DC Comics / Vertigo Comics
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artist: Shawn McManus

FC, 32 pgs w/ ads
$4.50 CAN / $2.95 US

Keeping the dream alive
by Chad Boudreau

The Sandman comic series is long gone, but the memory of Neil Gaiman lives on in a number of miniseries and series featuring characters from Morpheus' world. Lucifer follows the Morningstar since he left Hell. The Dreaming told stories within the realm of Dream and The Sandman Presents is a series of miniseries featuring characters from Sandman. The original Sandman series was such a huge success both financially and critically, and it offered such a diverse cast of characters with endless possibilities, that DC Comics would have had to be crazy not to capitalize on the title. Lucky for the reader, these continuations have spawned some enjoyable and surprising stories.

Thessaly: Witch for Hire is the latest miniseries bearing the Sandman Presents moniker. It is a follow-up to the 2002 miniseries The Thessaliad. That particular tale put the spotlight on Thessaly, a character we've not seen since her appearances in the original Sandman series.

Thessaly is the last and most powerful of the Thessalian witches. She's a loner, and after the events of The Thessaliad, she's been traveling the world, trying to find a quiet corner in which to live. She just wants to live in peace, but a string of supernatural attacks have kept her on the move. Here in issue #1 of Witch for Hire, Thessaly learns the reason behind the attacks. Fetch, an apparition we first met in The Thessaliad, returns, barging in on Thessaly's life to take credit for the attacks. He's been secretly hiring out Thessaly's magic abilities to clients who want certain monsters / demons destroyed. To do this, Fetch has been finding ways to sic these creatures on Thessaly.

Fetch was hoping his revelation would cause Thessaly much joy; happiness for having a chance to be a partner in this entrepreneurial endeavor and even greater delight at seeing Fetch again. (Fetch is hopelessly in love with Thessaly.) Once his plan is revealed, however, Thessaly is far from pleased.

Eisner-award winning creator and writer Bill Willingham is the man behind this miniseries. If you read his Fables, you know to expect good things. Fans of The Sandman Presents and The Dreaming, however, already know Willingham can write a solid Sandman inspired story. He's already responsible for some of those series best tales including Merv Pumpkinhead: Agent of D.R.E.A.M., Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Dreams...But Were Afraid to Ask and The Dreaming #55. Willingham was also the writer of The Thessaliad, so with Witch for Hire, he is definitely returning to ground he knows well.

The thing about Thessaly is she is such a serious, brooding character. This makes her the perfect straight man (err...straight witch?) to the comedy that unfolds. She can do nothing but react to Fetch's plots and gaze in ever increasing horror as he reveals his masterplan. He's oblivious to her mounting anger, which only results in more good natured giggles from the reader. Willingham once again presents a fine balance between humour and seriousness, light and dark. He gives us both Thessaly's friendly and angry side.

That balance is helped by Shawn McManus, the same talented man who contributed to bring The Thessaliad to life. His art has the appropriate light cartoon feel, but still manages to convey a sense of darkness and danger. McManus is an excellent choice for these Thessaly miniseries because he was, in fact, the first artist to draw her in the Sandman series. That first appearance was in the A Game of You story arc. DC made a wise decision to keep McManus associated with the character.

In general, when a series comes to an end, I like to leave the series for good. I like knowing the characters will continue to exist in the realm of fiction, having adventures, working through joy and heartache even if no one is there to chronicle their stories. Every now and then, however, I am compelled to come back to a world I left. When that happens, it's a relief to find the new stories being told are worthy additions to the original mythos.

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