The Witcher: House of Glass #1

The Witcher: House of Glass

by Paul Tobin, Joe Querio (Artist)

Traveling near the edge of the Black Forest, monster hunter Geralt meets a widowed fisherman whose dead and murderous wife resides in an eerie mansion known as the House of Glasswhich seems to have endless rooms, nothing to fill them with, and horror around every corner. Written by Eisner winner Paul Tobin! The _Witcher_ games have collectively won over 250 awards and sold more than 7 million copies worldwide. There are currently two games available across multiple platforms, and a third is slated for release in February 2015.

Genres: Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Fiction, Video Games, Dark Fantasy

24 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 6, 2015

About the author

Paul Tobin is the Eisner-award winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Bandette, Colder, and many other comic books and graphic series.

Bandette, drawn by Colleen Coover, was awarded the Eisner Award for Best Digital Series in 2013, 2016, and 2017; and was a finalist for the Oregon Book Award for Graphic Literature in 2016. His original graphic novel I Was the Cat was nominated for an Eisner in 2015.

The Genius Factor: How to Capture an Invisible Cat , first in his five-book series of middle-grade books, came out in 2016 from Bloomsbury Kids. It was followed in 2017 by How To Outsmart A billion Robot Bees , and How To Tame A Human Tornado in March 2018.

Reviews

[Evelyn Swift (Featherbrained Books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I liked this. It was dark and gruesome and everything I want from a graphic novel.

“Being a Witcher’s like a curse. Well, Almost. By nature we have very few friends. Friends we never take lightly. But sometimes even with friendship...enough is enough. And you just have to walk away.”

So begins the mysterious story of The Witcher, who befriends a traveller named Jakob after saving him from a Drowner demon. They travel onwards together through dark and sinister lands while Jakob tells the Witcher that his wife, Marta, was murdered nine years ago by Bruxae vampires and was turned into one herself. She has haunted him ever since. In their travels, they come upon a cursed house known as the House of Glass, where Jakob’s dead wife has been spotted.

I have not read The Witcher by Andrzej Sapkowski, seen the TV series The Hexer, or played the video games (I know, what is wrong with me?) and I completely understood what was going on and didn’t feel like I was missing any information or back story.

At first I was a bit upset that The Witcher would not help Jacok’s wife, Marta, avenge her death by killing Jacok, who we later find out murdered her and is a liar. But when she got her own revenge and used the Hag to kill Jacok I was happy that The Witcher let her get her revenge on her own. I feel like her soul would be more settled that way and the Hag was a truly scary monster.

I also enjoyed the sketchbook at the end, which showed the design progression for the cover and various scenes, as well as lithography/sketches from Duncan Fegredo and Stan Sakai. The art style was extremely well done and engaging.

|Featherbrained Books Blog | Twitter |

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really love the plot in this comic. It's right up my alley. A man's wife has been turned into a vampire. She can't go back to him (she's pretty much feral) and he can't leave her, so they both dwell in the wilderness, looking at each other from a distance. The Witcher Geralt arrives and pauses in his travels to get to know the man, listen to his tale, and do some hunting and fishing together. When he's ready to move on, the man asks to join him, because without a friend he couldn't bring himself to leave his wife, even though he knows she's lost to him.

Geralt is as amusing as ever without meaning to be. I love the storyline; I dig vampires and forbidden or lost loves, and I liked how they were traveling though a dark forest and through a cemetery. This plot is exactly my cup of tea. If I had any critique it would be the art. Unless the panels are very close up, everyone just has black dots for eyes and often no face at all. It's not very consistent, either. Some panels are very detailed, some look unfinished, and some look like an impressionist's painting. I didn't care for the blurred panels lacking detail but when the artist slowed down and did the work, it really shone. I wish it all looked so polished. But the story is great.

[Nigham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trapped between reading, The Witcher series and not ruining show, I started this. Not disappointing.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Much better than I expected! I don't know why, but I expected this to be cliched and lifeless. It has some promise and I'll read the next few issues.

[Tanya Livingston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but Oh so sweet

Loved this, the atmospheric doom & gloom were perfect and the story sucked me in immediately. This is my 1st experience reading Witcher stories. NEXT!

[Ariel Vernaza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

A plenty of monsters, but I can help myself to hear the voice of the Gerald of the video game when reading his lines

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start.. definitely keen to continue

[Padraig O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

I enjoyed reading it very much and cannot wait to find out what happens next. The graphics were very well done.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story and great illustrations. For horror or fantasy lovers. Story and illustrations went together well.

[Stuart Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What looks like the start of a good story in the witcher series.
Look forward to reading the rest of the books in the series.

[Ash Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

good

This is my first time experiencing the witcher and I have to say I’m quite enjoying it and can’t wait to read more.

[Debbie Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

fun time!

Just a bit of fun. Reminds me of the old horror Movies. They did a nice job on the drawings too. Boy that witch is ugly even as a comic!

[PuniPoli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Mohd Farizal bin Omar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

The story and characters are very well written. The art style is unique. Can't wait to read the next one.

[Jelli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up because I (sort of) enjoyed the show but haven't decided if I want to tackle the books. Cons: The art style and storyline remind me of the male centric comics I saw growing up in the 70's and 80's which were the reason I have spent most of my life thinking I didn't like comics. Also the story was a bit repetitive in places which would likely be fine if you were reading real time as the issues come out but are more noticeable when reading the collection. Pros: It felt really true to the way the show portrays Geralt's character and his Witcher life. The dialog is spot on for him. Vara was also an interesting character, while both a monster and a sex object, her function was mainly to explain things to the reader but I still got a sense of humor, wisdom, and depth to her. Would I recommend: Yes, if you are a fan of the show looking to fill the gap until the next season is out.

[Sarah Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a bit besotted with the Witcher universe, so anything from it I enjoy. When I found out there was a comic book series, by the power of greyskull I was buying it.

And it’s good. Good art style for the dark and dismal world, good character development that adds rather than separates from the world, and a dash of mystery.

You know, it’s good. I mean, I’m not going to shove this under everyone’s nose and make them read it, but it’s good.

*review copied into the rest of the series, as I read it as a trade paperback*

[Caerigna Lunalti · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting, if oddly approached beginning to this comic series. Apparently set either before, or in an alternate world, to the games. The art is dark, gritty, blunt, and generally everything we'd expect from a Witcher comic, Dialogue on the other hand feels a bit awkward, doesn't flow so much attempt to force the plot, and generally reads like someone has neither played nor watched the games. This may all improve after the opening gambit, however, so I'll do my best to get ahold of #2.

[Retrobot · Rating 1 out of 5]

Geralt is portrayed much differently here and I don't like this interpretation of him as I don't believe he would even say the same things, never mind actually agreeing to let someone travel with him. It would be more like him to call them out on their bullshit and leave.
Aside from story the illustrations were fine.
Will continue reading to see if the stories improve.

[Vyshakh Aravindan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Issue #1 – Into the Fog
Geralt crosses paths with a grieving man named Jakob, who tells him about a cursed mansion in the forest — the House of Glass — where his undead wife is trapped. The eerie, decaying atmosphere sets the tone immediately. The storytelling is quiet, gothic, and filled with dread. Geralt, ever the professional, offers to investigate.

[JR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable Witcher story, though I have to agree with other reviewers that the way that Geralt spoke was not the same as in the novels. This did take away from the story a little but it was still a fun quick read. Art style reminded me of Hellboy.

[Ben · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short. Seemed to jump around.

Jakob starts to tell his story and it cuts off and jumps into the next panel. Seems disjointed. Good to see Gerald again after finishing the game.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hints of the feelings the compelling Geralt pretends Witchers do not possess ooze in this unique blend of adventure, horror, mystery, and Polish fairytales, with a disturbing twist at the end that will make you want to read it again from the beginning.

[Nancy Stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great

I thought it was great. I was really into the story and couldn't wait to get the next Witcher. Graphics were cool too.

[Sherri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Like dark comics that tell story. When finish the graphics will start on novels! Can't wait for series!!!!!

[Gary McNabb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great comic

The comic treatment of the Witcher tales is very good. Great atmospheric artwork and a compelling story. Recommended for fans of the books or weird tale enthusiasts.

[Eric Brotheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good start...

Any story from the world of The Witcher is a treat; to remove oneself from the monsters of the current world to the monsters of the world of Geralt.

[Courtney Sholtis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting

Very engaging, I can't wait to see what happens next. It leaves you wanting to read more of Geralt's adventures.

[Renee Kirkwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool story, beautifully drawn

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good comic

I'm enjoying more Witcher tales. I like these comic books... Art work is great, story is very engrossing. I will definitely read more

[Richard Zazueta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good but short

Funny and wicked sweet just short a little too short. The jokes cracked me up it was classic geralt of rivia. 710