Having a passing acquaintance with a creator
behind Witch Hunts, I was well aware
of this graphic novel's conception and genesis some time ago. The long road to
publication saw a mutual desire by all three participants to bring something
unique to table: an original slant detailing a part of history now mired in
myth but no less potent: the Witch Hunts and Burning Times of the middle
ages ... a collective mass-hysteria that encompassed every shade and continent
of the known world at the time.
We begin our journey with an overview, and see how –
with just a few short stanzas of the Bible – the world of men and organized
faith perverted religion, ushering in a whole new world of macabre
justice almost unfathomable in the details. From the humble beginnings of rural
towns in Europe (with local populaces at a perpetual loss to explain negative
weather patterns, illness and death), they sought a scapegoat in the name of
witchcraft and sexual liaison with Satan. The reality, of course, was such
parlays were so rare as to be non-existent – and the only way to extract
confessions and play out blood-lust was to implement obscene torture. This
physical agony included everything from ‘trial by water’ to medieval devices
that crushed legs, extracted fingernails, and choked an unwitting victim to the
point they would invariably declare guilt. Once the philosophy was set in
motion (proliferated by such witch-hunting bibles as the Malleus Maleficarum), no one was immune to the outbreak, ensuring
that brother would rise up against brother, and the methods of execution became
even more elaborate.
The biggest attribute of Witch Hunts probably comes in the form of its education. Even if
you have an intimate knowledge of the burning times (in particular events
like the Salem Witch Trials) there is still bound to be a nugget of information
within these pages that will come as a surprise. Moreover, the book is
philosophical at heart, and you will be asking yourself pertinent
questions. Such as: is it possible an intelligent species has to go
through such a brutal and arcane process to achieve eventual enlightenment? And
how, exactly, does a book that millions preach contain a benign moral code
undertake such a perverse reversal? The revelations contained within will entice you to seek out your own disclosure: within lie a plethora of names, dates, and situations just begging further
research.
Whether you are a graphic novel fan, a horror aficionado, or even a scholar of history, Witch Hunts
is a must-have compendium of art – a project the illustrator, Greg
Chapman, seemed born to. With these black and white illustrations, we find a
level of sophistication previously unseen. And in a digital age
of electronic prose and art, Witch Hunts
is the perfect physical purchase to compliment a library. Glossy, defined, and
above all educational, all three authors have outdone themselves recreating a dark epoch of human history.
