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More Weight: A Salem Story
“Every word is an accusation…and every whisper kills.” This staggering graphic novel explores the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they cast more than 300 years later.
In Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 is a year of terror. When accusations of witchcraft plunge the community into paranoia and death, curmudgeonly farmer Giles Corey and his great-souled wife Martha are forced to confront their troubled pasts, fighting to hold onto their principles even at the cost of their lives. In the 1860s, famed writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stroll the streets of Salem together, reflecting on their own dark connections to those wicked days. Today, graphic novelist Ben Wickey wrestles with the complex legacy of “the Witch City” and what it shows us about the best and worst of humanity.
Based on true events, set in three centuries, and hand-drawn over a decade, More Weight is a stunning visual symphony — a unique and profound inquiry into the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they still cast on us all.
In Salem, Massachusetts, 1692 is a year of terror. When accusations of witchcraft plunge the community into paranoia and death, curmudgeonly farmer Giles Corey and his great-souled wife Martha are forced to confront their troubled pasts, fighting to hold onto their principles even at the cost of their lives. In the 1860s, famed writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow stroll the streets of Salem together, reflecting on their own dark connections to those wicked days. Today, graphic novelist Ben Wickey wrestles with the complex legacy of “the Witch City” and what it shows us about the best and worst of humanity.
Based on true events, set in three centuries, and hand-drawn over a decade, More Weight is a stunning visual symphony — a unique and profound inquiry into the infamous Salem witch trials and the long shadows they still cast on us all.
532 pages, Paperback
First published September 23, 2025
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August 27, 2025
There is a worthwhile history of the Salem witch trials buried in these 534 pages, but the effort required to dig it out is simply too great. This is obviously a passion project, but it is one in need of a draconian editor.
I got bogged down 150 pages into the story, lost in the giant cast of poorly introduced characters. And not only are we dealing with the events of 1690, but there are alternating fantasy chapters set in the 1860s that imagine a long, miserable, and convoluted conversation between Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as they take a walking tour of Salem. Were I editor, these tedious intrusions would never have seen the light of day.
After setting the work aside for several weeks, I dived back in one lazy weekend afternoon and forced myself over the course of way too many hours to trudge through another 300 pages. I almost found myself intrigued at times as the story of Giles Corey finally took on a form I could decipher, but the author kept fighting me with a barrage of words and fantasy sequences.
And once I made it to the end of the narrative, there were still two challenges. The “Outro” — the author’s diatribe against the exploitative consumerism of modern-day Salem, a veritable “Witch City” amusement park — while interesting at times, is overburdened with purple prose and an ever-growing deluge of words that increasingly cause the captions to bulge further and further into the space meant for the illustrations. It was disheartening to turn the page and realize that my eyestrain was only going to get worse and Wickey’s tone more strident. And then there are the more than fifty pages of Author’s Notes, which of course are footnoted because how else can it be made more ridiculous?!?!?! I tried wading into this sea of text, but gave up after a page or three of sources, quotes, rationalizations, and asides.
The influence of Alan Moore’s From Hell seems to be all over this work — starting with his blurb on the front cover to the in-depth annotation. Moore’s study of Jack the Ripper has never broken into my mental top ten of his best works, often for similar reasons outlined above for this book, but he has a gift for putting together words and scenes that Wickey is still a long way from achieving but is at least moving toward — perhaps more quickly with some editorial assistance.
Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
I got bogged down 150 pages into the story, lost in the giant cast of poorly introduced characters. And not only are we dealing with the events of 1690, but there are alternating fantasy chapters set in the 1860s that imagine a long, miserable, and convoluted conversation between Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as they take a walking tour of Salem. Were I editor, these tedious intrusions would never have seen the light of day.
After setting the work aside for several weeks, I dived back in one lazy weekend afternoon and forced myself over the course of way too many hours to trudge through another 300 pages. I almost found myself intrigued at times as the story of Giles Corey finally took on a form I could decipher, but the author kept fighting me with a barrage of words and fantasy sequences.
And once I made it to the end of the narrative, there were still two challenges. The “Outro” — the author’s diatribe against the exploitative consumerism of modern-day Salem, a veritable “Witch City” amusement park — while interesting at times, is overburdened with purple prose and an ever-growing deluge of words that increasingly cause the captions to bulge further and further into the space meant for the illustrations. It was disheartening to turn the page and realize that my eyestrain was only going to get worse and Wickey’s tone more strident. And then there are the more than fifty pages of Author’s Notes, which of course are footnoted because how else can it be made more ridiculous?!?!?! I tried wading into this sea of text, but gave up after a page or three of sources, quotes, rationalizations, and asides.
The influence of Alan Moore’s From Hell seems to be all over this work — starting with his blurb on the front cover to the in-depth annotation. Moore’s study of Jack the Ripper has never broken into my mental top ten of his best works, often for similar reasons outlined above for this book, but he has a gift for putting together words and scenes that Wickey is still a long way from achieving but is at least moving toward — perhaps more quickly with some editorial assistance.
Disclosure: I received access to a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.com.
October 14, 2025
"There are consequences to the fictions that we tell."
This was a sometimes fascinating look at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a dark time in America's past when government and religious leaders chose to believe the hysterical screechings of some "distracted" teenage girls rather than the solemn vows of innocence by respected townsfolk, most of them women.
The book is exhaustively researched, and exhaustively told. It probably could have been edited down to under 300 pages (I would not have missed the Hawthorne/Longfellow ramblings), but this massive tome is one man's vision, and I respect the publisher's choice to bring it to fruition.
The artwork is superb.
More Weight seems a well-timed reminder to seek out truth, and do whatever it takes to make sure our country remains a democracy, not a theocracy.
Thanks to Top Shelf and NetGalley for the ARC, though my review is of the published paperback.
This was a sometimes fascinating look at the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, a dark time in America's past when government and religious leaders chose to believe the hysterical screechings of some "distracted" teenage girls rather than the solemn vows of innocence by respected townsfolk, most of them women.
The book is exhaustively researched, and exhaustively told. It probably could have been edited down to under 300 pages (I would not have missed the Hawthorne/Longfellow ramblings), but this massive tome is one man's vision, and I respect the publisher's choice to bring it to fruition.
The artwork is superb.
More Weight seems a well-timed reminder to seek out truth, and do whatever it takes to make sure our country remains a democracy, not a theocracy.
Thanks to Top Shelf and NetGalley for the ARC, though my review is of the published paperback.
January 2, 2026
More Weight: A Salem Story (2025) by Ben Wickey is in this year yet another brick of a book, more than 550 pages including lots of notes and references, ala Alan Moore's From Hell, the story of another bad moment in history, about Jack the Ripper. Moore also blurbs the book. If you have read or taught The Crucible by Arthur Miller as I have you may recall one of the murdered residents, Giles Corey, who as he is being coerced to confess by having huge stones placed on his 80 year old chest, only replies, "More weight." The first person crushed by the state of Massachusetts. I hope the only one. All these folks were eventually, some of them centuries later, exonerated. This is the key and powerful story of the book and it is clear and has several impacts (I'll explain), but it is weighed down by Wickey's wanting to tell everything but the kitchen sink that may relate to it.
This hefty book piles it on--more weight!--often ambitiously and impressively--it is already on many best of 2025 lists of graphic novels--such as in not wanting Salem to be offended by his characterization of it as the place of the trials, only later to criticize Salem for commercializing the tragedy. It also does not leave its references only in the appendix, but moves quotes and analysis into the text, which I often appreciated and learned from. And there are critiques of said texts, including The Crucible, which Wickey feels misdirects us to infidelity (of John Proctor) as one basis for the witchcraft trials. Okay, point taken, but that's not the only thing that book is about. Wickey emphasizes infighting in the community, greed, capitalism, and so on. A political mess of allowing our differences to divide us to the point of violence (see almost anything as reference right now).
Wickey looks at a lot of fiction that references the trials and intolerance such as from Longfellow and Hawthorne. Sociological analysis abounds through nonfiction and fiction in American lit, and Wickey gives us a lot of it. He takes us--as Miller does--up to the McCarthy trials as an example of how the Puritanism of the past goes on and on, as well as to the present day infighting that leads to the abuse of those we disagree with. So it's at times impressive, but it is so much; it tries to do everything, so it is way more than it has to or should be. Less is sometimes more is usefyl advice. The artwork is often amazing. The story is itself also heavy--more weight!--so to keep some of the stones off our chests and hearts, he uses bright color to brighten things up from time to time, and somewhat cartoony characterizations of principal participants. But the overall effect is overwhelming and uneven.
I knew the basic story of the Salem Witchcraft Trials from my teaching of The Crucible and looking into secondary sources myself years ago, so the basic narrative and trial excerpts were familiar to me, but I still appreciated all the refs, and the focus on Corey, as opposed to Proctor, and I liked that in the process Wickey discovered that one of his own relatives, Mary Easty, was part of the trial! Weird!? And sort of cool, helping him dig into the story on a personal level. If you are interested in this period, you have to look at this book, it will help make it more real and (usefully) terrible for you, and give you sources for digging into it deeper.
This hefty book piles it on--more weight!--often ambitiously and impressively--it is already on many best of 2025 lists of graphic novels--such as in not wanting Salem to be offended by his characterization of it as the place of the trials, only later to criticize Salem for commercializing the tragedy. It also does not leave its references only in the appendix, but moves quotes and analysis into the text, which I often appreciated and learned from. And there are critiques of said texts, including The Crucible, which Wickey feels misdirects us to infidelity (of John Proctor) as one basis for the witchcraft trials. Okay, point taken, but that's not the only thing that book is about. Wickey emphasizes infighting in the community, greed, capitalism, and so on. A political mess of allowing our differences to divide us to the point of violence (see almost anything as reference right now).
Wickey looks at a lot of fiction that references the trials and intolerance such as from Longfellow and Hawthorne. Sociological analysis abounds through nonfiction and fiction in American lit, and Wickey gives us a lot of it. He takes us--as Miller does--up to the McCarthy trials as an example of how the Puritanism of the past goes on and on, as well as to the present day infighting that leads to the abuse of those we disagree with. So it's at times impressive, but it is so much; it tries to do everything, so it is way more than it has to or should be. Less is sometimes more is usefyl advice. The artwork is often amazing. The story is itself also heavy--more weight!--so to keep some of the stones off our chests and hearts, he uses bright color to brighten things up from time to time, and somewhat cartoony characterizations of principal participants. But the overall effect is overwhelming and uneven.
I knew the basic story of the Salem Witchcraft Trials from my teaching of The Crucible and looking into secondary sources myself years ago, so the basic narrative and trial excerpts were familiar to me, but I still appreciated all the refs, and the focus on Corey, as opposed to Proctor, and I liked that in the process Wickey discovered that one of his own relatives, Mary Easty, was part of the trial! Weird!? And sort of cool, helping him dig into the story on a personal level. If you are interested in this period, you have to look at this book, it will help make it more real and (usefully) terrible for you, and give you sources for digging into it deeper.
September 18, 2025
I received a free copy of, More Weight: A Salem Story, by Ben Wickey, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This is a long graphic novel on a dark part of American history, the Salem Witch trials. I thought this was a good read, but it was way too long of a read.
August 3, 2025
I was so excited to get to read this book, I've always been fascinated by Salem and the brutality of the Witch Trials. Unfortunately, the art was about the only thing I enjoyed about this book...
This is a chuncky book, sitting at over 500 pages. There are plenty of big books out there that make every page worth it, but this book just felt bloated and was a chore to read in some places. I was reading it on an iPad and there were still times when I had to zoom waaaaaaaay in just to be able to read a single frame of text. The layout really suffered from how much the artist tried to cram onto each page. And there were times when the text wasn't legible at all. I'm not sure if this was an artistic decision, but I did see that at the end of the book there is about 30 pages of text which I surmise to be the typed out illegible handwriting found throughout the book. That would have upset me if I had been reading a print version of this graphic novel let alone if someone were trying to read the digital version.
There are parts of the novel where it is just walls of words, which defeats the idea of a graphic novel to me. A graphic novel should rely on the pictures to do most of the exposition of the story. It seems like this should have just been a novel, not a graphic novel.
Most of the story is set in 1692, during the witch trials. But sometimes we would jump forward to 1800, and I really could have done without this storyline. It did not add anything but more pages to read.
Thank you to NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and Top Shelf Publishing for giving me the chance to read this book. I wish I had postive things to say about it.
This is a chuncky book, sitting at over 500 pages. There are plenty of big books out there that make every page worth it, but this book just felt bloated and was a chore to read in some places. I was reading it on an iPad and there were still times when I had to zoom waaaaaaaay in just to be able to read a single frame of text. The layout really suffered from how much the artist tried to cram onto each page. And there were times when the text wasn't legible at all. I'm not sure if this was an artistic decision, but I did see that at the end of the book there is about 30 pages of text which I surmise to be the typed out illegible handwriting found throughout the book. That would have upset me if I had been reading a print version of this graphic novel let alone if someone were trying to read the digital version.
There are parts of the novel where it is just walls of words, which defeats the idea of a graphic novel to me. A graphic novel should rely on the pictures to do most of the exposition of the story. It seems like this should have just been a novel, not a graphic novel.
Most of the story is set in 1692, during the witch trials. But sometimes we would jump forward to 1800, and I really could have done without this storyline. It did not add anything but more pages to read.
Thank you to NetGalley, IDW Publishing, and Top Shelf Publishing for giving me the chance to read this book. I wish I had postive things to say about it.
April 15, 2026
There are at least four interwoven stories here. Seeing Salem through the lens of Giles Corey’s tragic persecution lends new life to the familiar horrors of the witch hysteria. Corey was an unpleasant neighbor but no match for the vile, self-serving piety of his persecutors. The second story is a dialog between Longfellow and Hawthorne (or his ghost) about the meaning of the witch trials and the way art both magnifies and distorts history. The third story is Salem itself and the commercialization of atrocity. The fourth is about the ineradicable blot on the soul of the country, the symptoms of so much later misery arising from the greed and cruelty of our self-righteous fellow citizens. That’s a lot of weight for a graphic novel to bear, but Wickey manages it adeptly.
February 18, 2026
A friend posted this book and when I saw it, I knew I had to read it. More Weight is a big doorstopper of a graphic novel about the Salem Witch Trials. I've always been fascinated with this period in history and have read quite a few books on the subject. This book is extremely well-researched, and all the details with regard to the people and places involved are meticulously laid out in precise order. It's an absolute feat given that everything is accompanied by amazing illustrations. I am in awe. It took the author/illustrator 10 years to finish this phenomenal book. It is also the most comprehensive book I've ever read on the subject. Mindblowing. Very highly recommended for history buffs, and those who love education with their graphic novels.
October 31, 2026
A graphic novel that blends nonfiction and the horrors of the Salem witch trials into a beautifully illustrated graphic novel. I learned a lot from this one—one thing I learned was I REALLY wanted to smack some lying little girls 👀 Their every word and accusation put lives on the line. Along with the abuse of religion, this graphic novel left its mark.
My only complaint with this was it was very text heavy, and some of the cursive was a bit hard to see on the panels. I don’t mind reading in a graphic novel, there was just an overwhelming amount of words packed into some of the panel. Still, this story was stunning and well told.
My only complaint with this was it was very text heavy, and some of the cursive was a bit hard to see on the panels. I don’t mind reading in a graphic novel, there was just an overwhelming amount of words packed into some of the panel. Still, this story was stunning and well told.
January 29, 2026
Absolutely gorgeous art, but that can't save a convoluted, plodding, boring story. Suffers from way too much text and way too many characters. Besides, the (hi)story just makes me sad and angry. Not in the least because bigoted, retarded zealots are still ruling The US.
March 3, 2026
Meticulously researched. You'll need a second bookmark for the end notes. Despite its fantastic sections and rambling "outro", I've shelved this as nonfiction; even the made-up conversations and opinion section have been scrupulously documented and carefully explained. All of which rightly implies that it's way too long, bogged down in every single detail, and can be hard to follow. The art is amazing and so very detailed. I learned a lot about the trials for sure, too, but a lot of folks are going to DNF this one for sheer density.
November 14, 2025
This graphic novel may have been dense at points, but incredibly worth it. Ben does a fantastic job balancing detailed artwork with just as detailed descriptions of Salem’s diverse history. Interwoven in this narrative is everything from the rich literary history to the witch trials and contemporary adaptations of what it meant to be considered “a witch” during that time period. All glaringly relevant. He sets out to prove that Salem is so much more than just the witch trials and yet we keep going back to this main event (that lasted about a year) as the core of modern Salem. If you are a true scholar or lover of history and literature or even if you are neither, it’s worth the read. It’s dense, but so is history if you’re willing to uncover the truth…
June 14, 2025
Wow what a powerful book! The attention to detail was incredible! The work he put into this, the research, the different writings, the different drawings to depict the time, weaving the lore, the truth and pop culture, phenomenal. So, the next time you walk down the streets of Salem, don't glorify it. Call it what it is.
Thank you Netgalley, Top shelf and Ben Wickey for this advance copy. What an absolute treat! My opinions are my own.
#MoreWeightASalemStory #NetGalley
Thank you Netgalley, Top shelf and Ben Wickey for this advance copy. What an absolute treat! My opinions are my own.
#MoreWeightASalemStory #NetGalley
October 29, 2025
This graphic novel is a natural pick for the Halloween season, but be prepared for a very dense read.
The illustrations are a solid 5 stars, but I agree with the others who said it could use some judicious editing. The time shifts, the ghostly interludes, and the author's thoughts on the modern-day commercialization of Salem, Mass., not to mention the sheer wordiness of the text, may become tedious and confusing for readers.
The illustrations are a solid 5 stars, but I agree with the others who said it could use some judicious editing. The time shifts, the ghostly interludes, and the author's thoughts on the modern-day commercialization of Salem, Mass., not to mention the sheer wordiness of the text, may become tedious and confusing for readers.
May 20, 2026
A thorough and nuanced commentary about the events of 1692 and our cultural narration around the witch trials. Art was beautiful, and I so appreciate the outro—excellent meditation on historiography, culture, and imagination.
June 5, 2026
This is extraordinary- the drawings are incredible, the research is meticulous and extensive and the overall arch and narrative of the book is really important and heartfelt. It is a work of art in every way.
March 20, 2026
This is a remarkably ambitious graphic novel, weighing in at over five hundred pages. More than fifty of those pages are notes on the main text, and given that author Ben Wickey spent ten years creating it, the book almost reads like an academic work, which is both a strength and a weakness.
More Weight dives deeply into the history of Salem, Massachusetts, focusing both on the infamous witch trials of the late seventeenth century, and on the writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, both of whom created works based on those notorious events. Wickey's visualization of the witch trials and their victims is dark and powerful, and really conveys the feeling of a fractured community turning on itself. This part of the story eventually focuses on Giles Corey's death by peine forte et dure, wherein more and more weight was placed on his chest until he was crushed to death. The rendering of Corey's defiance of his accusers is heartbreaking and thrilling at the same time.
The chapters focused on Hawthorne and Longfellow are not quite as successful, and occasionally feel like distractions from the main narrative. While the ruminations of these two authors provide commentary on the story of the witch trials, they don't really expand much on that part of the text. Wickey was born and raised in the Salem area, and his overall goal with More Weight is to plea for that city to reconsider its relationship with a black chapter of its history. Having never been to Salem myself, much of that part of this work is simply too specific to be of interest, and I suspect a lot of other readers will have the same reaction.
More Weight dives deeply into the history of Salem, Massachusetts, focusing both on the infamous witch trials of the late seventeenth century, and on the writers Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, both of whom created works based on those notorious events. Wickey's visualization of the witch trials and their victims is dark and powerful, and really conveys the feeling of a fractured community turning on itself. This part of the story eventually focuses on Giles Corey's death by peine forte et dure, wherein more and more weight was placed on his chest until he was crushed to death. The rendering of Corey's defiance of his accusers is heartbreaking and thrilling at the same time.
The chapters focused on Hawthorne and Longfellow are not quite as successful, and occasionally feel like distractions from the main narrative. While the ruminations of these two authors provide commentary on the story of the witch trials, they don't really expand much on that part of the text. Wickey was born and raised in the Salem area, and his overall goal with More Weight is to plea for that city to reconsider its relationship with a black chapter of its history. Having never been to Salem myself, much of that part of this work is simply too specific to be of interest, and I suspect a lot of other readers will have the same reaction.
November 6, 2026
I feel that my understanding of the Salem Witch Trials is much more well-rounded and filled out now that I've finished this book, but MAN! This book took me several weeks to finish and for someone who takes her books to work to read at lunch this one was just notttt worth the effort of slugging around a 500-something page book in my bag every day trying to finish it. I still had fun reading it, but it just was so much of a slog to get through, that it kept taking me out of the story. There were also parts of the book that I didn't understand and when I went to the author notes section hoping for a clue as to what was happening, there was none to be found. The book definitely could've used some tweaking. It did make all the victims of the trials feel much more real and human to me, and that I do appreciate.
February 15, 2026
More Weight. A Salem Story by Ben Wickey.
This was a beast of a graphic novel. Over 500 pages and a very extensive look at the witch trials in Salem. And i mean thoroughly. As a kid i lived in Limburg, close to Roermond, a city were 60 witches were killed, as a kid it was very interesting to hear witch stories and such, but as a adult its really crazy to read about it. These were woman who were just different, or just normal. If someone had it in for you he could sat your a witch, panic and mobs did the rest. More Weight is such a story. A brilliant looking graphic novel, with very cool artwork but a harrowing story. A real passion project that took Ben Wickey over a decade to finish. Everyone that gas something to do with the Salem Trials gets mentioned, and its admirable, but over halfway the book it gets to be to much, and nearing the end you get so much info its hard to stay invested. This was a cool read, but in the end i got lost, it could have used some trimming. If your interested in the subject, this is a yes. But beware, this book takes some time to finish.
This was a beast of a graphic novel. Over 500 pages and a very extensive look at the witch trials in Salem. And i mean thoroughly. As a kid i lived in Limburg, close to Roermond, a city were 60 witches were killed, as a kid it was very interesting to hear witch stories and such, but as a adult its really crazy to read about it. These were woman who were just different, or just normal. If someone had it in for you he could sat your a witch, panic and mobs did the rest. More Weight is such a story. A brilliant looking graphic novel, with very cool artwork but a harrowing story. A real passion project that took Ben Wickey over a decade to finish. Everyone that gas something to do with the Salem Trials gets mentioned, and its admirable, but over halfway the book it gets to be to much, and nearing the end you get so much info its hard to stay invested. This was a cool read, but in the end i got lost, it could have used some trimming. If your interested in the subject, this is a yes. But beware, this book takes some time to finish.
November 8, 2026
I will be talking about this book for a long time. first of all, the illustrations are INCREDIBLE!!!!! wickey really captures massachusetts fall 🧡and his visual storytelling is incredibly effective. this is absolutely a work of art. i also loved how thorough and well researched this was and I enjoyed the author adding his own point of view and discussing modern context with great nuance. I learned so much from this book and also really enjoyed it. I think this story captures the pain, awfulness, fear, and outright world-turned-upside-down-ness of the Salem witch trials incredibly well. this is an absolute must read. I will be reading anything else by this author!
October 5, 2026
While I felt sometimes this book tread the thin line between showing the true and abject horror of the witch trials and gratuitous depictions of violence, it was brutal and unflinching. A really interesting and reflective read, and an uncomfortable look at how this tragedy was made into a theme park.
September 11, 2026
What an epic. Easily the most ambitious graphic novel I’ve ever encountered. The level of historic detail in Ben Wickey’s retelling is forensic. I loved the emotive illustrations best. The final panels of Martha Corey’s life undid me: the emotional crescendo leading up to this scene, and then the changing expressions on her face? Masterful.
I wanted to give this graphic novel 5 stars, but it kept gnawing at me that something was missing. Seeing so many white men weighing the stones—of the lives of the accused and, later, of this disturbing chapter in American history—made me long for more women's voices. In fact, the book seemed to treat the witch trials as a horror that affected men and women equally.
The first person to be accused of witchcraft in Salem was a woman of colour, followed by a string of white women. It seems that men only started to be accused of witchcraft once the trials were well underway—either because they dared express scepticism, or perhaps because it became apparent to accusers that this was an effective way to get rid of one’s enemies! By far, the majority of those accused, and those who died, were women.
The book doesn’t fully entertain the question of why society could be so quick to believe that some women are so dangerous they must be put to death, at the same time as believing them weak enough to be tempted by the devil.
According to Wikipedia, a male doctor first suggested the girls’ “afflictions” could be caused by witchcraft. After that, four men issued formal complaints to male magistrates that resulted in the arrest of the first three women accused of witchcraft. Of course, the main accusers were young girls—but there were plenty of men, and women, eager to jump to horrifying conclusions; who wanted to believe evil women were to blame.
I would have loved to see this frame explored more in the story, because accusations of witchcraft have always been (as they continue to be) levelled at women in the overwhelming majority, world-wide. And I think this suspicion, this paranoia, this control of women and fear of their power, extends to the present day. You could draw parallels with the attacks on reproductive health care in the states, or the fact that America remains too skeptical or spooked to ever vote a woman into its highest office...
These are just some observations from the other side of the planet. I’m so grateful I got to learn more about Salem and its tragic history through Ben’s work. This story will continue to haunt and weigh on me, as it should.
I wanted to give this graphic novel 5 stars, but it kept gnawing at me that something was missing. Seeing so many white men weighing the stones—of the lives of the accused and, later, of this disturbing chapter in American history—made me long for more women's voices. In fact, the book seemed to treat the witch trials as a horror that affected men and women equally.
The first person to be accused of witchcraft in Salem was a woman of colour, followed by a string of white women. It seems that men only started to be accused of witchcraft once the trials were well underway—either because they dared express scepticism, or perhaps because it became apparent to accusers that this was an effective way to get rid of one’s enemies! By far, the majority of those accused, and those who died, were women.
The book doesn’t fully entertain the question of why society could be so quick to believe that some women are so dangerous they must be put to death, at the same time as believing them weak enough to be tempted by the devil.
According to Wikipedia, a male doctor first suggested the girls’ “afflictions” could be caused by witchcraft. After that, four men issued formal complaints to male magistrates that resulted in the arrest of the first three women accused of witchcraft. Of course, the main accusers were young girls—but there were plenty of men, and women, eager to jump to horrifying conclusions; who wanted to believe evil women were to blame.
I would have loved to see this frame explored more in the story, because accusations of witchcraft have always been (as they continue to be) levelled at women in the overwhelming majority, world-wide. And I think this suspicion, this paranoia, this control of women and fear of their power, extends to the present day. You could draw parallels with the attacks on reproductive health care in the states, or the fact that America remains too skeptical or spooked to ever vote a woman into its highest office...
These are just some observations from the other side of the planet. I’m so grateful I got to learn more about Salem and its tragic history through Ben’s work. This story will continue to haunt and weigh on me, as it should.
September 19, 2026
An excellent examination of the Salem Witch Trials that focuses on Giles Corey, a not at all empathetic figure forced to confront an oppressive system based on hearsay and pettiness.
It's contrasted by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne's friendship, a tour of Salem, and grappling with past traumas and ancestral acts. It ends with a reflection on Salem's history and transformation to a tourist spot that still struggles to reckon with its past.
Paired with great art that matches the tone of each era focuses on, it is a masterwork of form.
It's contrasted by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Nathaniel Hawthorne's friendship, a tour of Salem, and grappling with past traumas and ancestral acts. It ends with a reflection on Salem's history and transformation to a tourist spot that still struggles to reckon with its past.
Paired with great art that matches the tone of each era focuses on, it is a masterwork of form.
Read
June 20, 2026Excellent, though exhausting in its piling on of details. This is not only a story of the Salem witchcraft trials, but an examination of how that story has been retold by other authors, and the effects on the city down to the present.
Reminds me of Alice in Sunderland in the way it tells a personal history of a place.
Reminds me of Alice in Sunderland in the way it tells a personal history of a place.
November 25, 2025
I found this graphic novel to be a dense read. The illustrations are beautiful, and the book was visually enjoyable, but overall, it felt like the narrative was trying to accomplish too many things at once, which made the story feel blotchy and unfocused. I also found the repetition a bit excessive. While I understand that repetition can shape how a story is perceived, here it ended up dragging the pacing and gradually pulled me out of it. Sadly, by the end, I was more disinterested than anything.
That being said, if you're interested in a historically grouded tale, this graphic novel could very much be worth picking up !
That being said, if you're interested in a historically grouded tale, this graphic novel could very much be worth picking up !
July 14, 2026
A titanic achievement of scholarship, emotional and historical archaelogy and conjuring of the past, and stunning, beautiful, gorgeous artwork, Ben Wickey has done American Literature a great service in More Weight: A Salem Story, a book that seemingly focuses on the Giles Corey character of the Salem saga (known more to me through Arthur Miller's The Crucible), but infuses the past via Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as the rampant worshipping of capitalistic avararice that has befallen "Witch City" in the modern era. It could not be MORE relevant in 2026. I frequently found it breathtaking, and many lines have me pondering deeply.
I think this book could be the foundation of a graduate course about mass hysteria, religious hypocrisy, othering, and rejection of logic, rationality, and science.
"In our deep loneliness and anxiety, we all search for easy answers. In need of assurance, we choose false security. In need of community, we we join a cult. In fear of death, we turn to solopsistic spirituality to persuade our fates. In need of someone to blame, we demonize our neighbors. People will see and hear only what they wish to. After all, nobody stares into a glistening lump of quartz and sees the abused child laborer in Madagascar who mined it. We flatter and deceive ourselves in thinking that our intelligence is superior to those of a "simpler" past. More people believe that the earth is flat today than in 1692. We are still prone as ever to the craven credulity and religious fanatiscism of those brutal yesteryears. Humans have always been irrational. Our knuckles are barely off the ground. We do not know the world. We barely know ourselves." (Wickey 467).
I think this book could be the foundation of a graduate course about mass hysteria, religious hypocrisy, othering, and rejection of logic, rationality, and science.
"In our deep loneliness and anxiety, we all search for easy answers. In need of assurance, we choose false security. In need of community, we we join a cult. In fear of death, we turn to solopsistic spirituality to persuade our fates. In need of someone to blame, we demonize our neighbors. People will see and hear only what they wish to. After all, nobody stares into a glistening lump of quartz and sees the abused child laborer in Madagascar who mined it. We flatter and deceive ourselves in thinking that our intelligence is superior to those of a "simpler" past. More people believe that the earth is flat today than in 1692. We are still prone as ever to the craven credulity and religious fanatiscism of those brutal yesteryears. Humans have always been irrational. Our knuckles are barely off the ground. We do not know the world. We barely know ourselves." (Wickey 467).
December 4, 2025
Real rating: 4.5 stars. This is a heavy read (no pun intended lol). Wickey covers everything Salem- from the 1692 Witch Trials, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and how it became the “witch city” tourist spot. It’s loaded with information, including a large Author’s Notes section that backs up each detail with facts and sources. It’s a reminder that Salem is literally buried in history- it’s not just a place for a photo shoot. Many lose sight of this in the over-commercialization of Halloween and paganism- sure, it’s cool to see where Hocus Pocus was filmed, but also remember that innocent people were killed for no reason, and to be respectful. I mean, the last accused victim was only exonerated in 2022!
Yes, I am guilty of indulging in the spooky ambiance Salem gives- it’s what makes it my happy place. However, in my visits to Salem, I never lose sight of the victims of the Witch Hysteria. Taking my mom to Salem, I made sure to show her ALL of historical Salem- in between shopping down Essex Street, I scheduled a walking tour of Danvers (formerly Salem Village) and a visit to Rebecca Nurse’s homestead. After having lunch at Rockafella’s, we made a stop at Proctor’s Ledge and toured the House of the Seven Gables property. I needed to show her the cultural significance of the town, and I needed to show her what makes Salem special.
Enjoy Salem by all means, but also don’t be oblivious to what has happened there in the past. To paraphrase Wickey- “more people believe the Earth is flat today than anyone in 1692.”
Yes, I am guilty of indulging in the spooky ambiance Salem gives- it’s what makes it my happy place. However, in my visits to Salem, I never lose sight of the victims of the Witch Hysteria. Taking my mom to Salem, I made sure to show her ALL of historical Salem- in between shopping down Essex Street, I scheduled a walking tour of Danvers (formerly Salem Village) and a visit to Rebecca Nurse’s homestead. After having lunch at Rockafella’s, we made a stop at Proctor’s Ledge and toured the House of the Seven Gables property. I needed to show her the cultural significance of the town, and I needed to show her what makes Salem special.
Enjoy Salem by all means, but also don’t be oblivious to what has happened there in the past. To paraphrase Wickey- “more people believe the Earth is flat today than anyone in 1692.”
February 8, 2026
So I live literally across a bridge from Salem, MA, and it's legacy affects me and everyone in the area every September-November. I loved this for many reasons-- the varying art styles and colors to express which time period we were in, the storyline that preserved faith, grit, and panic, and the clear heroism of ordinary people in the face of literal insanity. Wickey presents the Witch Trials as a tragedy to be remembered, not an event to be commercialized. It moved me and repulsed me all at once. This was just so good.
August 15, 2026
This book is incredible and brought me close to tears more than a few times. Wickey does such an incredible job humanizing these individuals who were demonized for centuries, it’s beyond beautiful and the book is so well-researched, you can clearly see his passion on each page. Highly recommend this book especially if you have even a hint of interest about the Salem Witch Trials
February 2, 2026
A masterpiece.
May 26, 2026
This tour de force deserves all the accolades it is getting. Blending Salems witch history, literary history, history history, and modern tourism history, its a tome yes but its worth it.
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