BOOM! Box’s THE LAST WITCH #5, available now, continues the quest of Saoirse – a growing witch who may just be humanity’s last hope. Assuming she can hold onto what makes her the hero she so desperately wants to be.
Over the course of just a few issues, readers have watched young Saoirse go from being a scared child to a young woman with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She’s a witch, one who must defeat her great-aunts if she hopes to protect her brother – and everyone else.
Yet there’s something even darker lingering on the horizon. The moral of this story has always been that power corrupts. Yet with each issue, Saoirse grows stronger. What will that mean for our little witch? Will she continue to be a hero, or is she fated to follow the path of those before her?
The Last Witch #5 picks up with Saoirse preparing for her third battle. This time, she’ll be facing Badb, a wind witch. However, our youngling will not be alone, as she has her brother, grandmother, and an unlikely new ally to help out.
Writing
The Last Witch #5 is a dark and emotionally compelling tale. It tugs at heartstrings and twists our hopes. It’s impossible not to fear for Saoirse – not just because of the odds she’s up against, but because it feels as if there is something sinister just out of sight.
All credit must go to Conor McCreery for creating such an elusive feeling. The story here is a powerful one, and yet that doesn’t automatically imply that it is a benign tale. We’ve seen too much from this world to make any assumptions at this point.
What really hits home here is how young and human Saoirse comes off earlier in the issue. Between all of the fighting, we’ve granted a rare glimpse of the internal battle raging. How afraid she is, how much she misses her mother and father, how the weight is beginning to make her crumble.
All of which feels starkly contrasted by the fight she was thrown into here. Sure, it’s dramatic and bold, but it is also telling a different story – one that is horrible and haunting. Badb makes for the ideal foil, given everything Saoirse has been dealing with as of late.
What makes this issue all the more intriguing is that it concludes the miniseries. It is grand, as the conclusion of all plot arcs should be. But it is also very much open-ended. Perhaps we’ll one day see what happens to Saoirse. Or perhaps we’re meant to create our own assumptions from here. We’ve been handed all of the pieces to the puzzle, after all.
Artwork
The Last Witch #5 wouldn’t be the same without V.V. Glass, Natalia Nesterenko, and Jim Campbell. Together they brought Saoirse’s fears and battles to life, and it’s going to leave a lasting impression.
It’s so easy to look back at the first issue of this series and see how much Saoirse has changed. Even on a visual level, it’s quite evident. She’s tired, scared, and scarred – both emotionally and physically. That the artists were able to portray all of this is hauntingly beautiful.
There are moments when the artwork steals the show. Such as when a mysterious stranger’s true personality cracks his mask. Or when Saorise seemed to finally near her breaking point. All of these moments are going to be stuck in my mind for quite some time.
The color and shading bring these scenes to life – the good and the bad. The snowy backdrops force the characters – allies and enemies alike – to pop in the foreground. All while the elemental magic really does give the impression that it is glowing.
Conclusion
It is fascinating to think of how much the world and characters have changed in five issues. Yet here we are, getting ready to say goodbye to The Last Witch #5. Well, goodbye for now, at least. There’s always hope that the miniseries will continue at some point and finally tell us the rest of this tale.
