Witchblade #120 – Capsule Review

By Ron Marz (Writer) and Stjepan Sejic (Artist)

Comics like this one are extremely tough to review. It’s well written, visually impressive, and does a lot to give Dany and Sara (the Witchblade bearers) some more depth. On the other hand, the issue is pretty damn boring and, outside of a brief set-up for next month, quite easy to skip. See the predicament that leaves me with?

Titled “Girls Night Out,” Witchblade #120 is really a story about just that. Dany decides to take out her angst on some creep in a club, her Witchblade lashes out, Sara interferes, and then the two ladies leave the club to sit on some rooftop and talk about life, love, sex, and the responsibility that comes with wearing the Witchblade. That’s pretty much it. Everything is extremely sound from a technical standpoint so it is impossible to come down too hard on it. Ron Marz’s dialogue is casual and realistic, Stjepan Sejic’s work is a treat to look at, and there is some merit in the fact that such care was taken on what is, essentially, a “day in the life of” type of story.

I am definitely going to leave the purchasing decision up to you, the readers, on this one. The comic is solid all around, but with the price of comics today, this one can definitely be skipped without fear of missing much. (Grade: C)

-Kyle Posluszny

Broken Trinity #1 – Review

Ron Marz, (Writer) Stjepan Sejic, and Phil Hester (Art)

As I have come to learn since becoming a comic book critic, the first part of an event or a new creative run is tough to review. It must hook the reader in some way while at the same time going through the (possibly boring or redundant) motions necessary to set up the story arc. Things can really get off on the wrong foot if the set up (a necessary evil) isn’t sufficiently compelling (check out Uncanny X-Men #500 for proof). I mention this because I feel that Broken Trinity #1 is a great example of how to properly set up a new storyline without making it feel like a boring chore to read.

There are two storylines at work in this issue, both of them serving to bring the elements of this event together. One of them, a visually striking Viking skirmish that quickly escalates into an epic battle between supernatural forces, serves up the action while establishing new elements in the Top Cow Universe. The other storyline works to bring almost all of the main players together in a way that feels both logical and natural given the continuity. While I honestly have no idea as to where things will go from here, the set up is solid and full of enough combustible elements to make for a great event. One thing is for sure, the creative team working on this series set quite a high bar with the First Born event, so they have their work cut out for them if they hope to clear it.

As for the writing, Ron Marz does a great job in this issue. The dialogue during the Viking battle is suitably epic and the characters drive the story well in the present day scenes. While I wish he would have spent a touch more time establishing the Celestine character, I have a feeling more will be explained sooner than later. Marz deftly puts the pieces in place while keeping a sense of mystery about what exactly is going on and, honestly, he’s got me hooked. While this story could really go either way at this point (since so much is still up in the air), it is off to quite a start.

I expected some nice work from the team of Stjepan Sejic and Phil Hester, but I’ve got to say that they really exceeded every expectation. The Viking scenes are absolutely stunning, a display of what I suppose I’ll call beautiful brutality. The supernatural characters look fantastic as well, though I will readily admit that they are nothing more than extremely impressive looking fantasy clichés. My only true complaint is that, like nearly all of Sejic’s books, there is a noticeable drop in detail/quality from time to time, but I can excuse that considering it must take quite some time to create the more impressive stuff. A book needs to get out at some point, so I can overlook that for the most part.

Overall, I’m really enjoying the first part of the Broken Trinity event. It manages to avoid getting bogged down by the necessary set up while creating the hooks that make me want more as soon as possible. (Grade: A)

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade #117 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer) & Stjepan Sejic (art)

Witchblade #117 has a lot on it’s plate and, as such, the issue as a whole suffers from trying to tell three intertwined stories within just over 20 pages. That’s not to say this issue is a bad read however, as the final pages will leave the reader wanting much more.

The book kicks off with a Crusader battle, stunningly imagined by artist Stjepan Sejic. From there, the story continues the somewhat separate, yet intertwined, stories of the Witchblade bearers Sarah Pezzini and Danielle Baptiste. Sarah is still investigating the religiously inspired murders from the previous issue, while Dani invites her new boyfriend over to help babysit Hope, Sarah’‘s child. These three stories each get some time to be front and center, but very little happens to advance any of them until the final pages. I can’t reveal much more of the plot without spoiling anything, so allow me to highlight what works in the issue.

The art within this issue is fantastic from start to finish. Stjepan Sejic’’s painted work feels strikingly original in the realm of comics and really helps bring Ron Marz’’s story to life. It is worth noting, however, that the art is quite graphic from time to time. There is quite a bit of blood and gore during battle scenes and during the murder investigation, so keep that in mind if you have a weak stomach.

Ron Marz’’s dialogue is another highlight. The zealots are sufficiently unnerving, the interaction between Pezzini and her boyfriend Gleason is both darkly humorous and touching, and Dani is realistically smitten with her new guy. Also, the recently introduced crime scene forensics character, Chandrakhar, is quickly becoming one of my favorite supporting characters in any comic.
The storyline is quite interesting, if a bit unoriginal. Religious zealotry is a fairly common storyline device and, had things gone differently in this issue, I may have questioned the need for it in the first place. The characters and art are driving the story more than the plot itself, which isn’t a bad thing, but things should start to improve in the plot department if the final pages are any indication. One last thing worth noting regarding the storyline is that with Witchblade #116 serving as a re-launch of sorts for the series, it is somewhat surprising to find #117 hinting at a very continuity heavy storyline in the near future. (Grade: B)

-Kyle Posluszny