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Witch Creek Road

Witch Creek Road
Issue one cover page
Author(s)Garth Matthams
Illustrator(s)
  • Kenan Halilović
  • Luca Cicognola (guest artist; seasons 2–3)
  • Colorists:
  • Anna Jarmolowska
  • Viviana Di Chiara
  • colorsfactory
  • Michael Olasubomi Balogun
Website
Current status/scheduleOn hiatus
Launch date2017–2021 (Witch Creek Road)
2023 (Witch Creek High)
Syndicate(s)WEBTOON
Tapas
Publisher(s)Rocketship Entertainment
Genre(s)Horror, drama, dark comedy[1]
Followed byWitch Creek High

Witch Creek Road is a horror comic series, written by Garth Matthams and drawn by Kenan Halilović.[2][3] It features a distinctive artistic style and a story line that has received attention from readers and critics.[4] The series is considered a notable work within the digital comic realm and has contributed to the popularity of online comics on WEBTOON.[5]

A comedic spin-off, Witch Creek High, began publication in 2023, while an omnibus edition of all four seasons of Witch Creek Road (comprising three arcs) was published by Rocketship Entertainment in 2024.[6].

Plot

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Witch Creek Road is a survival horror comic series. It follows a group of high school seniors who take a wrong turn and find themselves caught in the aftermath of an evil summoning gone wrong. As they navigate through the horrors that unfold, the story delves into themes of love, acceptance, death, and revenge, with a touch of demonology and flesh-eating demons.[7][8] The series is divided into three major storylines: Witch Creek Road (comprising Season 1), Skinned (comprising Season 2, itself divided into the storylines Mercy, The Skinned Man, The Broken World), and Infested (comprising Season 3, divided into the storylines Tales from the Recently Deceased, Hailey and the Serpent, Heart in a Jar, Meanwhile, With Edwin, What the Old Man Said, Sara, The Circle, Complete, and Sara's Epilogue, and Season 4, divided into the storylines The Shark, Innsmouth, Two Weeks Ago, One Week Ago, The End, and The Aftermath), and is only digitally available to read via the WEBTOON mobile application.

A comedic slice-of-life spin-off, Witch Creek High, began publication in 2023.

Characters

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Season 1 primarily follows the characters Abby, Angelo, Ben, Betty, Connie, Dirk, Edwin, Grace, Mercy, Ryan, Sara, Shaleeta, Tyler, and The Wolves.

Season 2: Skinned primarily follows the characters Chase, Detective Thompson, Gun, Hailey, Karly, The Skinned Man, and The Skinned, with particular characters of Witch Creek Road returning in a supporting role.

Seasons 3 and 4: Infested primarily follows the characters Amity, Dustin, Jay, Keifer, Kevin, Mercy, Shaleeta, Edwin, and Sara, with particular characters of Witch Creek Road and Skinned returning in a supporting role.

Reception

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Horror DNA lauded the series as "Friday the 13th by way of Junji Ito [in being] absolutely terrifying stuff,[9] Comics Beat praising the series as "loads of angsty, bloody fun",[7] and Scream complimenting "the teenage experience of feeling out of place" and the style of character writing.[4] Multiversity Comics called it "a kinetic comic [with] some really effective baddies",[10] with Cape and Castle calling it "dark, gritty, and it'll leave you guessing".[11] Comic Book Resources called it "a great horror webtoon [which] stands out from other comic gore fests" in its characterisation,[12] calling it the best webtoon on WEBTOON which "will have the reader laughing while shuddering".[13] The Odyssey Online praised the series as one "you will need to pay close attention to keep up with what's really going on in the story [which] will engage you intellectually, as well as viscerally. In its essence, Witch Creek Road is a very Lovecraftian horror [which has a] tendency to take a cliched premise and completely twist it and because of its dark humor".[14] Geek Girl Authority lauded the series as "everything I want in a horror story [in having] an investing story of what is going on in this world [and] characters [who] have a bit of complexity without feeling trope–ish or cliche".[15]

Collected editions

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Witch Creek Road collections
# Title Material collected Publication date Pages Publisher ISBN
Witch Creak Road Season 1:
Yearbook Edition 		Season 1 + extra April 8, 2021 220 Rocketship
Entertainment 		—
The Witch Creak Road Omnibus
Edition: Volume One 		Seasons 1–4 December 4, 2024 400+ 978-1962298483

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Pescod, Nicholas (October 11, 2017). "Nanaimo writer creates flesh-eating-horror comic". Nanaimo News Bulletin. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  2. ^ Freeman, John (March 19, 2021). "Witch Creek Road Spotlight: Revenge, Love & Flesh-Eating Demons". John Freeman Writer. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  3. ^ Keith, Jed W. (May 28, 2024). "Interview: Garth Matthams & Kenan Halilović on a "Love Letter to Horror" in Witch Creek Road". Freaksugar. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Fedotov, Svetlana (July 28, 2017). "Witch Creek Road #1: Comic Review". Scream. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  5. ^ Kunsken, Derek (September 29, 2018). "New Horror Comics: Harrow County and Witch Creek Road". Black Gate. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  6. ^ Alverson, Brigid (June 13, 2024). "ICV2 Interview: Rocketship Entertainment Publisher & CEO Tom Akel". ICV2. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Destito, Deanna (October 14, 2019). "A Year of Free Comics: Witch Creek Road is your favorite survival horror movie in comic form". Comics Beat. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  8. ^ Smith, Matt (March 17, 2021). "Very Special Episode: Matt and Cale Read "Witch Creek Road"". Smith vs. Smith. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  9. ^ Ferguson, James (November 18, 2017). "Witch Creek Road #2 Comic Review". Horror DNA. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  10. ^ Multiversity Staff (November 13, 2018). "The Webcomics Weekly #10: Up a Witch Creek". Multiversity Comics. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  11. ^ Jacot, Kat (April 17, 2021). "Webtoon Adapts and Should Keep Going!". Cape and Castle. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  12. ^ Garcia, Mayra (October 18, 2023). "10 Best Webtoons That Aren't About Romance". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  13. ^ Layne, Sara (October 12, 2020). "Top 10 Horror Webtoons, According To The App". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  14. ^ Kizilo, Anastasia (March 2, 2020). "5 Webcomics to Read on Halloween". The Odyssey Online. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
  15. ^ Roth, Julia (October 8, 2021). "5 Spooky Webtoons To Get Into The Fall Mood". Geek Girl Authority. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
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