The latest story from the Goosebumps comics, Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House, comes to a close in this, it’s third issue, which sees the heroes of the story finally come face to face against the villainous Veruca Curry.
Having been captured by Veruca’s animated gargoyle, Rosie, Becca, and Carlos, find themselves inside the creepy Whaley House, where the young, tech witch reveals her plans to the trio. It turns out that Veruca isn’t just a witch, but comes from a long line of witches, and wants to try and use modern technology to boost her powers.
Trying to get the children to join in her scheme, she informs them that she is using the mystical energies inside the foundations of the old house to amplify a spell that will allow her to take control of the town’s inhabitants, and possibly even the rest of the world. She tries to appeal to the children, to get them to give in to their greedier natures and join her so as not to interfiere in her plans. However, the three kids prove too much for her and not only escape from her clutches, but come up with a plan to derail her schemes.
The third issue of Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House is the first issue in the series to actually give us some concrete answers as to what is going on, as opposed to the multiple theories proposed in the first issue, and vague hints in the second. Whilst it’s good to finally know what Veruca is planning, the information is left a little vague and Denton J. Tipton and Matthew Dow Smith don’t really go into any detail about why she needs the Whaley House to achieve her aims, or why she wants control of the world. This may be because this issue also has to provide a resolution to the story, as well as giving us all this information. As such, I can’t help but feel this could have been something that was revealed earlier on in the story so that more time could be given over to it.
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The resolution also seems to happen fairly quickly, with the kids beating Veruca almost suddenly. One thing that is good about the resolution, however, is that thanks to some earlier character moments in the previous issues where Rosie had to deal with evil tech, her solution to beating Veruca has already been seeded for the reader, and doesn’t just come out of nowhere. That being said, Veruca melting when she gets hit by water does come as something of a surprise, as it hadn’t been something even hinted as possible, but feels like an appropriate resolution to the story.
Whilst the story in this issue feels like it moves quite fast at times, and some details are left out because of this, the art is great throughout, with Chris Fenoglio managing to deliver art that feels very neat and simple, yet contains great details. The characters all look great, and Veruca in particular stands out thanks to the brilliantly crazed expressions that Fenoglio gives her.
A fun conclusion to the story, Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House proves to be a great addition to the Goosebumps universe that is sure to entertain readers.
Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House #3 is available digitally and from comic shops.
