Pull List Review: Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #3

When it came out in 2011, I was not as impressed with Witch Doctor as many people seemed to be. It was a ton of fun and had some solid artwork, but for whatever reason, most likely my own tastes, it never quite jived with me in full. Still, it was good enough to being me back for this follow-up series, and I am so glad that I did. Because Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #3 represents a whole new level of fun and excitement for this story.
     There is, first of all, the sheer amount of action in this issue. We've seen Dr. Morrow and his assistants have some big-time fights before, but it's never been quite this straightforward or overwhelming. Faced with a surprise army of golems, Morrow, Penny, and Eric atypically cut their chatter and dive in weapons first, and we get some unadulterated comicbook violence that really sings. Artist Lukas Ketner crams a lot of fighting into only a few pages, but it's never cramped or unclear, just efficient. And it doesn't end there, because even once the golems settle down, the more powerful and intelligent villains have several tricks left up their sleeves. By the end, both Penny and Morrow have been taken out of the fight (though neither is dead as of yet) and Eric is like a split second away from his own probably-fatal encounter. Sure, these guys are always on the ropes, but I'm not sure Morrow has ever been so scared or things have ever seemed so hopeless before. I always want my heroes to be challenged, and not only is that the case here, but it seems the challenge might have been too much for them to handle. Do I honestly believe they won't turn it around in the latter half of the series? Of course not, but because this is a creator-owned title I suppose all bets are off. Penny, Eric, even Morrow might very well die or be permanently affected by these new and horrifying enemies. Whatever happens, victory is far off, and will it doubtlessly take incredible effort and strain to get there.
     I'd like to be able to put my finger on a single element that made me love Witch Doctor: Mal Practice so deeply, but I'm not sure I can. It just felt like it was firing on all cylinders. Everything that happened in the first two issues came to a head here, and the results were as surprising as they were satisfactory. I think it is that sense of surprise that I liked the most. Brandon Seifert had his villains so well-prepared that every new beat of their battle with Morrow brought something unexpected. Not just the golem swarm that appeared from nowhere, either. I was as shocked by Penny's capture as Morrow, for example, and once she was collared I figured the bad guys were all set, but then they had to rip Morrow's chakras right out of his body, too. Even when they had the upper hand, our antagonists kept piling on, and it brought about some excellent twists.
     Seifert has always brought a lot of humor and energy to this project, as well as a lovely blend of medical and mystical jargon. None of that is sacrificed here, but Seifert slips it into what is primarily a high-powered magical street brawl, and everything is a bit more enjoyable for it. The story is now in a place where the villains have everything they want and the heroes aren't even standing, so it's a significant and fascinating spot on the narrative timeline. Just trying to imagine not only how Morrow and company will regroup but what hope they have against these new opponents in another face-off has me buzzing with anticipation. I don't know that Witch Doctor has ever before left me so impressed, surprised, and anxious for its next issue. Fingers crossed that it stays at this level through the end.
8.5/10

Pull List Review: Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #1

A sequel to last year's Witch Doctor series, Mal Practice doesn't miss a beat. It kicks off right away with a fun, funny, disgusting procedure to defeat one of numerous demons possessing a child, showing us Dr. Vincent Morrow's bizarre tools and tactics as a magical medical practitioner. We're also reintroduced to Eric Gast, Morrow's paramedic, and Penny Dreadful, the strange and horrifying creature who acts as a sort of assistant to Morrow. And, it turns out, as his bodyguard.
     Brandon Seifert is very at ease writing these characters and this world, which allows Morrow to be similarly comfortable. He has a wealth of knowledge and experience and power, so he's able to face unthinkable threats with a smile on his face. But here we also see Morrow become rattled, panicked even, when forced to deal with the unknown. Waking up alone with a woman's bra beside him after a night he can't remember sends the doctor into a tailspin, assuming he's been drugged, poisoned, both, or worse. Seifert gets a lot of humor out of the situation, because Morrow is already a pretty manic guy, but once the fear of something mysterious grips him, he becomes full-on hysterical. It's a subtle but important difference in his personality, and I enjoyed seeing an already intense character be heightened even further. Yet Seifert never lets things go off the rails completely. After all, Morrow is still an arguably brilliant man, and quite resourceful, so he does start to get to the bottom of things, even if the answers only lead to more questions thus far.
     Artist Lukas Ketner is also back for this new series, and arguably stronger than ever. Though there is a stray panel or two where his style becomes overly rough, in general he nails it, able to capture the horror elements just as proficiently as the comedy.There were several small artistic touches that I really dug in this issue, like the Strigoi parasite, which itself was pretending to be a woman's tongue, having a pig's snout instead of a tongue in its own mouth. Or Penny's crazed look and unsettling smile when she declares to Morrow that she's hungry. Lots of stunning single panels like that, which come together to form an impressive whole.
     Speaking of Penny's craziness, my favorite part of Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #1 was easily the small but significant change in Morrow and Penny's dynamic. Because she immediately figures out more about what has happened than he does, she refuses to take an order from him, instead hiding herself outside his room so she can protect him from an attack later on. (Sidebar: the fight scene between Penny and the Strigoi-infected woman is Ketner's best work in the issue by far. Particularly at the end when Penny drags and then lifts the woman by her head and face. Hilariously gruesome stuff). Obviously Morrow is grateful for this, but as he points out, it is also a bit of a power play on Penny's part. Disobeying his command, proving to him that he needs her...these are the kinds of behaviors that indicate a forthcoming shift in their relationship where Penny may position herself to be the one who's more in charge. This might well never happen, but the danger of it is very real, and I'm excited to see how that plays out long-term. Penny is my favorite character in this world, so seeing her take control of her life is absolutely something I'm for.
     A solid showing all around. Glad to have Witch Doctor back in action.
7.5/10