Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Witches
Published by: Archai
The Magic Swan Goose & The Lord of the Forest
Written and Illustrated By: S. M. Vidaurri
The Snow Witch
Writer and Artist: Kyla Vanderklugt
The Phantom Isle
Written and Illustrated By: Matthew Dow Smith
Vasilissa the Beautiful
Adapted and Illustrated By: Jeff Stokely
This collection is a four part adaptation of an unproduced teleplay and has been one of my favorite series within the last year. If you haven’t kept up here are the previous reviews:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Before each chapter there is a forward by the the adaptor that summarizes the theme and inspiration behind the following story. The writers’ motivation and passion are truly a driving force for why I was hooked on this series. Each story has the familiar theme and plot we are used to hearing from tales and fables of old. These were meant as lessons to be learned as well as cautionary tale against witches.
I extremely enjoyed the writing, but the most beautiful thing about this series and each individual chapter is the illustrations. Each chapter was illustrated and written by a single artist. It helps when the artist has a direct vision to what the writer has in mind. This is not your typical comic series with panels and splash pages. The sequential art is more like a story within itself that is specifically tailored to each issues theme.
Again, I have gushed and drooled all over these stories once, twice even four times. The real question if you have these single issues already would be: Why do i need this collection? The answer is in the final quarter of this volume you are given the actual teleplay and rough unfinished artwork. If there is one thing I’m a sucker for, it is directors cuts and the behind the scenes look at how the comic was produced. If you find that type of extra content to your liking, then you should consider checking this book out. I personally have each issue on display, but this collected edition just has a sense of a book I would read to my future children to enrich their creativity and fondness of art and story.