The Witches of World War II

Another of the first batch of approved books from NetGalley.

This graphic novel is written by the dark pen of Paul Cornell and wonderfully illustrated by Valeria Burzo, and takes us on a fanciful journey of a group of occultists recruited to play on the fact that Nazi High Command believes “in all this occult rubbish”

The story is loosely based on the true story of the New Forest Coven and Operation Cone of Power, and includes a ragtag group of occultists including Aleister Crowley, Doreen Valiente, and others in their bid to capture Rudolph Hesse a proponent of the Thule Society.

The story cracks along at a great pace weaving fact and fiction into a wondrous whole, with the illustrations supporting the mystical and prosaic but with a style that reminds me of some of the work in Hellboy comics by Mike Mignola whilst standing as their own.

Paul Cornell’s storytelling comes to the fore making it a believable tale full of tension and build the characters well considering the short time he has to do so, I especially enjoyed the Crowley that inhabits these pages.

A great graphic novel well worth picking up.