Thessaly is one of my favorite characters from Sandman. She looks like sweetness and light, until she opens her mouth. Lurking beneath the big eyes and curvy figure is the last of the Thessalian witches. She’s smart and ruthless and most of all wants to be left alone. This is problematic because unbeknownst to her she’s acquired a business partner, Fetch, and he’s signed them up as contract killers for mythological eestie beasties. Thessaly’s acerbic tongue is matched nicely with Fetch’s jovial con-artistry. They’re the Nick and Nora Charles of the spirit world, if Nick was the spiritual frame for the souls of all the thousands of people Nora killed during her long and varied career. Oh, and there’s no Asta. All things considered, possibly that’s for the best. Things take a turn for the worse when Fetch inadvertently signs them up to kill a Tharmic Null, a beast made of chaos that by definition can’t be killed. The story is a fun mythological romp. There is a sense that everyone got hit by the Exposition Fairy at some point, which I can understand given the somewhat esoteric nature of a lot of the plot. Neil Gaiman threw you into the world of Sandman and let you sink or swim, or occasionally run for the nearest reference book. Bill Willingham doesn’t have 10 volumes to do that in, and in reaction possibly over explains himself, but overall the story is a good read and I definitely want more volumes.
The Sandman Presents: Thessaly, Witch For Hire
by Bill Willingham and Shawn McManus
ISBN: 9781401204976
DC Comics/Vertigo, 2005
