and quietude.

Enjoying the fruits of his labor, Geralt acquires a taste for a simple life—good wine and good company. With Yennefer at his side, the routines of a witcher are eclipsed. But when a claim to the vineyard is made from a descendant of the original owner, Geralt must make a choice: take what he can and resume life on the road, or take up his sword at the heir’s behest to keep what’s his. And with blood and wine, every drop attracts those who want more.

Created in close collaboration with CD Projekt Red! Collects issues #1–#5 of the Dark Horse Comics series The Witcher: Corvo Bianco, written by Bartosz Sztybor (The Witcher: Wild Animals, The Witcher: The Ballad of Two Wolves) with art by legendary Italian comics artist Corrado Mastantuono (Tex, Nick Raider, Magico Vento)!

Genres: Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comic Book, Comics Manga

136 pages, Paperback

First published March 25, 2025

About the author

Bartosz Sztybor - polski dziennikarz, publicysta, krytyk filmowy i komiksowy, scenarzysta komiksowy. Wielokrotny laureat konkursu na krótką formę komiksową na MFK. Publikował m.in. w pismach Ozon, Wprost, Esensja, Chichot, Machina, Cinema, periodykach komiksowych i zinach.

Reviews

[Robert]

The Witcher becomes a vintner?


Is that Geralt or Salt Bae?

Though of course on The Continent one simply cannot have nice things...


So rude.

Pretty standard Witcher fare. Recommended for fans.

[Atalántē]

Kończę z tymi komiksami, to nie mój Geralt ani Yennefer. 2,5⭐

[✨Joe ✨]

Love this witcher series! Last book i read was a chapter book but this one was a comic which was ok! Was a fun adventure they went on really need to find more of these books to read!

[Pulek]

Oj najgorszy dla mnie komiks z serii, a wielka szkoda, bo sam pomysł emerytury Wieśka (który też pojawił się w dodatku krew i wino), bardzo mi podpasował. Rysunki zupełnie nie w moim guście, klimat Wieśka może i jakiś jest , ale oddalony dość mocno od ducha pierwowzoru, zupełnie tego nie czuje i tylko więcej się irytowalam, a sama seria właśnie jak dla mnie była całkiem dobrze wpasowana w realia uniwersum Wiedźmina i dobrze oddawała postacie , a tutaj nie wiem co się zadziało.

[~ Claire]

⭐⭐⭐.5

Non la migliore storia a fumetti dello strigo che abbia letto - alcuni aspetti non mi hanno convinto molto -, ma comunque godibile.

[Chris Lemmerman]

Geralt tries to retire, only for his new retirement castle to end up in a land dispute that sends him after a missing mage in order to resolve things in his favour.

I didn't enjoy this as much as I'd have liked. The plot was mostly just double-cross after double-cross, Geralt attempting to settle down didn't really ring true, and Yennefer's subplot just seemed like an excuse to get her naked or clad in something tiny for four of the five issues.

The artwork didn't work for me either - I've heard this was meant to be a big deal, having Corrado Mastantuono on interiors, but I didn't feel his style. People seemed kind of unfinished at times, and the aforementioned cheesecake stuff didn't work either.

I suppose nine volumes in, we'd have to expect a dud from the Witcher books somewhere, and unfortunately it's this one.

[Alicia]

Bin leider voll enttäuscht. Hab mich auf ein Comic über Geralt und Yen gefreut aber es gab leider zu viele Punkte, die mich gestört haben.

1. Der Zeichenstil
Warum wurde da so wenig Mühe investiert. Es wird super oft erwähnt, dass eine Figur ne Elfin ist. Komischer Weise hat sie aber menschliche Ohren. Zudem waren die Gesichter manchmal echt weird. Warum hat Yennefer auf einem Bild nur einen Zahn?
2. Die Nebenhandlung von Yennefer
Erschien mir eher nach einer Möglichkeit sie sexuell darstellen zu können. In den Büchern ist Yennefer eine starke Magiern und hier wird sie alle paar Seiten ausgeknockt und in unangenehme Situationen gepackt. Passt für mich nicht
3. Die Haupthandlung
War irgendwie verwirrend. Vor allem würde ich von einer Königin erwarten, dass sie sich um ihre verbockten Angelegenheiten kümmert

Vielleicht hatte ich auch einfach zu große Erwartungen

[tytania_vblog]

De las historias que he leído la verdad es que es de las que menos me ha gustado, apenas he visto el humor negro y sarcástico de Geralt aquí. Y sinceramente el dibujo, por lo menos en la parte femenina me parecía bastante horrible.

[Jakub]

Aż ma się ochotę wrócić do Toussiant

[GONZA]

Mastantuono, I know him from his Bonelli days so I enjoyed his Gerald, also because for once there was also Yennefer (until now I hadn't "read" her that often) and the story is quite compelling.

Mastantuono lo conosco dai tempi della Bonelli quindi ho apprezzato il suo Gerald, anche perché per una volta c'era anche Yennefer (fino ad ora non mi era capitato spesso di trovarla anche nei fumetti) e la storia é piuttosto avvincente.

I received from the Publisher a complimentary digital advanced review copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

[Peťula z Instablogu ✨]

Geralt se rozhodne odejít do ústraní a usadit se. Od kněžny si za své služby vysloužil pozemek s vinicí, což se zdá jako skvělá příležitost. Užívá si zde zaslouženého klidu, pěstuje víno a přijede ho navštívit i Yennefer. Vypadá to na pohodovou idylku, ale všechno je úplně jinak a jemu hrozí, že o svůj nový domov přijde. Je nucen oprášit své zaklínačské dovednosti a přijmout ještě jednu prácičku…

Další Geraltovo dobrodružství v podobě komiksu nám navazuje na třetí Zaklínačovu hru a je lehce netypickým příběhem, než na který jsme u Zaklínače zvyklí. Tempo příběhu je pomalejší, zase tak moc se toho tady nestihne udát, ale přesto tu nechybí trochu té akce, souboje plné krve a useknutých hlav, ale ani společné chvilky s Yennefer.

I přes tuto odlišnost nás ale čeká velice poutavý děj, který je příjemným nahlédnutím na Geralta a jeho touhy z jiné stránky, ale i na touhy a přání jiných postav. Najdeme tu i značný psychologický podtext, který nutí postavy se zamyslet nad svou minulostí a nést následky za své vlastní činy.

Jelikož jsem si toho o komiksu moc dopředu nezjišťovala, pustila jsem se do něj bez předchozích znalostí dějové linky ze hry. I přes tuto skutečnost se mi to četlo celkem dobře, potřebné informace týkající se dějové linky ze hry jsem si dohledala, když jsem zjistila, že jsou třeba. Takže pokud nejste zrovna fanouškem počítačových her, ale komiksů ano, tak i takto to jde. Věřím ale, že pro hráče bude mít tento svazek daleko větší hodnotu než pro nás, pouhé čtenáře.

Za recenzní výtisk v rámci spolupráce děkuji nakladatelství CREW.

[Vit Raska]

3,5*

[Angélica Rosado-Quiñones ☥]

It was okay. Did not like at all how Yennefer was defeated like 4 times so easily by a couple of amateurs. They did my girl dirty

[Václav]

(4,1 of 5 for very nice and Wither-y 3 quest we didn't get)
I have some reservations about the art, which on the whole works well for the story and scenes, but its style, in details, isn't completely for my liking and the colouring too (Anna Henrietta as brunette and Yen with black to brown hair aside), I very much enjoyed the story here. It's something which would be a nice farewell quest in W3 Blood and Wine, creating some nice closure. Besides the thrill of new adventure and all that twist. I also appreciated the fan-servis: depicting Corvo Bianco's estate with all the armours and weapons displayed, Geralt picking from multiple swords, feels much like what we, players, tended to do there.

[Michael]

I spent part of this thinking it was subpar, then excessive with it's violence and sexual content, only to be left with a conclusion that leaves me staring out the window and pondering. Maybe 5 stars, maybe 2, maybe 4... Idk. But the good life ... What is it, and do you ever really have it? You spend your whole life fighting, and the fighting is really all you have as everything else kinda... Slips through your fingers.

[Laura Zarzyńska]

Przepraszam ale Geralt który ma winiarnie i bawi się w bycie rolnikiem to najśmieszniejsza sytuacja na całym świecie. Chłop sobie będzie pił wino i myślał o tym że jest stary XDDD

[Online Eccentric Librarian]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

This comic continues directly from the game: pretty much from the ending of the "Blood And Wine" DLC. Geralt was given a vineyard of Corvo Bianco, where he has (mostly) retired to to enjoy a peaceful life and pours his time into the art of wine-making.

The story begins when Yennifer arrives with an attempt to get Geralt out in the world again and a noble appears who has a claim to Corvo Blanco. From here we get a good classical Witcher story with Geralt sent on a quest involving a curse, antagonistic traveling companions toward what you know will be a morally gray outcome. Even Yennifer gets her own plotline, which is a treat - usually these comics are just from Geralt's POV.

I liked this one a lot. A big part of the appeal is likely that it continues from where the game left off, and I love the game dearly. The art style is good, and mostly matches the game, which also helps with the feeling that this is a direct continuation. The story is good, and characters act as they should. Length and pacing is good and the outcome is not entirely predictable.

The art is good. As mentioned before, the character designs match those of the game, but overall the style is nice and clean, a notch above most of the other Witcher comics. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher

Highly recommended. If you play the game, you will feel right at home. If you are coming to this from the other comics, books or TV-series - this will feel like one a one-off Witcher story, which often are the best kind.

[Andra ♄]

2.5 ⭐️

Right as Geralt starts his retirement with Yennefer at Corvo Bianco, some lord claims he is the rightful heir to the land. The story follows Geralt trying to recover the lord’s son along with his hired band of mercenaries in order to make a pact and keep his estate.

To be honest, the whole plot felt a bit illogical. A peasant who fakes titles, not once but around four times, and never gets caught is a bit ridiculous. They even go to Anna Henrietta and she just goes “Oops, what are documents?”. Meh. Not to say the story is full of holes, like what pact did the lord make that he had to turn his son into a rat? He had to give up the estate when the son is of age, but why? And why did it expire?

But the main story is not even the worst thing. The series often gets unwarranted criticism for being misogynistic, but this time it really was too much. These authors really lived out their fantasies with Yennefer. One of the most powerful and complex characters from the books was here a lost bimbo who’s always naked…All the negative ways of handling women in the books where always means to show how strong they are, this had nothing redeemable about it.

Lastly, I’m trying to not call the animation lazy, but could they have cared any less about the elf? I was sure that the story was leading toward finding out she wasn’t one because she didn’t look it at all. Not the features but most importanly not the ears?! They were cut, yes, but the shape was as round as they come. Zero effort. They didn’t draw elf ears, sometimes people has legs missing, but Yennefer had pubic hair even in her shadow…

I think a story about monsters would have been better as Geralt and Yen’s first challenge in retirement.

[Czterysta Czterdzieścicztery]

"Corvo Bianco" niestety nie wychodzi poza typowy poziom serii z Dark Horse'a, jest kilka ciekawych momentów, ale niestety przeciętniactwa i kilku kiksów nie brakuje.

Co tu dobrze działa to przede wszystkim sama hodowla wina, Geralt i Yen razem w scenerii winiarni i kilka smaczków, ot choćby gesty magiczne pokazane jako łączenie i rozłączanie palców.

Co nie działa to sam pomysł na główny konflikt opowieści (choć pewnie można było go lepiej zrealizować). W poprzedniej części Geralt kilka razy tracił przytomność, bo zarabiał strzałę, tym razem to Yen co chwilę jest ogłuszana, a to, że jej porywacze mając czarodzieja w zespole zapominają ją skuć dwimerytem, albo choćby cały czas pilnować, to już spora wpadka.. Był potencjał w postaciach tej odsłony, choć też do końca nie został wykorzystany.

Od strony graficznej jest bardzo nierówny, z jednej strony świetny projekt Geralta, z drugiej strony pozostałe postaci już tak nie przekonują. Są też kiksy, jak dziwnie wyglądające sylwetki w ruchu, czy krasnolud noszący swoje topory na plecach w tubach, ale ostrzami skierowanymi w dół (nawet komuś o długich ramionach ciężko by było wyciągnąć topory be zdejmowania tub z pleców, a co dopiero krasnoludowi)

Scenariusz: **
Rysunki: **

[Amber Loptien]

Every Witcher story seems to follow the same plot arc: Geralt is hired under vague pretenses, he starts his quest only to find out he wasn’t given all the information and has to do a second quest to get that info, after finishing a second quest it’s revealed his original contract was almost entirely a lie and he is going to be betrayed in some fashion, he (or one of the people he is questing with) kills the original contractor and Geralt leaves. And at any time in the story he flirts/fucks a hot woman.

Not to say this is a bad thing! When I’m in the Witcher universe I know what to expect because of it, and it makes the stories that are exceptions to this rule really stand out. The Witcher: Corvo Bianco is no exception, but I did enjoy Geralt living his best Kyle MacLachlan life in fantasy Walla Walla/Napa.

[František Hampl]

It's not a tragedy, let's be honest, but it's still weak. Geralt is dumb, Yen is suddenly weak, and the whole plot with claiming land is stupid. I can't help but think that Bartosz Sztybor is just a terrible artist. He did a good job with The Ballad of Two Wolves, but I'd almost believe he copied it from somewhere, because the rest of his Witcher comics are worthless. This isn't necessarily bad, it has nice illustrations, but it lacks depth, ideas, it doesn't expand the mythology, nor is it compelling. The cards in Gwent have better stories than this. Hopefully, a new writer will elevate this series.

[Cris M]

Tbh, the beginning had me stoked with a very game-like Geralt with all the accouterments, and the cover had me hoping for a vampire story. Well, it wasn't that. The story felt a little disjointed and some scenes were too repetitive. How many times can one bonk Yennefer on the head without it getting boring? And I didn't really get the need for the skimpy outfit. Anyway, the art wasn't my favourite thing either, so it's a 3/5.

[Mee Too]

Sheesh… this was not very good… plot twist after plot twist and everyone dies at the end🤷🏽

I don't know who’s enjoying these or why. Like what else are the people who gave this five stars reading?
2.7✨

[Piotr]

No, no, definitely not. I like the idea of retired Geralt. And I always watch Toussaint with pleasure. However, Geralt and Yennefer are portrayed in a way totally contrary to their personalities, they make stupid mistakes, act just dumb and illogical. The worst part of the series, I think.

[PMaaj]

Przyjemna historia w klimacie Toussaint. Mamy też powrót bohatera bardzo dobrze znanego z uniwersum - co jest zawsze na plus. Nic negatywnego, ani nic szczególnie wybitnego. Po prostu przyjemna historia.

[J.D. Lemieux]

Great addition to the collection of graphic novel tales. For those that played the Witcher 3 games + DLC's, this is a lovely continuation to the Blood and Wine storyline. The art is done in the typical Darkhorse fashion.

[Antonio Jose]

Historia de monstruo y maldiciones enmarcada en Toussaint.

[_AliceInBookland_]

A fun read but the story was a bit weak compared to other Witcher comics I've read. Did like seeing Corvo Bianco depicted in all her glory though

[Izeyliz]

It ok. Takie niby wiedźmin ale nie do końca. I tak ma więcej esencji geralta niż serial lol

[Kazimierz]

Chyba najsłabszy tom z serii. Fabuła nie porywa, a do tego komiks niepotrzebnie strasznie seksualizuje kobiety (nawet bardziej niż standardowo w Wiedźminie)