Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House #1 Review: A Spookily Stale Start

Goosebumps: Horrors of the Witch House is the series' latest venture in the world of comic books. The iconic franchise has thrilled fans for years as author R.L. Stine's novels continue to captivate, and IDW hopes to bring that same tension into its new comic run. However, its first issue falls flat and fails to stir up such an emotion.

The first issue begins easily enough as fans figure out the series' plot. In true Goosebumps style, a haunted house is up for sale, and a young woman known as Ms. Curry decides to buy the place. As you can expect, the local kids are curious about the new owner given the house's history, and things only get weirder when a few students learn about the lady's identity.

After all, it looks like Viruka Curry is a witch, and the neighborhood kids aren't too excited to learn as much.

For fans of Goosebumps, this IDW venture plays out as expected with some predictable beats. The haunted house looks decrepit, the adults are oblivious to the danger they are in, and the students who come together to explore Ms. Curry are archetypal to say the least. You've got your loner, a jock, and a popular heartthrob. The series will surely expand their roles moving forward, but Carlos and Becca feel plenty paper thin at the moment.

The stale pacing of this inaugural issue will also have older readers scratching their heads. So many characters come into focus that's hard to keep track of anyone's name, and the characters haven't been separated well enough yet to tell them apart. However, this first issue makes up for its tedious exposition with some colorful artwork. The cartoony style suits the Goosebumps franchise rather well, and younger readers will have lots to look at as they flip through pages.

Still, this debut issue comes off more dreary than it does direct. There's not enough mystery presented to keep older readers invested, but fans of the franchise both young and old will appreciate its colorful world. So, fans should keep their fingers crossed for a more exciting second issue.

Published by IDW Publishing

On May 1, 2019

Written by Penton J. Tipton and Matthew Pow Smith

Art by Chris Fenoglio

Colors by Valentina Pinto

Letters by Christa Miesner