What do you think?
Rate this book
Hex Wives
“The women are too powerful. They must be tamed.” A malevolent conspiracy of men brainwashes a coven of witches to be subservient, suburban housewives. But it’s only a matter of time before the women remember their power…
HEX WIVES from writer Ben Blacker (co-creator of The Thrilling Adventure Hour) with art by Mirka Andolfo (WONDER WOMAN, SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL) will debut in October
HEX WIVES from writer Ben Blacker (co-creator of The Thrilling Adventure Hour) with art by Mirka Andolfo (WONDER WOMAN, SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL) will debut in October
160 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 29, 2019
10 people are currently reading
915 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews
December 10, 2019
This had a seriously GREAT premise and very nice art.
But the more I read the worse it got.
The gist is that a coven of extremely powerful witches gets taken down by a group of male witch hunters. How, you ask?
They somehow get hold of and brainwash the ladies (off-page) into thinking that they're housewives, and then have this whole Truman Show camera set up going on underground to keep an eye on them while the guys are 'at work'. Plus, a massive firewall (literally a forest fire) around the neighborhood keeps the women from leaving.
What?
Here's the thing, though. I wanted to root for these women to break free, but they weren't all that likable. I mean, I still wanted them to figure out what was happening to them, but I didn't particularly think they were good people and/or very interesting without their magic.
The dialogue was clunky and the plot seemed to wander off onto this oddball path that didn't make any sort of real sense. I kind of want to see if Blacker can pull the story back down off the ledge, but it doesn't look (as of right now) like there's going to be a 2nd volume.
Of course, that could change.
If you're on the fence about this, I'd recommend waiting to see what happens in the future with this title. As of right now, I'm not all that impressed.
But the more I read the worse it got.
The gist is that a coven of extremely powerful witches gets taken down by a group of male witch hunters. How, you ask?
They somehow get hold of and brainwash the ladies (off-page) into thinking that they're housewives, and then have this whole Truman Show camera set up going on underground to keep an eye on them while the guys are 'at work'. Plus, a massive firewall (literally a forest fire) around the neighborhood keeps the women from leaving.
What?
Here's the thing, though. I wanted to root for these women to break free, but they weren't all that likable. I mean, I still wanted them to figure out what was happening to them, but I didn't particularly think they were good people and/or very interesting without their magic.
The dialogue was clunky and the plot seemed to wander off onto this oddball path that didn't make any sort of real sense. I kind of want to see if Blacker can pull the story back down off the ledge, but it doesn't look (as of right now) like there's going to be a 2nd volume.
Of course, that could change.
If you're on the fence about this, I'd recommend waiting to see what happens in the future with this title. As of right now, I'm not all that impressed.
November 18, 2019
The series had some promise but the setup was clunky and poorly defined. A magic version of The Stepford Wives or Joelle Jones's Ladykiller with witches. A group of witches are brainwashed into being 50s housewives until they slowly learn what's really going on.
With the demise of Vertigo, maybe Blacker will be able to bring this to another publisher? I hope he retained the rights.
With the demise of Vertigo, maybe Blacker will be able to bring this to another publisher? I hope he retained the rights.
October 29, 2020
Such a hugeeee disappointment!
Let's talk about how this had the most exciting premise...witches turned into suburban housewives. While it did feel a little similar to Joelle Jones' Lady Killer I still thought that it was going to be fun based on the summary. The execution did not work AT ALL. It was so sloppy without much depth or exploration of the characters. The reader spends so much time reading about the ins and outs of the housewives that it felt like the whole purpose of the book was lost. And shall we discuss how the ONLY Black character was written in such a stereotypical manner? I'm not sure what Blacker was thinking in terms of character development, but honey that wasn't it. As a matter of fact in one of the final panels, Rebecca uses the word "lit." How in the hell is she going to use a word that just came out in the past 2-3 years and this comic takes place in the 50s?!? That's exactly how you know she simply serves as the token Black girl. This could have been so much better and gone in so many fun and interesting directions, but Blacker did not do it any justice. I literally only gave it two stars because the artwork was amazing and I really enjoyed the beginning.
Let's talk about how this had the most exciting premise...witches turned into suburban housewives. While it did feel a little similar to Joelle Jones' Lady Killer I still thought that it was going to be fun based on the summary. The execution did not work AT ALL. It was so sloppy without much depth or exploration of the characters. The reader spends so much time reading about the ins and outs of the housewives that it felt like the whole purpose of the book was lost. And shall we discuss how the ONLY Black character was written in such a stereotypical manner? I'm not sure what Blacker was thinking in terms of character development, but honey that wasn't it. As a matter of fact in one of the final panels, Rebecca uses the word "lit." How in the hell is she going to use a word that just came out in the past 2-3 years and this comic takes place in the 50s?!? That's exactly how you know she simply serves as the token Black girl. This could have been so much better and gone in so many fun and interesting directions, but Blacker did not do it any justice. I literally only gave it two stars because the artwork was amazing and I really enjoyed the beginning.
October 16, 2020
The premise of this book is so interesting. The execution however... was not.
This reminded me a bit of Chelsea Cain's Maneater book in that the message appears to be that men fear powerful women and will do whatever they have to do to contain them. Including creating a weird surveillance town and keeping them reigned in with a ring of fire. I get the purpose, but there was something about the execution here that didn't do much of anything for me.
I like Isadora's introduction. She starts out as that badass, queer, powerful witch that will be ruthless if necessary to protect herself and her coven. That's such a great intro and a great premise.
I understand the setting we get for the majority of this story, but it just didn't get back to that same level of intrigue as the start of the book. Look, you can do "the 50s housewife discovers she's something more" trope well and make it interesting. Look at Lady Killer and the CBS series Women Who Kill. It can be done. This book just never went far enough into making any of these women into characters. I thought I had a handle on who Isadora was, but the only real moments that show you who she is occur at the start of the book and at the end. I think there was just way too much of the filler showing us the women's lives when they're being gaslit.
And the fact is, Isadora is the only character you learn anything about. Nadiya is her lover, but we don't know anything about her. Rebecca doesn't have any real backstory or character development and her lines read like the stereotypical lines you'd expect to get from your token black character. Made worse by the fact that she's fat shamed and uses lingo that just came out so cheesy. The other witches were so forgettable that I only remembered Damina's name out of them and only because she liked cats.
So, the art is great, it had such an interesting premise but the execution just left me wanting. Not a recommend from me.
This reminded me a bit of Chelsea Cain's Maneater book in that the message appears to be that men fear powerful women and will do whatever they have to do to contain them. Including creating a weird surveillance town and keeping them reigned in with a ring of fire. I get the purpose, but there was something about the execution here that didn't do much of anything for me.
I like Isadora's introduction. She starts out as that badass, queer, powerful witch that will be ruthless if necessary to protect herself and her coven. That's such a great intro and a great premise.
I understand the setting we get for the majority of this story, but it just didn't get back to that same level of intrigue as the start of the book. Look, you can do "the 50s housewife discovers she's something more" trope well and make it interesting. Look at Lady Killer and the CBS series Women Who Kill. It can be done. This book just never went far enough into making any of these women into characters. I thought I had a handle on who Isadora was, but the only real moments that show you who she is occur at the start of the book and at the end. I think there was just way too much of the filler showing us the women's lives when they're being gaslit.
And the fact is, Isadora is the only character you learn anything about. Nadiya is her lover, but we don't know anything about her. Rebecca doesn't have any real backstory or character development and her lines read like the stereotypical lines you'd expect to get from your token black character. Made worse by the fact that she's fat shamed and uses lingo that just came out so cheesy. The other witches were so forgettable that I only remembered Damina's name out of them and only because she liked cats.
So, the art is great, it had such an interesting premise but the execution just left me wanting. Not a recommend from me.
November 26, 2019
I really wanted to like this, the art in the first volume is fantastic and the story sounded promising. I found it fell flat somehow and I don’t really care about the characters.
November 9, 2025
Well, I really wish I would have read reviews of this graphic novel before borrowing it from the library. I would have skipped this.
The cover art and the title for this graphic novel promises something that this absolutely fails to deliver. It promises witchy domesticity - wives who KNOW they are witches. It promises a particular vibe, a dark Bewitched. The woman on the cover is wearing a dress, an apron, a smirk, and a devilish glint in her eye, while holding a martini glass and a cigarette, with a pentagram tattooed on her wrist. I wanted to see the way that THAT woman, that witch, would move through the world, navigate her home and life and marriage, what being a witch would mean in that world.
THAT is not what this actually delivered.
And before you tell me that I should have read the description… That too is misleading.
Uh huh.
The story actually ENDS just when they “remember their power”, implying that there will be a second volume, possibly a series. Six years after this was released, and a sequel follow-up has yet to appear. So, it is currently an immensely unsatisfying standalone. And seems likely to remain that way.
Even from the beginning of this, I was side-eyeing it. It begins hundreds of years in the past, with the witches being hunted by this group of men. Men who complain about being killed by the women (who can’t be killed themselves) again and again and again, yet continuing to hunt them and growing more and more angry and desperate to “win” against the women every time they lose.
The narrative jumps a few times, to show the pattern through the years, decades, centuries. The witches consistently being hunted by the men… until one man gets an idea of something different to try.
If you thought that something different might be thinking “Hey, maybe if we stop trying to kill them, they’ll stop killing us.”
Nahhhhhhh… Not THESE men. If women cannot be controlled and subjugated, submissive and subservient to men, they must be eradicated.
They manage to brainwash them, to convince them they are meek little housewives, little domestic tradwives who live to serve their “husband” - IE: the man who was “assigned” to each woman to ensure she never escapes their control. The men give them handy little “hobbies” - like baking, or gardening, or… baking? Seriously, I think that was it. They aren’t allowed to leave, they aren’t allowed to socialize without their “husband”, they aren’t allowed to handle sharp objects, they are kept medicated and docile, while the men “work” - which means actually watching the women through a hidden network of CCTV cameras to make sure they don’t get out of line.
It’s not even like the men want to use the women how you would expect them to. They can’t stand them. They don’t want to touch them, and pretending to be attracted to them (with ONE exception) revolts the men. The one time we see a couple have “sex”, the woman complains that he never even put it in.
AGAIN, it just seems like… Why go to all the trouble? WHY? Why not just leave each other alone? You don’t fuck with me, and I won’t fuck with you, and we can all live our separate lives understanding that the world has different types of people in it and we don’t have to all interact together if we cannot be civil with each other.
Anyway… When FINNNNALLLY one of the women discovers something pertaining to her true nature, she’s gaslit back into submission. Then she finally REALLY discovers something, and starts learning that she has power, and spreading the info to the other women, and then they discover their powers, and want to know what the hell is going on - why are they there, who are the men who kept them captive and controlled, and why?
…And then it ends.
To say that I was underwhelmed would be inaccurate. SO MUCH was left unexplained and unresolved, and again, I understand that there was likely supposed to be follow ups, but that’s the risk when you write a story in this way - if you never get around to finishing it, then the pieces you put out are all that people have to judge you for. And this was severely lacking.
Do not recommend.
The cover art and the title for this graphic novel promises something that this absolutely fails to deliver. It promises witchy domesticity - wives who KNOW they are witches. It promises a particular vibe, a dark Bewitched. The woman on the cover is wearing a dress, an apron, a smirk, and a devilish glint in her eye, while holding a martini glass and a cigarette, with a pentagram tattooed on her wrist. I wanted to see the way that THAT woman, that witch, would move through the world, navigate her home and life and marriage, what being a witch would mean in that world.
THAT is not what this actually delivered.
And before you tell me that I should have read the description… That too is misleading.
“The women are too powerful. They must be tamed.” A malevolent conspiracy of men brainwashes a coven of witches to be subservient, suburban housewives. But it’s only a matter of time before the women remember their power…
Uh huh.
The story actually ENDS just when they “remember their power”, implying that there will be a second volume, possibly a series. Six years after this was released, and a sequel follow-up has yet to appear. So, it is currently an immensely unsatisfying standalone. And seems likely to remain that way.
Even from the beginning of this, I was side-eyeing it. It begins hundreds of years in the past, with the witches being hunted by this group of men. Men who complain about being killed by the women (who can’t be killed themselves) again and again and again, yet continuing to hunt them and growing more and more angry and desperate to “win” against the women every time they lose.
The narrative jumps a few times, to show the pattern through the years, decades, centuries. The witches consistently being hunted by the men… until one man gets an idea of something different to try.
If you thought that something different might be thinking “Hey, maybe if we stop trying to kill them, they’ll stop killing us.”
Nahhhhhhh… Not THESE men. If women cannot be controlled and subjugated, submissive and subservient to men, they must be eradicated.
They manage to brainwash them, to convince them they are meek little housewives, little domestic tradwives who live to serve their “husband” - IE: the man who was “assigned” to each woman to ensure she never escapes their control. The men give them handy little “hobbies” - like baking, or gardening, or… baking? Seriously, I think that was it. They aren’t allowed to leave, they aren’t allowed to socialize without their “husband”, they aren’t allowed to handle sharp objects, they are kept medicated and docile, while the men “work” - which means actually watching the women through a hidden network of CCTV cameras to make sure they don’t get out of line.
It’s not even like the men want to use the women how you would expect them to. They can’t stand them. They don’t want to touch them, and pretending to be attracted to them (with ONE exception) revolts the men. The one time we see a couple have “sex”, the woman complains that he never even put it in.
AGAIN, it just seems like… Why go to all the trouble? WHY? Why not just leave each other alone? You don’t fuck with me, and I won’t fuck with you, and we can all live our separate lives understanding that the world has different types of people in it and we don’t have to all interact together if we cannot be civil with each other.
Anyway… When FINNNNALLLY one of the women discovers something pertaining to her true nature, she’s gaslit back into submission. Then she finally REALLY discovers something, and starts learning that she has power, and spreading the info to the other women, and then they discover their powers, and want to know what the hell is going on - why are they there, who are the men who kept them captive and controlled, and why?
…And then it ends.
To say that I was underwhelmed would be inaccurate. SO MUCH was left unexplained and unresolved, and again, I understand that there was likely supposed to be follow ups, but that’s the risk when you write a story in this way - if you never get around to finishing it, then the pieces you put out are all that people have to judge you for. And this was severely lacking.
Do not recommend.
November 6, 2019
Hex Wives focuses on a coven of witches who are brainwashed into thinking that they are stereotypical 50s housewives. They slowly piece together that they have powers and then decide to fight back against those who tricked them.
This was a fun idea and the whole premise had potential. However, it wasn't executed very well. There isn't anything that sticks out as glaringly horrible about the story, but there wasn't anything downright amazing either. I was able to still enjoy some parts though. I liked the idea of these women coming back into their powers and kicking ass. It just took a long time to get to the interesting bits. I wish the plot was a bit more quick to the point.
Altogether, this was quite average.
This was a fun idea and the whole premise had potential. However, it wasn't executed very well. There isn't anything that sticks out as glaringly horrible about the story, but there wasn't anything downright amazing either. I was able to still enjoy some parts though. I liked the idea of these women coming back into their powers and kicking ass. It just took a long time to get to the interesting bits. I wish the plot was a bit more quick to the point.
Altogether, this was quite average.
October 26, 2019
Its a shame this probably wont get a second vol.
One of the few things I was excited to see come out of Vertigo recently. Now with Vertigo gone, I'm not sure if the series will get picked up again. WHICH IS A SHAME BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY GOOD.
A family and a coven have been fighting for centuries. Any time the witches die, they come back with magic but can not use it until they remember who they are. The family figures this out and traps the latest reincarnations in a fake 1950s suburban neighborhood where they have to wait on the men hand and foot as house wives! Really great art, really fun concept. It reminds me a bit of "lady killer" from Joelle Jones. I love the types of magics that the girls have and the world built around them. The last page says "the beginning" and I really hope it is.
One of the few things I was excited to see come out of Vertigo recently. Now with Vertigo gone, I'm not sure if the series will get picked up again. WHICH IS A SHAME BECAUSE IT WAS REALLY GOOD.
A family and a coven have been fighting for centuries. Any time the witches die, they come back with magic but can not use it until they remember who they are. The family figures this out and traps the latest reincarnations in a fake 1950s suburban neighborhood where they have to wait on the men hand and foot as house wives! Really great art, really fun concept. It reminds me a bit of "lady killer" from Joelle Jones. I love the types of magics that the girls have and the world built around them. The last page says "the beginning" and I really hope it is.
November 4, 2019
I really loved this premise and the first couple of issues but it fell apart at the end. A lot of information was crammed into the last two issues and the story felt incoherent at times. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it's getting a second volume to fix some of those problems.
September 28, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
Mankind always had a thing against witches. Unexplainable life expectancy and occult magical powers don’t exactly make humans very comfortable after all. The good thing was that they couldn’t always tell them apart from themselves, making it that much harder to find and eliminate them. Or was that a bad thing? But what if this war had a much more basic conflict to it? One that was actually filtered down to genders? A war pinned in a rage between women and men? Let’s just say that it definitely wouldn’t be a very pretty world. As part of the now deceased and previously reborn imprint of DC Vertigo comes a story, collecting all six issues of the mini-series, by writer Ben Blacker, artist Mirka Andolfo, and colourist Merissa Louise, centered around a century-old war between witches and men.
What is Hex Wives about? For countless years, an all-male conspiracy known as the Architects have been battling a coven of reincarnating witches without success. When the leader of the Architects was defeated in 2005, it seemed like the witches were set for a peaceful life without any form of hindrance. Nearly 13 years later, they are now resurrected in the life of stay-at-home wives in a corner of suburbia where no one could reach them. With no prior knowledge of their lives as witches, they live happily at the mercy of their husbands who seem to be hiding a terrifying secret. Slowly, they uncover pieces of the truth, but will they recall the memories of their former selves before it’s too late?
This was incredibly painful to read through. Embedded in an intriguing premise, the blatant satire of the rampant sexism of the 1950s is revisited without any added reflection on the matter. The women in this story simply fall prey to this issue as the reader endures the stereotypes throughout each issue, forced into a state of learned helplessness, while these characters continue obliviously with the unjustified treatment. Add in the fact that their characterization is mediocre with some of the most inaccurate writing style conveying speech anachronisms (e.g. ladies in 50s talking like teenagers in the 21st century), there’s rarely any moment through this poorly-developed concept of a science experimentation on witches that makes much sense. In fact, the absence of proper world-building leaves so much unanswered that by the time you reach the anticlimactic ending filled with inconsistencies, you’re just hoping that it won’t give you anything more to miserably chew on, hoping for some kind of desperate dose of instant gratification that will superficially hide all of this story’s flaws.
The artwork is sharp, clear, and vibrant. It doesn’t dare do anything exploratory and sticks to telling the aforementioned story. Occasionally, a nine-panel page of the protagonist getting herself ready in front of the mirror is used in almost every issue, probably trying to illustrate something metaphorical on her psychological entrapment, but it remains nothing impressive. The horror elements are also sparingly present throughout this story, occasionally reminding us that witches aren’t sweet, kind, and nice ladies, especially with their blood magic. The colouring also shifts to focusing on a restrained grim colour palette, like some kind of discotheque, to accentuate the horror moments, but again, it’s never enough to justify this mediocre story.
Hex Wives is a half-baked witchy tale of emancipation brimming with condescending patriarchy and poorly-executed feminist enlightenment.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
Read
December 27, 2022From the dying days of Vertigo, a series with a central concept that could have been a solid patriarchy metaphor: a society of witch-hunters, fed up with always getting brutally smacked down by witches who only come back to life even if they do get drowned or burned, trap them into domesticity instead. But the opening scene in Salem has already set alarm bells ringing with its inexplicable switching between 'thou' and 'ye', and apparent belief that 'whence' is an old-timey way of saying 'when', and once the trap is sprung...it would seem to make no sense to keep the women as neighbours and friends, but I can forgive that because plot. Still, if you're setting it nowabouts, why have them as white picket fence suburban housewives suggesting somewhere between the fifties and eighties? Either have the society set the trap then, or use the modern forms of these snares - you could even tie in the witch-hunters' surveillance cameras by having it as a Kardashian/Real Housewives riff. And then, of course, since this came out, 'witch forgets herself in suburban domesticity' has been worked out to much better effect in WandaVision. For this last criticism, Hex Wives can hardly be blamed, but despite a few nicely savage scenes, the overall impression is of an undercooked series from an imprint whose demise was ultimately a mercy killing.
June 1, 2021
I didn't expect that turn of events when I picked up Hex Wives...or that turn of events...or that one!
It's a great story and I was invested and annoyed and disgusted from the get go but now I feel the buzz and I want the next volume! Hex yeah!
It's a great story and I was invested and annoyed and disgusted from the get go but now I feel the buzz and I want the next volume! Hex yeah!
March 28, 2019
A genuinely interesting concept let down by some of the most asinine writing I’ve ever come across in a comic book.
June 29, 2020
This sounded so cool just based on the premise and cover art. Wasn't much of a fan of the actual execution of the story though... and it had so much potential.
November 27, 2019
I enjoyed this weird story! I'd definitely read the sequel if they get greenlit for one!
TW: Cat dies via beheading and is shown in multiple comic panes. Not what i'd call hyper-realistic art, so might not be too triggering.
TW: Cat dies via beheading and is shown in multiple comic panes. Not what i'd call hyper-realistic art, so might not be too triggering.
January 26, 2021
Really didn’t enjoy this although I should have, given the subject matter.
November 5, 2021
Killer concept.
November 10, 2021
I really wish they didnt cancel this series, great start and idea. Love the artwork.
July 27, 2022
4.25, lunchtime read, loved the concept, you could sell me anything if angry witches are involved :))
December 28, 2022
I should read more comics that was fun
December 29, 2019
I seem to be the odd one out on Goodreads but I really enjoyed this comic. The premise was unique and it delivered in story and art style, I hope to see more from this series in the future.
September 3, 2023
Stepford Wives meets Bewitched in this tale of witchcraft and revenge!
The book opens in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 as several women accused of witchcraft are trying to escape from their captors, again in 1777 in New York and then in Wyoming in 1873. The witches reincarnate in different eras, and we once again see them in New Orleans in 2005 but this time the witch hunters have a secret weapon to utilize against them.
We are then introduced to a group of ladies, who all live in the same cul-de-sac, five women and one teen daughter who all wear dresses and serve their menfolk. Isadora is the focus and while it is obvious she is brainwashed she seems to love and care for her husband Aaron. The men supposedly all work together as architects but seem to always reappear at moments when the women have unexplained occurrences or little clues slip through that all is not what it seems. One of the women has an accident while gardening and the blood shed makes her levitate. The “husbands” swoop in to do damage control, but eventually all the women discover their powers and there is hell to pay for the deception perpetrated by the men.
Fire was a motif throughout, as the witches were attacked with fire in the different historical eras and the supposed wildfires that surrounded their neighborhood in modern day that always kept them confined to their homes. The women are enticingly drawn and made to appeal to the male gaze as Stepford-type wives. One of the women seems to be forgotten through the majority of the story, so I don’t know if that was an author or artist mistake but it became distracting for me that she was always missing. There were many panels per page, but they were varied and easy to follow and the full-page chapter breaks were always excellent.
The story obviously has a feminist bent, and the theme of overthrowing the patriarchy is the framework. Considering what the author was going for, I was surprised that the sexual assaults were not adequately addressed- for these men were sleeping with the women when they were not in their right minds. While there were some conversations about sex, the message was very muddled. While I assume this was supposed to be the first volume in a new series, I have not seen a sequel, and thus this story fell flat for me. The cliffhanger and unexplained plot threads could have been fleshed out and explained in future volumes so instead this unintended standalone was a letdown.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2021/08/1...
The book opens in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 as several women accused of witchcraft are trying to escape from their captors, again in 1777 in New York and then in Wyoming in 1873. The witches reincarnate in different eras, and we once again see them in New Orleans in 2005 but this time the witch hunters have a secret weapon to utilize against them.
We are then introduced to a group of ladies, who all live in the same cul-de-sac, five women and one teen daughter who all wear dresses and serve their menfolk. Isadora is the focus and while it is obvious she is brainwashed she seems to love and care for her husband Aaron. The men supposedly all work together as architects but seem to always reappear at moments when the women have unexplained occurrences or little clues slip through that all is not what it seems. One of the women has an accident while gardening and the blood shed makes her levitate. The “husbands” swoop in to do damage control, but eventually all the women discover their powers and there is hell to pay for the deception perpetrated by the men.
Fire was a motif throughout, as the witches were attacked with fire in the different historical eras and the supposed wildfires that surrounded their neighborhood in modern day that always kept them confined to their homes. The women are enticingly drawn and made to appeal to the male gaze as Stepford-type wives. One of the women seems to be forgotten through the majority of the story, so I don’t know if that was an author or artist mistake but it became distracting for me that she was always missing. There were many panels per page, but they were varied and easy to follow and the full-page chapter breaks were always excellent.
The story obviously has a feminist bent, and the theme of overthrowing the patriarchy is the framework. Considering what the author was going for, I was surprised that the sexual assaults were not adequately addressed- for these men were sleeping with the women when they were not in their right minds. While there were some conversations about sex, the message was very muddled. While I assume this was supposed to be the first volume in a new series, I have not seen a sequel, and thus this story fell flat for me. The cliffhanger and unexplained plot threads could have been fleshed out and explained in future volumes so instead this unintended standalone was a letdown.
This review can also be found on my blog: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2021/08/1...
February 28, 2021
This was part of a new wave of Vertigo titles in 2018 that were an attempt to revitalize the flagging brand. The premise of this one intrigued me--a coven of witches who can't be killed become brainwashed by a group of witch hunters to live in a Stepford Wives-type suburban environment. I've not read or watched The Stepford Wives, so I don't know exactly how much this concept borrowed from that source of inspiration.
Unfortunately the execution of this idea was somewhat sloppy. We get a brief explanation of the backstory, narrated by the mastermind behind the whole suburban prison environment, which gives us some flashbacks throughout history showing how his ancestors have failed time and time again to permanently end these witches, who just reincarnate every time they are slain.
We then jump ahead to the current incarnation of the witches, who are already deeply embedded in their suburban lives. We never really learn much about how the witches were subjugated either, aside from some vague information about When they've been fighting these witches and losing for generations, it'd be nice to have a better explanation for how they suddenly subdue them beyond "they just do". I don't need everything explained to me in a story, but this feels like lazy writing.
Of course, the witches inevitably learn about their situation and fight back, and none of this is very satisfying because when they mete out punishments against their captors, everything seems rather unfitting and random and doesn't really fit the crimes. For example,
This could have been a fascinating exploration of the casual sexism found in the classic American suburban stories so popularized in 1950s sitcoms, but it never really delves any deeper than the male characters delivering some (clearly intentional) cringeworthy dialog displaying their attitudes towards their "wives" being nothing more than servants who cook and clean and serve their other needs.
Perhaps part of why the ending fails to satisfy is because writer Ben Blacker clearly intended this to be the opening arc to an ongoing series--it even ends with the title "The Beginning", but since it was canceled after this first arc, we'll never see what plans he had for the story. So what we're left with is unsatisfying, particularly around the aforementioned (under spoiler tags) fate of their chief tormentor. I can only judge this by what it is and not by what it might have been, so unfortunately it's pretty far from achieving its ambitions of what it tried to accomplish.
Oh, and the art by Mirka Andolfo is sublime. Easily the best part of the book.
Unfortunately the execution of this idea was somewhat sloppy. We get a brief explanation of the backstory, narrated by the mastermind behind the whole suburban prison environment, which gives us some flashbacks throughout history showing how his ancestors have failed time and time again to permanently end these witches, who just reincarnate every time they are slain.
We then jump ahead to the current incarnation of the witches, who are already deeply embedded in their suburban lives. We never really learn much about how the witches were subjugated either, aside from some vague information about When they've been fighting these witches and losing for generations, it'd be nice to have a better explanation for how they suddenly subdue them beyond "they just do". I don't need everything explained to me in a story, but this feels like lazy writing.
Of course, the witches inevitably learn about their situation and fight back, and none of this is very satisfying because when they mete out punishments against their captors, everything seems rather unfitting and random and doesn't really fit the crimes. For example,
This could have been a fascinating exploration of the casual sexism found in the classic American suburban stories so popularized in 1950s sitcoms, but it never really delves any deeper than the male characters delivering some (clearly intentional) cringeworthy dialog displaying their attitudes towards their "wives" being nothing more than servants who cook and clean and serve their other needs.
Perhaps part of why the ending fails to satisfy is because writer Ben Blacker clearly intended this to be the opening arc to an ongoing series--it even ends with the title "The Beginning", but since it was canceled after this first arc, we'll never see what plans he had for the story. So what we're left with is unsatisfying, particularly around the aforementioned (under spoiler tags) fate of their chief tormentor. I can only judge this by what it is and not by what it might have been, so unfortunately it's pretty far from achieving its ambitions of what it tried to accomplish.
Oh, and the art by Mirka Andolfo is sublime. Easily the best part of the book.
October 11, 2021
3.75 stars
I LOVE the premise (badass blood magic coven of witches who reincarnate) and the artwork is amazing! There's also a queer WLW romance in the volume, although most of the time they're separated and all of the women are in straight marriages (it is the quintessential 1950s suburbia scheme after all). It's a fun and quick read and fills that need for spooky October vibes.
However, I have two main critiques.
1) Pacing: the volume spends more time than necessary with the coven as housewives being gaslit - I wish it had picked up the pace a bit in terms of the witches realizing their powers and taking control. I appreciated the slow creepy factor of the gaslighting/emotional domestic abuse but it took a long time to get to the action. And then it kind of ended abruptly for me.
2) Characterization: the one Black character is a tad bit too stereotypical, which is a shame because she (and all the witches) are awesome. There's also a slur used in reference to the Asian character (in the prologue set in 1873), which was unnecessary. We don't get a true sense of who these women are as full witches, since they're under the control of the Architect for the majority of time, so I would love to see more character development in future volumes.
I would love a movie version of this premise though, and absolutely would pick up a second volume if it ever releases. I need to know if Isadora and Nadiya get back together in their newest forms!
Content warnings: animal death (cat), violence/blood, one anti-Asian slur, domestic abuse (emotional/controlling)
I LOVE the premise (badass blood magic coven of witches who reincarnate) and the artwork is amazing! There's also a queer WLW romance in the volume, although most of the time they're separated and all of the women are in straight marriages (it is the quintessential 1950s suburbia scheme after all). It's a fun and quick read and fills that need for spooky October vibes.
However, I have two main critiques.
1) Pacing: the volume spends more time than necessary with the coven as housewives being gaslit - I wish it had picked up the pace a bit in terms of the witches realizing their powers and taking control. I appreciated the slow creepy factor of the gaslighting/emotional domestic abuse but it took a long time to get to the action. And then it kind of ended abruptly for me.
2) Characterization: the one Black character is a tad bit too stereotypical, which is a shame because she (and all the witches) are awesome. There's also a slur used in reference to the Asian character (in the prologue set in 1873), which was unnecessary. We don't get a true sense of who these women are as full witches, since they're under the control of the Architect for the majority of time, so I would love to see more character development in future volumes.
I would love a movie version of this premise though, and absolutely would pick up a second volume if it ever releases. I need to know if Isadora and Nadiya get back together in their newest forms!
Content warnings: animal death (cat), violence/blood, one anti-Asian slur, domestic abuse (emotional/controlling)
January 22, 2020
O mote de Esposas Bruxas revolve sobre um grupo de mulheres que, anteriormente eram poderosas bruxas de um coven, mas que acabaram sendo "dominadas" por uma organização maligna de homens e se tornaram esposinhas submissas bem ao estilo donas de casa dos anos 1950 nos Estados Unidos. Mas um ponto fraco do quadrinho, principalmente por causa da arte é que não conseguimos deslindar se estamos acompanhando um quadrinho que se passa nos anos dos puritanos, na época dos 1950 ou ainda nos dias atuais. Não que a arte de Mirka Andolfo não seja boa, mas talvez não seja adequada par este tipo de história, mas para outros tipos de narrativa. Já o roteiro, apresentado de forma galopante e ascendente por Ben Blacker, só acaba ganhando o leitor, que começa com um história amornada que vai esquentando, esquentando e aumentando a ação e o assombramento daqueles que vão a acompanhando em, digamos, um gole só. Esposas Bruxas é um quadrinho divertido e legal, mas realmente a escolha editorial para a arte deixou bastante a desejar. Talvez um traço mais retrô trouxesse outras sensações para os leitores.
August 9, 2020
So.
Many.
Problems.
In 1692 Salem, amidst thees, thys, and thous, one character says, "Ye must be japing my ass." Later she exclaims, "Scoundrels! Assholes!" While 'arseholes' would probably be more accurate usage for the time, it's just foreshadowing all of the terrible writing to come. By 1777, she's sporting some pretty sweet low-rise leggings more appropriate to, I dunno, last week (I suppose they could be a fashion-forward style of hip-hugger leather pants... very, very tight leather pants). In 1873 Wyoming she's speaking in 'Y'all'... it's like the writer sorta tries but can't really be arsed to give it the whole 62%. So much unfulfilled potential.
The art gets the extra star. The rest of it is just kind of a mess that goes on and on and seems to take forever for the shit to finally start heading fan-ward. Then it ends. I now have to decide if I give a rat's ass about waiting around for the second collection. Fortunately, my library system invests heavily in graphic novels, so at least I won't be out of pocket.
Many.
Problems.
In 1692 Salem, amidst thees, thys, and thous, one character says, "Ye must be japing my ass." Later she exclaims, "Scoundrels! Assholes!" While 'arseholes' would probably be more accurate usage for the time, it's just foreshadowing all of the terrible writing to come. By 1777, she's sporting some pretty sweet low-rise leggings more appropriate to, I dunno, last week (I suppose they could be a fashion-forward style of hip-hugger leather pants... very, very tight leather pants). In 1873 Wyoming she's speaking in 'Y'all'... it's like the writer sorta tries but can't really be arsed to give it the whole 62%. So much unfulfilled potential.
The art gets the extra star. The rest of it is just kind of a mess that goes on and on and seems to take forever for the shit to finally start heading fan-ward. Then it ends. I now have to decide if I give a rat's ass about waiting around for the second collection. Fortunately, my library system invests heavily in graphic novels, so at least I won't be out of pocket.
November 6, 2019
The first 10 pages of this are *amazing,* this coven of witches, traveling through time (by reincarnating), flying in the face of cultural mores and using magic to subvert social order. It's a straight up witch comic of old, and correctly evokes the Vertigo of the 1990s. After this, you could be forgiven for seeing the tonal change into the present day as a "downshift," but if anything, it's five issues of nerve-wracking consistently ratcheted tension that begins to break, and really gets good at the end, like all roller coasters ought. Really hoping for a volume two of this, but...
July 21, 2020
I really liked this! It reminds me of the Stepford Wives. The ladies were fierce. I enjoyed how they slowly but surely realized something was amiss. The pictures were awesome! (Although, occasionally, I found it difficult to determine who was talking.)
It ended with a bit of a cliff hanger. Will I read the second one? Eh, probably not. I like the story how it ended and don't really care to read a second one (if a second one comes out).
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to read something different and quick.
It ended with a bit of a cliff hanger. Will I read the second one? Eh, probably not. I like the story how it ended and don't really care to read a second one (if a second one comes out).
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to read something different and quick.
May 16, 2021
Cool premise, but the writing was a bit on the nose. Could have used more subtlety. The focus seemed more on the political/social message than on the actual story.
I think it would have been stronger if we didn't know the truth until it was revealed to the women themselves. Just stay focused on them. Don't show us every move of the man behind the curtain. Don't give us all the backstory and context before the situation.
I think it would have been stronger if we didn't know the truth until it was revealed to the women themselves. Just stay focused on them. Don't show us every move of the man behind the curtain. Don't give us all the backstory and context before the situation.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 163 reviews