Italian comics legend Corrado Mastantuono will make his U.S. debut on The Witcher: Corvo Bianco, an upcoming miniseries from Dark Horse Comics.
Mastantuono will work with writer Bartosz Sztybor, who has written several previous series starring Geralt of Rivia. They’ll be joined by colorist Matteo Vattani and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou on a tale focused on a different kind of challenge for Geralt — retirement.
“For all who know Geralt, Corvo Bianco is his endgame,” Sztybor said. “The end of his journey, one and only place where he can retire – taking a break from killing monsters and trying to figure out how to make his own wine. As a fan of pop–culture and postmodern genre mixing, that setup above sounded like a perfect premise for a western. A western in The Witcher world – that’s something that was never done before! So I quickly got excited and thought about getting on board someone who really knows what western is.”
That quickly led Sztybor to Mastantuono. The award-winning creator has worked extensively with Walt Disney Italia and, more recently, for Sergio Bonelli Editore on series including Nick Raider and Magico Vento.
“Corrado Mastantuono is a comic book legend, one of the biggest names of all time, a person that created the most important titles in European comics, including a real western classic – Tex,” Sztybor said. “With him mixing fantasy and western was never easier and more beautiful. Geralt roaming the Continent with a wild bunch of mages, Elves and Dwarves is my homage to Andrzej Sapkowski, Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone. Just imagine, Yennefer having a duel with another mage and Geralt attacking a stagecoach. Corvo Bianco was his dream, but he needs to fight for it!”
While Geralt might get a taste of the good life, his old life will come calling:
For a witcher, the simple life can be hard to come by, and even harder to pass up. When Geralt acquires a taste for a slower pace—good wine, and good company—the routines of a witcher are easily eclipsed. With Yennefer at his side, one might hope that Geralt will truly get to enjoy a taste of the good life. But the stains of history are deep, and with blood and wine, every drop attracts those who want more.
The first issue will have three variant covers by Tonci Zonjic, Neyef and Jorge Molina:
Look for the first issue on May 8.