Wiccan: Witches’ Road #4 – You’re Never Truly Alone

The Demiurge has been kidnapped. The formerly Nameless fox has finally revealed herself as the sinister Morgan Le Fay, kidnapping a child claiming to be the Demiurge and returning to Baba Yaga so that she can claim the power for herself. With the help of some friends, Teddy and Billy seek to save the Demiurge from Baba Yaga and Morgan.

This review is a joint review from Nerd Initiative’s Megan and Shawn!

Creative Team

Writer: Wyatt Kennedy
Artist: Andy Pereira
Color Artist: Jim Campbell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover Artist: Lucas Werneck

Writing

Megan: So much happens in the pages of Wiccan: Witches’ Road #4 that you’ll be surprised it was all only one issue. With Wyatt Kennedy as the writer, you just know it was written well and flowed beautifully.

In this fourth issue, we see Billy in a very vulnerable state. He has felt the burden of the Demiurge and taken steps to allow himself to be free of the weight on his shoulders. Unfortunately, that puts him in a terrible position. But it does give the opportunity to be completely truthful with Teddy about how he’s been feeling. However, even after all of that, he still has to face off with Baba Yaga. With the help of some incredible characters that come to support Billy, we see Billy find his strength again to set up the incredible conclusion in the next issue.

Shawn: Wyatt Kennedy writes such a compelling relationship between Teddy and Billy. Their ups, their downs, and everything in between feels like such a solid and honest representation of their relationship. This issue felt particularly important as Teddy and Billy got a chance to examine the importance of communication.

I loved seeing all of the action in this story. It felt like heart-pounding action interspersed with a heartwarming tale of love and trust. The issue definitely is a cliffhanger, and as the penultimate issue in this limited series, it feels like such a great setup, as Kennedy’s magical writing is bringing the arc to a close.

Art

Megan: My goodness, the artists of Wiccan: Witches’ Road #4 truly put their talents on full display. Andy Pereira, Jim Campbell, and Ariana Maher each brought their own aspects to the comic that made the artwork drip in magic. Pereira draws the characters beautifully, allowing them to all shine in their own light without watering down the others. Jim Campbell perfectly sets the tone in each panel with his use of vibrancy and the darkest colors contrasting. Maher brings a lot of depth to her work in the lettering and always establishes excitement with her fantastic sound effects work.

Shawn: Andy Pereira and Jim Campbell did outstanding work in this issue. A variety of cameos added a nice pop of color. This entire series has been beautifully drawn and colored. The entire series and this issue in particular has provided a nice contrast from the dark and dreary setting of the narrative combined with the normally bright and colorful pops that normally follow Billy and Teddy around.

The mystical elements that are present within the story are beautifully drawn and colored. The backgrounds with hues of purple and, in some cases, orange and red are particularly powerful. In one particular panel, a character’s silhouette with some minor colors but mostly shade is contrasted against the purple/pink sky, and it creates such a beautiful image. Pereira and Campbell managed to make Baba Yaga even more terrifying, which is so incredibly impressive.

Final Thoughts

Megan: 10/10. Wiccan: Witches’ Road #4 is full of action, magical chaos, and heart. Billy has been fighting a silent battle for so long, and now here he is, with the people who love him the most by his side, supporting him.

Shawn: 9/10 Wiccan: Witches’ Road continues to flesh out and build the character of Billy more and more. I really love everything I’ve read in this series. If you’re looking for heartfelt explorations of relationships and poster-worthy panels of art, then you need to be reading Wiccan: Witches’ Road. The only downside of this issue is that it is the penultimate one, making you realize you only have one issue left with this incredible creative team.

Overall Grade: 9.5/10

Are you sad that Wiccan: Witches Road is almost over? Let us know in the comments below!