''Witch Doctor'' is a US comic book created by writer Brandon Seifert and artist Lukas Ketner. It was the first title published by

Skybound Entertainment Skybound Entertainment is an American multiplatform entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert. History Skybound Entertainment is the company behind the long-running comic, '' The Walking Dead'', created by Robert Kirkman ...

, an imprint of

Image Comics Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. It was founded in 1992 by several high-profile illustrators as a venue for creator-ow ...

. As of early 2014, ''Witch Doctor'' consists of a four-issue

mini-series A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format h ...

, an issue #0 printed as a flipbook with '' The Walking Dead'' #85, a

one-shot One shot may refer to: Film and television * One-shot film, a feature film shot in one long take with no edits, or manufactured to look like so * ''One Shot'' (2005 film), a Sri Lankan action film directed by Ranjan Ramanayake * ''One Shot'' (2 ...

subtitled ''Witch Doctor: The Resuscitation'', and a second six-issue mini-series entitled ''Witch Doctor: Mal Practice'', which debuted in November 2012. The first mini-series and #0 issue were reprinted in a collected edition called ''Witch Doctor Vol. 1: Under the Knife'', while the second mini-series and ''The Resuscitation'' are scheduled to be collected as ''Witch Doctor Vol. 2: Mal Practice'' in June 2013. A first issue was printed in July 2010, Black and White, with title "First Incision - Interview with the Tapeworm", the flipbook with '' The Walking Dead'' #85 is the same, but colored.

Description

''Witch Doctor'' combines elements of the horror and

medical drama A medical drama is a television show or film in which events center upon a hospital, an ambulance staff, or any medical environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic programming go beyond the events pertaining to the chara ...

genres Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...

. The

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

, Dr. Vincent Morrow, is a

maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

doctor who specializes in "supernatural medicine," supplementing common medical practices with magic. Dr. Morrow's "cases" predominantly involve infectious supernatural creatures like

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deaths ...

demonic possession Spirit possession is an unusual or altered state of consciousness and associated behaviors purportedly caused by the control of a human body by spirits, ghosts, demons, or gods. The concept of spirit possession exists in many cultures and reli ...

, as well as elements based on the cosmic horror of H.P. Lovecraft. In the first ''Witch Doctor'' mini-series, Dr. Morrow treats (and battles) a vampire, demons possessing a child,

faerie Fairyland (''Faerie'', Scottish ''Elfame'', c.f. Old Norse ''Álfheimr'') in English and Scottish folklore is the fabulous land or abode of fairies or ''fays''. Old French (Early Modern English ) referred to an illusion or enchantment, the land ...

changeling A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairi ...

s, and

Deep Ones The Deep Ones are creatures in the Cthulhu Mythos of H. P. Lovecraft. The beings first appeared in Lovecraft's novella ''The Shadow over Innsmouth'' (1931), but were already hinted at in the early short story " Dagon". The Deep Ones are a race ...

(crossed with the

Creature From the Black Lagoon ''Creature from the Black Lagoon'' is a 1954 American black-and-white 3D monster horror film produced by William Alland and directed by Jack Arnold, from a screenplay by Harry Essex and Arthur Ross and a story by Maurice Zimm. It stars ...

), among others. Dr. Morrow is assisted by Eric Gast, a

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

who is apparently new to the world of the supernatural, and "Penny Dreadful", a college student who seems to be infected and controlled by a supernatural creature of some sort. While Dr. Morrow demonstrates the knowledge of a practicing medical doctor, his equipment and diagnoses are almost totally supernatural. He wields Excalibur, owns the Holy Grail (used predominantly as an IV or a syringe) and many other magical artifacts. Spellcraft is provided mostly by these artifacts, as well as pills and intravenous infusions (for example, Morrow swallows a "sleeping pill" in order to cast a spell to put a patient to sleep).

List of major characters

*Dr. Vincent Morrow *Eric Gast *Penny Dreadful

Reception

The first ''Witch Doctor'' mini-series was both a sales and a critical success for Skybound, earning praise from comics media sources like

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

, horror publications like

Fangoria ''Fangoria'' is an internationally distributed American horror film fan magazine, in publication since 1979. It is published four times a year by Fangoria Publishing, LLC and is edited by Phil Nobile Jr. The magazine was originally released i ...

, and

geek culture The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a generall ...

media sites including

Boing Boing ''Boing Boing'' is a website, first established as a zine in 1988, later becoming a group blog. Common topics and themes include technology, futurism, science fiction, gadgets, intellectual property, Disney, and left-wing politics. It twice won ...

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

, and

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

. ''Witch Doctor'' #1 was number 163 on

Diamond Comics Distributors Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. (often called Diamond Comics, DCD, or casually Diamond) is an American comic book distributor serving retailers in North America and worldwide. They transport comic books and graphic novels, as well as other pop ...

' top 300 chart for June, 2011, selling an estimated 12,592 copies. It was the fifth highest-selling title from Image Comics for that month, behind ''The Walking Dead'' #86, ''Invincible'' #80, ''Spawn'' #208 and ''Haunt'' #16. ''Witch Doctor'' #1 received a rating of 4 out of 5 from

Comic Book Resources ''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion. History Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...

, a rating of 7.0 out of 10 from

, and a rating of 5 out of 5 from

Comics Bulletin Comics Bulletin was a daily website covering the American comic-book industry. History Silver Bullet Comicbooks The site was founded in January 2000 as Silver Bullet Comicbooks by its New Zealand-based publisher/editor Jason Brice. During this ...

Cory Doctorow Cory Efram Doctorow (; born July 17, 1971) is a Canadian-British blogger, journalist, and science fiction author who served as co-editor of the blog ''Boing Boing''. He is an activist in favour of liberalising copyright laws and a proponent of ...

gave ''Witch Doctor'' Vol. 1 a positive review on

, calling it "charmingly demented" and stating "Ketner and Seifert's sensibility is perfectly potty, and their titular doctor is a blend of

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

and

Spider Jerusalem Spider Jerusalem is a fictional character and the protagonist of the comic book ''Transmetropolitan'', created by writer Warren Ellis and artist Darick Robertson, introduced under the now-defunct Helix imprint of DC Comics before being moved to t ...

. The metaphysics they reveal through the gruesome adventures in this volume has a weird internal consistency, but it's so cockeyed and frankly revolting that I can honestly say it never occurred to me before they scarred me with it." He concluded, "This is a fine debut, and I can't wait for future volumes."

References

{{Reflist

External links

* Official "Witch Doctor" Comic Sites:�
Twitter
�
Facebook
Skybound Entertainment titles 2011 comics debuts Horror comics Fantasy comics Gothic comics