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Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher #5
Andrzej Sapkowski's The Witcher: The Witcher
Sin manifests into bloodlust in this graphic novel adaptation of Andrzej Sapkowski’s original short story.
Geralt pursues a proclamation from a king of a bloodthirsty monster plaguing his palace. A hefty reward is offered to cure the beast, but not to kill it, for the king holds a secret—what lies beneath the palace is beyond the spawn of evil. Tried and failed by charlatans, Geralt sets out to claim the bounty—by decree of the king or by the pleas of those who wish the creature dead.
This graphic novel is the fifth in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski’s acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish!
Geralt pursues a proclamation from a king of a bloodthirsty monster plaguing his palace. A hefty reward is offered to cure the beast, but not to kill it, for the king holds a secret—what lies beneath the palace is beyond the spawn of evil. Tried and failed by charlatans, Geralt sets out to claim the bounty—by decree of the king or by the pleas of those who wish the creature dead.
This graphic novel is the fifth in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski’s acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish!
56 pages, Hardcover
Published December 16, 2025
About the author
Andrzej Sapkowski
219 books19.8k followersAndrzej Sapkowski, born June 21, 1948 in Łódź, is a Polish fantasy and science fiction writer. Sapkowski studied economics, and before turning to writing, he had worked as a senior sales representative for a foreign trade company. His first short story, The Witcher (Wiedźmin), was published in Fantastyka, Poland's leading fantasy literary magazine, in 1986 and was enormously successful both with readers and critics. Sapkowski has created a cycle of tales based on the world of The Witcher, comprising three collections of short stories and five novels. This cycle and his many other works have made him one of the best-known fantasy authors in Poland in the 1990s.
The main character of The Witcher (alternative translation: The Hexer) is Geralt, a mutant assassin who has been trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters. Geralt exists in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology.
Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories "Mniejsze zło" (Lesser Evil) (1990), "Miecz przeznaczenia" (Sword of Destiny) (1992) and "W leju po bombie" (In a Bomb Crater) (1993), and two for the novels "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) (1994) and "Narrenturm" (2002). He also won the Spanish Ignotus Award, best anthology, for The Last Wish in 2003, and for "Muzykanci" (The Musicians), best foreign short story, same year.
In 1997, Sapkowski won the prestigious Polityka's Passport award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success.
In 2001, a Television Series based on the Witcher cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled Wiedźmin (The Hexer). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures.
Sapkowski's books have been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007.
The Polish game publisher, CD Projekt, created a role-playing PC game based on this universe, called The Witcher, which was released in October 2007. There is also a mobile version of the game which has been created by Breakpoint Games and is being published by Hands-On Mobile in Western Europe,Latin America and Asia Pacific.
The English translation of Sapkowski's novel Blood of Elves won the David Gemmell Legends Award in 2009.
The main character of The Witcher (alternative translation: The Hexer) is Geralt, a mutant assassin who has been trained since childhood to hunt down and destroy monsters. Geralt exists in an ambiguous moral universe, yet manages to maintain his own coherent code of ethics. At the same time cynical and noble, Geralt has been compared to Raymond Chandler's signature character Philip Marlowe. The world in which these adventures take place is heavily influenced by Slavic mythology.
Sapkowski has won five Zajdel Awards, including three for short stories "Mniejsze zło" (Lesser Evil) (1990), "Miecz przeznaczenia" (Sword of Destiny) (1992) and "W leju po bombie" (In a Bomb Crater) (1993), and two for the novels "Krew elfów" (Blood of Elves) (1994) and "Narrenturm" (2002). He also won the Spanish Ignotus Award, best anthology, for The Last Wish in 2003, and for "Muzykanci" (The Musicians), best foreign short story, same year.
In 1997, Sapkowski won the prestigious Polityka's Passport award, which is awarded annually to artists who have strong prospects for international success.
In 2001, a Television Series based on the Witcher cycle was released in Poland and internationally, entitled Wiedźmin (The Hexer). A film by the same title was compiled from excerpts of the television series but both have been critical and box office failures.
Sapkowski's books have been translated into Czech, Russian, Lithuanian, German, Spanish, French, Ukrainian, and Portuguese. An English translation of The Last Wish short story collection was published by Gollancz in 2007.
The Polish game publisher, CD Projekt, created a role-playing PC game based on this universe, called The Witcher, which was released in October 2007. There is also a mobile version of the game which has been created by Breakpoint Games and is being published by Hands-On Mobile in Western Europe,Latin America and Asia Pacific.
The English translation of Sapkowski's novel Blood of Elves won the David Gemmell Legends Award in 2009.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 30, 2026
Tym razem komiks pod scenariuszem Aleksandry Zielińskiej, którą poznałam w mocnej książce Sorgo. Cieszę się, że jestem na bieżąco w końcu z komiksami o Wieśku , tutaj też najważniejsze elementy opowiadania zostały przedstawione , może mogły wybrzmieć ciut mocniej, ale poza tym nie mam się czego czepić :)
February 4, 2026
I really enjoyed this adaptation in both story and art, especially during the fight sequence that without any dialogue or captions could have fallen flat. I’m very glad these last two entries have really delivered.
December 19, 2025
I will never get tired of reading, watching, playing through The Witcher Saga. Read the original prose, played all games and watched the show and yet here I am reading this new adaption of Sapkowskis original short story that I have read, watched and played before and know what's changed? Nothing. I still loved it. Call me a fanboy but it was such a pleasure to revisit this story again in graphic novel format and this time with such spellbinding artwork from Michael Dowling. If you want to get your Witcher fix while waiting for Crossroads of Ravens, pick this one up.
September 15, 2025
More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/
This classic story, or perhaps even the 'first' Witcher story from The Last Wish short story collection, sets the tone for all Witcher stories to come. Geralt rides into town in search of work, locals hate him, he gets a job to hunt down a monster, and things are not what they seem.It's hard to describe the story further without revealing too much but if you are familiar with Witcher at large you may have experienced this story already - it is in the original short story collection, and it's also included in the Netflix adaptation. The story covers Foltest' daughter who has become a Striga who Geralt is sent to slay.
If you have not read this one, highly recommended. As mentioned this set the scene for the entire Witcher universe, defines the character of Geralt and the shades-of-gray world in which the events take place. The story is carried well and if you're reading this for the first time, it's probably not predictable. For more experienced fans, this'll be an opportunity to enjoy this classic again.
The art is ok, but not among the best I've seen for Witcher comics. There are a few instances where I wish the art was a bit more clean and the action scenes a bit more dynamic. With better art this would have been a 5/5 rating, but it doesn't exactly detract from the experience either.
Highly recommended, with the only caveat being that you may have seen this one already a few times. I still had the whole plot in fresh memory. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.
December 18, 2025
I really appreciated and dug this adaptation of the original Witcher story. I loved the art and thought it was a great way to experience the story again. Although I don’t think the length is typically an adequate yard stick for the value of a good story, I do find these 60-odd page graphic novel adaptations of Sapkowski’s work to be a bit of a tough pill to swallow. I’m a big fan of the Last Wish collection and have enjoyed buying these hardcover one shots as they come out, but price conscious readers should consider getting it from their library or waiting for the inevitable collection.
July 9, 2026
A Witcher graphic novel that reads like one of the side quests from the "Witcher 3: Wild Hunt" video game? Sign me up!
This short story absolutely intrigues you by making you wonder what monster a "Striga" could look like, as you hear much about the horrors of it far before you actually see it for the first time.
Beautiful water-colour art, absolutely sells the esthetic of the story. Excellent use of colour and shadow to add light and darkness to the panels (especially with the Striga fight).
Absolutely recommend this one.
This short story absolutely intrigues you by making you wonder what monster a "Striga" could look like, as you hear much about the horrors of it far before you actually see it for the first time.
Beautiful water-colour art, absolutely sells the esthetic of the story. Excellent use of colour and shadow to add light and darkness to the panels (especially with the Striga fight).
Absolutely recommend this one.
April 19, 2026
A quintessential Witcher story, which, given that it's called The Witcher, feels appropriate.
Geralt arrives in a town, finds out there's a monster, fights said monster, but there's a twist to its origins and the motivations of the people that want it dead. A blueprint for many other Witcher stories to come.
Solid artwork from Michael Dowling, with a good mix of dialogue heavy scenes early on and entirely silent ones later once the fighting begins, with a bittersweet ending.
Geralt arrives in a town, finds out there's a monster, fights said monster, but there's a twist to its origins and the motivations of the people that want it dead. A blueprint for many other Witcher stories to come.
Solid artwork from Michael Dowling, with a good mix of dialogue heavy scenes early on and entirely silent ones later once the fighting begins, with a bittersweet ending.
May 31, 2026
Kolejna bardzo poprawna adaptacja opowiadania Andrzeja Sapkowskiego. O ile scenariusz po prostu dobrze oddaje najważniejsze punkty opowiadania, to bardzo dobra robotę robi tu warstwa graficzna, świetnie oddając klimat opowieści. Bez wstydu można postawić obok, moim zdaniem, wzorcowej komiksowej adaptacji tego opowiadania w wykonaniu Parowskiego i Polcha.
Scenariusz: ***
Rysunki: ****
Scenariusz: ***
Rysunki: ****
July 30, 2026
Było pewnym ryzykiem, wziąć na tapet opowiadanie, od którego wszystko się zaczęło i zrobić z niego komiks. Ten tekst zdaje się po prostu ważyć więcej niż pozostałe.
Dobrze, że nie scenarzystka nie zdecydowała na eksperymenty formalne czy reinterpretację, tylko uczciwie zaadaptowała pierwowzór. Całość bardzo się udała.
Dobrze, że nie scenarzystka nie zdecydowała na eksperymenty formalne czy reinterpretację, tylko uczciwie zaadaptowała pierwowzór. Całość bardzo się udała.
August 31, 2026
I don't remember how many times I've read a comicbook adaptation of this particular story (or maybe I haven't and I'm having hallucinations?) but either way this one is good. Nice, dark atmosphere, good artwork, faithful to the original. I liked it.
December 20, 2025
these are a little thin, but good simple versions of the original shorts. check it out if you like the short stories
February 9, 2026
Absolutely love this short story 🖤 it felt shorter than the other graphic novels but good nonetheless
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February 12, 2026review text for 3548
May 10, 2026
A tale of love and loss, but what is with the coda, anyone know the answer to why?
June 9, 2026
W porządku, fajnie odzwierciedlone, do niczego się przyczepiać nie będę
June 17, 2026
These are similar in style to the 80s comics. Excellent way to tell the story of the striga especially with the show. Makes it easy to see what the show did wrong.
July 7, 2026
The Witcher short stories are pretty much all banger after banger, but the titular “The Witcher” ranks among my favorites for pretty base reasons - love the moral dilemma and the gratuitous violence. As a graphic adaptation of such a short story, this book nailed it.
It’s a 1:1 rip of the novelized short story so not much to review there; if you liked it in the shorts, you’ll like it here. Of course, some dialogue is cut, which was a little missed imo, but I get not adding several pages of lore and moralizing to a one-shot.
The art is beautifullll and brings the heavy atmosphere of this tale to life - long, deep shadows concealing what hides in the dark and giving the characters a shameful countenance.
Short, sweet, to the point and boasting all the reasons you’d want to revisit a graphic adaptation of an already great story, I thought this book was excellent.
It’s a 1:1 rip of the novelized short story so not much to review there; if you liked it in the shorts, you’ll like it here. Of course, some dialogue is cut, which was a little missed imo, but I get not adding several pages of lore and moralizing to a one-shot.
The art is beautifullll and brings the heavy atmosphere of this tale to life - long, deep shadows concealing what hides in the dark and giving the characters a shameful countenance.
Short, sweet, to the point and boasting all the reasons you’d want to revisit a graphic adaptation of an already great story, I thought this book was excellent.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews