The Witcher: Blood Stone #3 – A Cruel Plan is All We’ve Got

Gold has been found in Plinth….or has it? The Witcher: Blood Stone has told the story of the mining community of Plinth, built around ancient dwarven caves. Treasure hunters have long ventured into the hills seeking fortune, but have never returned. Fear and paranoia take hold in the town as the community under the influence of greed-induced hallucinations believe common stones are gold. Now they’ve turned on Geralt

This review is brought to you by Shawn and Travis of the Nerd Initiative team!

Creative Team

Writer: Daniel Freedman
Artist: Pius Bak
Color Artist: Roman Titov
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Cover Artist: Pius Bak

Writing

Shawn: I really enjoy what Daniel Freedman has done with The Witcher: Blood Stone. The series has done an amazing job maintaining the “small-town mystery” vibe, as well capturing the side quest vibes from the Witcher 3. Freedman perfectly encapsulates a pretty common formula in The Witcher where Geralt enters a community that ends up being more dangerous than the monster he was fired to kill.

With this style of narrative, Freedman does a really great job capturing the moral gray area of the lesser evils. Geralt’s pragmatic approach really clashes not only with human stubbornness but with mystical influence in this issue. While I expect high fantasy from a series based on The Witcher, Freedman’s story feels both true to the roots of The Witcher and also more psychological folk horror. The story isn’t about the hunt, but mass hysteria. Freedman paces the story perfectly through occasional sparse dialogue, increasing the tension in the conflict.

Travis: The writing for this third issue continues to hold the same power and impact as the previous two issues that came before it! The plot continues to thicken as the script takes you further into the drama that is taking place. The dialogue embraces an Irish tone that makes you generate an accent when reading along.

Art

Shawn: The Witcher: Blood Stone continues to be one of the most beautiful series I have read this year. Pius Bak and Roman Titov deserve all the flowers for just how beautiful this series has been. I would love to see the raw panels from Bak without color just to better appreciate the shading and lines.

As great as Freedman’s story is, the sparse dialogue supported by the eerie, and at times dark colors, really sell the story. This creative team is interacting beautifully to create tension and drama in a familiar but fresh way. Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou does an amazing job with lettering, particularly with SFX in this issue worthy of special mention

Travis:The art within this issue and the entire series rather has been so perfect in capturing the aura of Witcher. The small villages and their details draw you into the panels as if you
were seeing it in first person. The coloration really provides an assist in bringing out those minute details you might have overlooked if this was an all-black and white art concept. With that being said the art is so well done that this series could also be spectacular as a black, white and red style.

The lettering for this book is spot on as well! Separation of styles helps you to distinguish who is saying what within the panels!

Final Thoughts

Shawn: 9.5/10 The Witcher: Blood Stone #3 continues a successful run from this creative team. The art is gorgeous. The story is both imaginative and familiar. Everything about this issue is great and I find myself lamenting that it’s the penultimate issue of the series.

Travis: 9.5 /10 This is issue three of a small four-part mini-series. And there has been so much that has
taken place within these three issues. This issue helps bring the story over the hump of the climax and prepares this story for its decent to the ending. Amazing read, amazing visual displays within the panels and pages. Over-all a very well-rounded book that should find its way into many comic book collections.

Overall Grade 9.5/10

What do you think about The Witcher: Blood Stone? Let Shawn and Travis know in the comments below