Prison stories have always been popular, but now more than ever we’re seeing stories of women’s experiences in prison come to light. And while the story of a witch with a fiery spirit in her meeting a prison coven of witches isn’t exactly non-fiction, the care and thoughtfulness that has gone into the crafting of this story.
Prison Witch begins with Cam, a newly arrived prisoner with a secret – she has a “demon” inside of her that acts out whenever she gets angry or feels threatened. Cam has no idea how to deal with it, though it’s what got her thrown in lockup in the first place. Thankfully, she won’t have to do it alone, with a coven of witches already awaiting her inside the walls of the prison. As she gets to know the matronly Rizzo, caring Cat, lovers Shawn and Kalia, naive Georgie, and the hyperactive Tanya, she begins to deal with her enemies within herself and those around her.
I’m a sucker for stories of inner growth and the supernatural, so a tale like this checks off all my boxes. In terms of an intro, I really like that the volume sets up a conflict that both explains the divides between the different factions and sets up the various personalities of the group. The tension of a feud between factions can keep a plot running for a long time, though hopefully not in a tedious way. We are obviously on the side of the coven, but I’m sure we’ll get to see more of the other characters as well.
Cam is a dynamic protagonist with a lot of flare (pun only slightly intended). I like how, despite being very powerful, she is never vindictive or vengeful. More over, being guarded and skeptical, it makes it even more satisfying to see her really connect with a group. Tanya’s arc is interesting too, given that she comes off as a happy character but has a lot of darkness within. In terms of overall character development, Rizzo, the matron of the group, has a mysterious past and is really the glue that holds them together, so I am really excited to see where her story goes.
The plot moves along quickly, and not only gives us a resolution to one issue but two, and shows the growth of the witches various powers. The dialogue is believable and well-written, and it helps endear you to the characters very quickly. In terms of art, the illustrations are clean and have a great fluidity. Every character as a unique design, which makes them easy to identify from a glance. I am particularly enamored by the design work on hair. Erica D’Urso is a talent indeed and I hope to see more of their work in the near future.
Prison Witch Volume 1: The Feral was provided to us by Pat Shand. For more information on how we review books and other media/technology, please go review our Review Guideline/Scoring Policy.
Book Title: Prison Witch Volume 1: The Feral
Book Author: Amy Shand, Pat Shand and Erica D'Urso
Book Format: Paperback
Summary
Prison Witch Volume 1: The Feral is a well-drawn, engaging comic about a prison coven and their latest addition to the group. As far as introductions go, it gets readers invested in the characters, the plot moves swiftly, and makes us excited to read more – everything a good intro should do.
