2021 seems relatively nice compared to the current moment. While we were in a pre-Covid vaccine world, things hadn’t yet reached the zenith of their bullshit. But we were still getting some decent comics out of the year, including the short series The Last Witch that I had taken a quick look at. The years, however, didn’t stop coming and we’re a full four years in the future now with the continuation of the story in the first issue of The Last Witch: Blood and Betrayal by Conor McCreery, V. V. Glass, Natalia Nesterenko, and Taylor Esposito. 

This new storyline picks up right where the last left off—Saoirse has defeated three of the members of Callieach’s coven, absorbed their powers, and is dealing with the ramifications of still having much to learn about how to control that power. While her Nan is helping her create a mind garden to help keep herself calm and grounded, it isn’t quite enough as she still loses her temper enough to yell at her brother and drive him deep into the fields where he’s swallowed whole into the grass by some mysterious force that leaves only a gaping hole in the ground. But while all of this happens, Saoirse retreats into her mind garden and is met with what may be her mother trying to contact her—even though she died years prior. 

Something that Boom! Studios has been doing so well over the past few years is letting stories take breaks. I’ve covered comics like Briar earlier this year and how the arcs for that story are each done a year after the other to allow some more time for the creators to get the comic to where it needs to go. And as we’re seeing from a series like The Last Witch, this approach allows for the creators to not have to adhere to rigidly to the monthly schedule and letting everyone approach the story without the continual threat of a looming deadline. We’ve seen writers, artists, colors, and letterers burn out trying to maintain that monthly schedule—we’ve seen mangaka risk their health just to keep to the weekly schedule—when these series show this level of potential harm for the creators isn’t necessary. They show us that being patient is rewarding, even more so when people already wait for the trade paperbacks to release of a full series.

The Last Witch: Blood and Betrayal’s first issue is a fantastic reintroduction of the series to readers who may not have seen the original, but it also shows us how comic schedules can be protracted to benefit the creators. The rigors of the month-to-month can work for some with far-flung planning, but the feasibility of producing a few issues and then allowing for some time between for the story to marinate is more and more likely. If these creators can’t catch their breath, then there’s going to be no medium to support later when everyone is too burnt out. 

Get excited. Get breaks.

Drew Barth (Episode 331, 485, 510, 651, & 674) resides in Winter Park, FL. He received his MFA from the University of Central Florida.