Ariel Ries

Hair has meant many things across many stories — for Samson, strength; for Rapunzel, escape; for Gretchen Wieners, secrets. In the world of Ariel Ries' Witchy, hair represents magical potential and, for its lead hero Nyneve, family trauma. ComicsAlliance spoke with Ries about magic, the sociopolitical ramifications of hair in her comic and the real world, and subverting genre expectations.

Ariel Ries's webcomic Witchy is set in a fantasy kingdom where magical strength is decided by hair length. Find yourself born with hair too short, and you're a drain of resources in an ostensibly meritocratic society. If your hair is long enough, you're conscripted into the Witch Guard, which acts as the police force during peace, and the army during war. Find yourself with hair too long, and you're burned to death as a possible threat to the kingdom.