Witchblade #148 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Stjepan Sejic (artist), Troy Peteri (letters)

Ahead there be (small) spoilers. Consider yerself warned.

The Story Angelus comes in to provide backup when Tiamat proves to be a little too strong for Sara and the Witchblade to handle alone. Lieutenant Phipps continues to make a rather large nuisance of himself, and we also learn that Mr. Marz has not forgotten Tiamat’s mythological lineage as a creature of the sea.

What’s Good: Although I’ve almost always loved Witchblade and Ron Marz’s work on it, this arc has me ready to start a kickstarter campaign just to keep him on the book. Not that a new direction will be a bad thing (and I’m certainly looking forward to an Artifacts ongoing!) but it will definitely be the end of a wonderful era for Sara and company–and I’m not sure I’m ready to embrace that yet.

This issue handles the various plot threads a lot more smoothly than the last one did, which is very nice to see. Although the plot is still moving forward, this issue seems much less cramped. (Bringing in LT Phipps at the end did feel like a bit much, but then again–given the last page–could also help bring a quick and expeditious end to Sara’s issues with Internal Affairs!)

Witchblade #147 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Stjepan Sejic (artist), Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: Don’t you hate it when problems seem to hit all at once? Sara does. First she gets investigated by Internal Affairs (who now seem to know way more than they should about the Witchblade), David Irons is being his usual obtuse and unhelpful self, and an ancient Babylonian goddess of chaos is trying to kill her. Some days, eh?

What’s Good: The more I read Witchblade, the more I realize that Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic are one of my favorite creative duos of all time. My love of Sejic’s work is already extensively documented but-aside from just being beautiful–one of the consistently best parts of his work on this series is just how well Sejic complements Marz’s work, and how vividly he brings to life the fantastic and outlandish creatures and situations that Sara encounters every month.

It is also quite refreshing that Marz and Top Cow are sticking to their guns when it comes to keeping Witchblade totally separate from the Artifacts event. While that does make for some slightly odd continuity for someone like me who is completely invested in the TCU, it’s easy to see that the benefits far outweigh any minor hiccups that might be encountered. Allowing both titles to stand completely on their own is a great decision for people who only care to read one or the other. (I will say that, once Artifacts goes from an event to an ongoing after issue ##13, I hope we’ll see a bit more crossover happening.)

Witchblade #147 – PREVIEW

Witchblade #147 PREVIEW

story RON MARZ
art & cover STJEPAN SEJIC

TIAMAT, Part Two
In modern day New York, the ancient Babylonian goddess Tiamat seeks vengeance upon current Witchblade bearer, Sara Pezzini, to settle an ancient score. With the weight of recent events bearing down on her, can Sara possibly stave off a power older than civilization itself? Join longtime writer RON MARZ (ARTIFACTS, MAGDALENA) and collaborator STJEPAN SEJIC (BROKEN TRINITY, ANGELUS) as they charge towards the landmark issue #150!

Witchblade #146 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Stjepan Sejic (art) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: An artifact is stolen, its power is unleashed, and an ancient enemy of the Witchblade rises to seek out the current bearer of the Balance.

What’s Good: Is there anything better than to open a comic book and be greeted by Stjepan Sejic’s artwork? Not for me there isn’t. Whether it’s the rough, gritty streets of New York, the Cthulhuesque features of some new hellspawn or (as here) the rich and beautiful details of an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh’s throne room, Sejic’s jaw dropping talent provide enough eye candy to keep even this story-and-character obsessed reviewer happy irrespective of the rest of the book’s content.

Happily (VERY happily) Sejic’s work is only further enhanced here by a very promising story. This is Marz and Sejic’s last hurrah on Witchblade (at least for the foreseeable future), and it looks as if they’re planning to go out with a thoroughly epic bang. Ancient gods, monsters, and not a little Witchblade lore all look to be involved and woven together into a massive tapestry of history and drama.

Witchblade #145 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Stjepan Sejic (art), Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: Intrepid reporter Gretchen Fullmer is on the trail of a hot story: a female knight in armor (or was it a female superhero in tights?) was spotted fighting a dragon (and/or evil robot) in the sewers of New York. ‘Gretch’ is determined to get to the bottom of the reports, but will Sara help or hinder her quest for the truth?

What’s Good: Stjepan Sejic back on a regular Witchblade issue? That makes me want to do the Happy Snoopy Dance, especially since this outing is not disappointing in the slightest. In addition to capturing Sara’s voice in his usual excellent manner, Marz does a great job of giving Sejic some fantastic set pieces, action sequences, and splash pages to go nuts with. (The two full-page spreads of Sara-as-knight and Sara-as-superhero are particularly impressive.)

Witchblade #144 – Review

“Origin Secret” by Ron Marz (writer), Stjepan Sejic (art) and Troy Peteri (letters). “Secret Origin” by Filip Sablik (writer), John Tyler Christoper (art) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: In the main story, we are treated to a wonderful Ron Marz re-telling of Sara Pezzini’s origin story, and a recap of the high points of her history with the Witchblade. Filip Sablik’s backup story revolves around Sara’s partner and boyfriend, Patrick Gleason, and his significantly more down to Earth (though, in his own way, no less heroic) past.

What’s Good: Fifteen years is an impressive milestone for any comic. For an independent book that follows a female heroine, it’s downright astonishing. This issue is a fitting tribute to that outstanding accomplishment, as well as a celebration of the characters and mythology built over those years. Marz’s retelling of Sara’s origin is a great deal of fun, as well as a wonderful jumping on point for readers who may not be familiar with Sara, the Witchblade, or their perpetual nemesis Kenneth Irons. Part of me thinks that the framing story–in which an Internal Affairs agent reviews the secret notes of Jake McCarthy, Sara’s late former partner–was unnecessary, and that the space would have been better used by fleshing out this version of the origin even more. Then again, it also serves the story well by establishing this as a single character’s perspective on the origin story, and by reinforcing IA’s interest in Sara’s activities. Since it is all very well written, and since the transitions are handled so smoothly, it’s hard to find fault with it.

Witchblade #144 – PREVIEW

WITCHBLADE #144

story RON MARZ
art STJEPAN SEJIC
covers STEJPAN SEJIC, JEAN-SEBASTIEN ROSSBACH

Witchblade 15th Anniversary Issue!

In 1995, Marc Silvestri, Michael Turner, David Wohl, and Brian Haberlin created a new kind of comic heroine with the origin of Sara Pezzini, the latest in a long line of bearers of the mystical gauntlet known as the Witchblade. In an over-sized 15th Anniversary issue, Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic tell Sara’s origin from a new perspective, planting seeds that soon will bear deadly fruit!

Featuring two spellbinding covers including a wraparound retrospective by series artist Sejic and an iconic painting by fantasy illustrator Jean-Sebastien Rossbach (Magic: The Gathering). Also including special anniversary features, pin ups, and much more! Plus ask your retailer about a FREE matching digital download of this issue with purchase.

Witchblade #143: Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Matthew Dow Smith (art), Nathan Fairbairn (colors), Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: Guest stars Mulder and Scully–er, that is, Detective Patrick Gleason and Sheriff Kate Rooney–find themselves under a ghostly siege. Only one person, convicted hitman Vince Petramale, seems to be able to offer any hope of survival.

What’s Good: Ouch. This isn’t usually the difficult part to fill in on an issue of Witchblade, but this month I’m kind of at a loss. Although it held my attention longer than the previous issue–which was mainly setup for the action and payoff in this one–it still felt quite…uninspired, I guess, is the word I would use. While the guest star idea is actually a very good one, especially putting Gleason front and center, and MOST especially at this time, while Sara is (in theory) off dealing with the fallout from Artifacts, the execution just doesn’t work out the way I think anyone intended.

Witchblade #141 – Review

By Ron Marz and Saurav Mohapatr (writers), Stjepan Sejic (artist), Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: Sara and Gleason continue their investigation of the two creepy children. And by “investigate,” I mean that they kick the snot out of the giant, Lovcraftian nightmares that pour forth from the children’s unholy imagination.

I so, SO love this comic.

What’s Good: Have I said lately that I love Stjepan Sejic’s work? I have? Last month? Huh. Maybe that’s because he continues to churn out jaw-droppingly beautiful art on a disturbingly regular basis. The two-page spread alone is worth the cover price of the book, and I absolutely love what he does in a couple of panels, trading his usually hyper-detailed style for a flat, black-on-red, almost photo negative kind of look. It was jarring at first, but–since it was limited to only a few panels–it ends up as an enhancement and highlight rather than a detraction.

The story is a lot of fun as well; the team of Marz and Mohapatr have a knack for action, and they pull off the extended battle scene (which is essentially what this issue is) with aplomb. Their vision gives Sejic’s more than capable pencils a great workout, and the pithy one-liners our heroes throw out serve to break up the tension (in a good way), as well as emphasizing that battling giant, nightmarish creatures is not something they’re new to. (Their almost blase attitude towards the encounter contrasts quite hilariously with the childrens’ father’s reaction.)

Witchblade Annual #2 – Review

“Stalingrad” by Ron Marz (writer), Tony Shasteen (pencils and inks), Jo Mettler (colors) and Troy Petreri (letters). “Interlude” by Ron Marz (writer), Matt Haley (pencils), Jason Gorder (inks) Michael Atiyeh (colors) and Troy Peteri (letters). “The Devil’s Due” by Matthew Dow Smith (writer and illustrater)

The Story: Like most annuals, this one contains multiple stories. Unlike other annuals, this one actually has a through-line running through (the comic portion) of the stories that ties them together with a broad, overarching theme (in this case, past bearer’s of the Witchblade.) We get a tale of a Bearer who uses the Witchblade to excellent effect during World War II (the Battle of Stalingrad, natch), a story about Joan of Arc, and a non-historical Bearer related prose tale that can’t quite make up its mind what it’s trying to be.

What’s Good: I really enjoyed this issue! I’m always a sucker for putting things (especially ancient, mystical artifacts like the Witchblade) in some sort of historical context, so I love hearing tales of the past Bearers, and the ways they chose to use its exceptional power. Marz does an excellent job bringing his two stories to life (although the Joan of Arc interlude was criminally short…more on that later) and Smith’s prose story was well written and entertaining.

“Stalingrad” is clearly the centerpiece of the book, and it serves that purpose very well. The visuals are appropriately dark, with the occasional otherworldly flare that fantastical stories set in the real world need to be effective and believable. The present-day scenes that bookend the piece are strange (in a good way) and throw the reader just off balance enough to sympathize with Sara without losing the overall thread of the story.

Witchblade #140 – Review

By Ron Marz and Saurav Mohapatra (writers), Stjepan Sejic (artist) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: Leaving the emotional turmoil of Artifacts behind for at least a little while, Sara and Patrick go back to doing what they do best—uncovering (and kicking the ass of) supernatural creatures lurking in and around New York. This arc’s Monster of the Week: two very creepy children with extremely overactive imaginations.

What’s Good: As much as I adore Artifacts and all of the awesome character work and earth-shaking storylines coming together therein, I think an issue like this—completely removed from all that action and quite simple and straightforward in its storytelling—is exactly what the doctor ordered. All of the importance and emotional baggage of the crossover was starting to wear a wee bit thin with so much time being devoted to it, and a straight-up, no holds barred, monsters-are-gonna-bite-your-face-off arc is a breath of fresh air I didn’t even know I wanted, and a great way to kick start the reader’s interest in another direction.

And quite the direction it is! (A warning for those who care: this paragraph gets a wee bit spoilery.) I don’t think there’s much I can say about Stjepan Sejic that I haven’t already said in a dozen different places, but for those keeping score at home: yes, he is still unbelievably brilliant. The panel layouts are varied and visually interesting without ever distracting from their primary function (storytelling), and the monster designs—both the actual monsters and the children controlling them—are properly unnerving. Fantastic, fantastic work.

Witchblade #139 – Review

By Ron Marz (writer), Michael Gaydos (guest artist), Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: After the exceptionally traumatic events of the last few issues, Sara is ordered to see her Department’s psychiatrist. Following the appointment, she makes a trip to the cemetery to visit her sister’s grave, but runs into the master of the Darkness in the process.

What’s Good: As much as I absolutely loved last month’s one shot, it felt rather ill-timed and I’m very glad the focus is back where it belongs—on Sara’s quest to find and recover her daughter. Or at least her attempts to deal with the emotional and psychological fallout from the event.

Ordinarily the lack of actual action and plot progression in this issue would bother me, but Marz does such a fantastic job with the characterization, and his dialog sounds so real and is so moving, that keeping the action part of this story (at least temporarily) confined to the Artifacts title doesn’t do either book any harm. I’m not sure how long my patience will hold out on that front, but as long as Marz keeps his writing at this level, and as long as Artifacts continues to deliver solid plot progression, I don’t think I’ll have much to complain about.

I have to give special props to Michael Gaydos. I was extremely disappointed when I heard this issue would be drawn by a guest artist–especially after Stjepan Sejic’s bravura outing on #138—but Gaydos knocks this one out of the park. While his art is nothing like the hyper detailed, cover-worthy panels that are Sejic’s signature, Gaydos’ rough but expressive pencils and colors are perfect for this story. (His full page splash of Ground Zero in New York is one of the most beautiful and haunting renditions of that famous image I’ve seen.

Witchblade #138 – Review

by Ron Marz (writer), Stjepan Sejic (art) and Troy Peteri (letters)

The Story: And now for something completely different. Rather than following up on the (rather shocking) events of the previous issue, Witchblade #138 tells us a short, simple Faerie Tale about a brave knight named Sara and an evil sorcerer named Irons. Other familiar faces, Gleason and Nottingham among them, also appear in the epic fantasy tale.

What’s Good: Uh. Wow. I may not have the most longevity when it comes to reading comics, but even so it’s been quite rare for me to be completely caught off guard by a book’s presentation. This issue of Witchblade absolutely shocked and floored me though, and I mean that in the best possible way. With the huge Artifacts event both changing up the Top Cow universe and offering a great jumping on point, it naturally behooves the Top Cow creators to offer a short primer for new readers. Since Witchblade is one of their flagship titles, it makes complete sense that a quick catch-you-up issue for new readers that introduces the major characters, relationships and conflicts of the series would be in order.

This is such an issue, but the magic here isn’t in the exposition, it’s in the presentation. Rather than bring drawn as a regular, panel-based book, this issue has only one piece of art per page (in the case of a couple splashes, one piece of art per two pages), with a beautifully lettered text box along the bottom narrating the story. No dialog, no word balloons, just page after page after page of cover worthy art and lovely (if simplistic) storytelling. I say again: wow.

The true brilliance of this issue is that it will give readers who have never heard of Sara Pezzini a good idea of who she is as a character, who the main antagonists of her universe are, and what the Witchblade is and what it is capable of. All of this information is painted in extremely broad strokes, and as such it may be a bit jarring for a brand new reader to go from this exposition back to the “real” Sara’s world in New York. But as a simple primer this still works well, and is honestly so gorgeous to look at that I would have happily paid twice the cover price for the art alone. Perhaps most importantly for an exposition issue, it certainly won’t bore longtime fans. The information covered is old ground, but it’s presented in such a fresh and fun way that reading it doesn’t grate or feel like a retread in the slightest.

Image United #1 – Review

By Robert Kirkman (writer) Erik Larsen, Rob Liefeld, Todd Mcfarlane, Whilce Portacio, Marc Silvestri & Jim Valentino (artists)

The Story: Super-villains are attacking major cities around the world simultaneously, setting the greatest Image Comics heroes on a course that will bring them together for the first time in over a decade!  Youngblood.  Savage Dragon. Spawn.  Cyberforce.  Witchblade.  Fortress.  Shadowhawk.  They’re all here, each penciled by their individual superstar creators!

What’s Good: Kirkman does an admirable job here, but by admirable, I don’t necessarily mean good. What I mean is that it’s obvious that he tried his best.  The writer has a marked appreciation for these characters and this era of comic publishing and that affection gives this first issue a lot of positive energy. It’s fair to assume that Kirkman didn’t have an easy task before him on this project.  Trying to write a cohesive story and service the fact that he’s writing for six different artists and six different franchises is enough to bring any solid writer down, and though he does prove somewhat susceptible to that weakness, there still manages to be some fun to be had with his execution.

Now, no matter how good Kirkman’s plot is, what everyone really cares about with this comic book is the artwork.  While this is certainly not the first time the gimmick of different artists working on the same page has been done, this is certainly the first time such high-profile artists have done so.  That fact alone makes this worth checking out.  Well, provided you’re a fan of at least a few of these artists.  I was surprised that, overall, the mixture of six different styles never really distracted me much from the flow of the story.  An interesting experiment…

What’s Not So Good: Well, if you read between the lines of my “What’s Good” section above, you’ll notice that the best I could say about this comic book was that no one ruined it.  That obviously doesn’t mean that it’s very good.  Let me put it another way.  This comic book would have kicked my skinny little ass when I was in high school.  I would’ve eaten it up and come back for seconds.  Unfortunately, it is not 1992 and, also, I had a pretty shitty sense of what was good back in high school (Except for The Good Son.  I’m standing by The Good Son, you hear me?!).  I don’t even see this appealing to the kids of today as it’s very much of it’s time and most of these characters haven’t exactly been bank-breakers for a very long while.  This might have been a momentous occasion ten years ago, but now?  Too little , way too late.

To further cement my opinion here, let’s list a bunch of stuff within these pages that High School Joe would have overlooked, but Early 30’s Joe can’t help but groan at.  Spawn’s cape (Which is mammoth!  I mean, it’s, like, his whole costume.) disappearing between pages.  One second it’s there, the next, gone.  This is not okay.  How about an explosion knocking everyone off their feet, but the only character who’s literally knocked on her ass so that she can lie in a sexy pose is the hot chick wearing a metal bikini.  Hot?  Well, yes.  Okay?  Not really.  Everyone standing in exaggerated poses while they’re talking to each other and often screaming things through gritted teeth like, “We are all going to die!”, when the person they’re speaking to is, oh, six feet away.  Obnoxious and lazy?  Yep.  Okay?  Nope.  Sound effects spelled “GOOM!”  “Goom”?  “Goom”?  Is this the sound of a goat exploding?  I understand that boom can get old pretty quickly, but there’s obviously a reason it’s lasted so long, people. “Hey, that bomb’s about to go off!”  “GOOM!”  So not okay.

Conclusion: There’s an exchange around the midpoint of this issue between Badrock and the Savage Dragon that goes like this:  Badrock:  “This is going to ROCK!”  Savage Dragon: “Grow up,  already.”  Those two lines perfectly summarize everything to be said about this comic book.

Grade: D

-Joe Lopez

 

Witchblade #132 – Review

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

The Story: Sara and Patrick share an evening together reconnecting before getting involved with a mystery involving missing children.

What’s Good: It’s been a while since Witchblade had an arc that featured Sara confronting the supernatural in a way that’s unconnected (as far as I can tell) to a future event. That’s part of the reason why Witchblade #132 is worth the read. It works really well as a return to the effective formula that made me a fan of the series in the first place.

While little happens in the first part of “The Bridge” to move the story forward past the setup, the character work done by Ron Marz in the opening scene makes up for it in a weird way. It’s a little heavy on fan-service (though it IS a sex scene, so you can’t be surprised it is there), but there’s no denying that the scene contains well written, mature, adult dialogue that does justice to the relationship that Marz has done such a fine job of establishing. The conversation between the characters had to happen and it is executed in a way that simply works.

What’s Not So Good: Stjepan Sejic’s artwork always shines when the Witchblade powers or the supernatural are a part of the story. Unfortunately, in Witchblade #132, there is little use of the Witchblade and only one shot of the supernatural thing that “The Bridge” is all about. As a result the flaws of Sejic’s style are a bit more noticeable than usual. The characters all look a bit plastic, inconsistent, or emotionless at times, some panels seem pretty rushed, and there’s a lack of definition in a few scenes that proves to be distracting. While the latest issue of Witchblade looks far from bad as a whole, but I’ve come to expect more from the series and the artist.

Conclusion: Witchblade #132 works because it takes care of some character issues in an effective way and proves to be a nice start to what looks to be a short, but entertaining arc. While the book isn’t exactly a “must read” in any way, it’s worth checking out if you are a fan of the Witchblade series.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade #131 – Review

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

Some Thoughts Before The Review: With the War of the Witchblades all wrapped up, I look forward to seeing where Ron Marz takes the series next. Will he dive right into another event or let the series go back to being about supernatural crime solving for a while? Time to find out.

The Story: Patrick Gleason and Sara Pezzini’s sister discuss Sara’s current situation while taking care of Hope. Meanwhile, Sara saves a child’s life and says goodbye to Dani.

What’s Good: Witchblade #131 serves as a great jump-on point for readers looking to check out the Witchblade series. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that it does gives readers a taste of pretty much everything the series offers. The conversation between Sara’s boyfriend and her sister that frames the entire issue is realistic, written well, and does a nice job of filling the reader in on everything that needs to be known about the state of the series going forward. In addition, the Sara Pezzini action scene does a nice job of giving readers a feel for what the series is like when it’s not focusing on an epic, universe altering event (which it seems like it has been doing more often than not as of late).

What’s Not So Good: While Witchblade #131 is a great jump-on point, it’s also a pretty boring read for series regulars. Nothing new happens, no real story seeds are planted, and the brief action scene is pretty tame and underwhelming for the most part. In addition, the flaws of Stjepan Sejic’s style are really noticeable considering that most panels are made up of little more than “a day in the life” type stuff. The characters occasionally look mannequin-like, some details look smudgy, and the action scene only has two notable panels. The artwork certainly doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t have the “wow” factor Sejic’s work usually has.

Conclusion: There really isn’t anything more to say about the latest issue of Witchblade. As a place to jump on board, it works great. It just doesn’t have a whole lot to offer series regulars.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

WCBR’s Top Picks

Kyle’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Secret Warriors #8 – The “God of Fear, God of War” arc continues to impress the hell out of me thanks to the strong character work that’s been done for both Phobos and his father, Ares.

Most Anticipated: Dark Reign: The List – Secret Warriors #1 – Predictable choice, I know, but more Secret Warriors is always a good thing.

Other Top Picks: Batman and Robin #5, Sweet Tooth #2, Astonishing X-Men #31, The List: Secret Warriors, Deadpool #16, Strange Tales #2, Vengence of the Moon Knight #2, X-Men Vs. Agents of Atlas #1, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #3, Haunt #1, Incarnate #2, Witchblade #131, and War Heroes #3.

Rob G.’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Thor #603- This just book just edges out Green Lantern #46 because of it’s sheer literary mastery (although GL was a ton of fun). Thor is one for the ages and will be remembered as a classic, maybe the best run of this past decade.

Most Anticipated: Astonishing X-Men #31 – The return of the Brood in Ellis’s hands. Let me wipe the drool away. Plus, Jemeriz has taken over art duties so I’m looking forward to more consistent and pleasing visuals than the last arc. Honestly, I can’t see what can be bad here.

Other Top Picks: Amazing Spider-Man #608, Batman and Robin #5, Batman: The Unseen #1, Captain America: Theater of War – Ghosts of my Country, Daredevil #501, Dark Reign: The List – Secret Warriors, Irredeemable #7, Spider-Man 1602 #1, Sweet Tooth #2, Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #3, Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2.

DS’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Wonder Woman #36 – Gail Simone and Aaron Lopresti are succeeding in restoring WW to her deserved status as one of the pillars of the DCU. Simone’s fantastic story-telling is setting the stage for another great story arc.

Most Anticipated: Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1 – it’s been a long time since we’ve had a regular dose of a Sorcerer Supreme and I’ve liked Jericho Drumm since first reading him in Strange Tales. I love Dr. Strange, but I’m hoping a new doctor in the house will bring back the freshness that made the sorcerer supreme so great under Lee and Ditko in the 1960’s.

Other Picks: Ghost Rider: Heavens on Fire #3, Batman and Robin #5, Justice League: Cry for Justice #4, Magog #2, Superman: World of New Krypton #8.

Alex’s Top Picks

Best of the Past Week: Secret Warriors #8 -The more this book focuses on the kids, the more I like it. This month’s issue was entirely centred around them, and so it takes home my pick of the week.

Most Anticipated: Haunt #1 – I was underwhelmed with Kirkman’s last ongoing, Astounding Wolf-Man, I haven’t cared about Todd McFarlane in ten years (maybe), the 10-page preview was disappointing, and the advance reviews have been absolutely blistering. What was once excitement for this series has quickly turned to morbid curiosity. That said, I’m taking a real “I’ll see it for myself” stand on this for now.

Other Picks: Batman & Robin #5, Sweet Tooth #2, Daredevil #501.

Tony’s Picks

Best of the Past Week: Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu Black & White One Shot – Green Lantern was good, don’t get me wrong, but last week’s black and white Shang-Chi comic was unlike anything Marvel’s done in a long time, and I really respected that.

Most Anticipated: Planetary #27 – Wow, the comic three years in the making. I’m sitting here at work right now typing this out and actually still have a copy of Planetary #26 in my desk, noting with bewilderment that it came out November 2006. For better or worse, the comic that reignited my love of this artform ends here and now. I’ve waited three years for this moment so, yes, it is rather anticipated.

Other Top Picks: Batman and Robin #5, Criminal: Sinner #1, Daredevil #501, Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1, Vengeance of the Moon Knight #2

The Darkness #80 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer & Artist), Andre Parks (Inks), and Sakti Yuwono, Arif Prianto, and Admira Wijaya of IFS (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: The last issue of The Darkness brought the familiar “team building” storyline to the series. And you know what? It worked really well. I look forward to seeing Jackie’s team in action now that everyone has been introduced.

The Story: Jackie’s got interest in some swampy land. Unfortunately for him, the Sovereign has some business interests in the same area. Oh yea, and there’s an ancient bog monster in the swamp that both may have to deal with in some way.

What’s Good: It’s not often that I get to review a comic that’s both written and drawn by the same person. It can’t be an easy task and I give all the credit in the world to Phil Hester for taking on the challenge. The Darkness #80 proves that he was definitely up to the task.

The first chapter of “Bog” has all the trappings of a classic swamp monster story. There’s shady businessmen, a reluctant lady who knows of the areas secret, and a likeable rogue that isn’t going to be dissuaded from getting what he wants. Hester’s story is simple, effective, and just plain entertaining. It’s also got personality to spare (though some of it is delivered in a heavy-handed way) and that goes a long way towards making up for how odd the story feels following The Darkness #79. But I’ll get to that in a bit.

Hester’s artwork in the latest issue of The Darkness is solid and gets the job done. It’s stylish and delivers in the areas that matter the most. While a few panels look a little awkward, for the most part the action’s exciting, the storytelling compliments the dialogue, and the color work/heavy inking keeps things clear and uncluttered.

What’s Not So Good: This may sound something like a nitpick, but, simply put, “Bog” is a strange way to follow up the team building stuff that’s taken place over the last few issues of The Darkness. It’s particularly strange considering that “Bog” sort of seems like a filler story that could almost be told at any point in the series. Yeah, the Sovereign character is involved so you could argue there’s some sort of storytelling window “Bog” must take place in, but the monster comes first and foremost. Jackie Estacado’s people seem to completely disappear in The Darkness #80 and it leaves me wondering why Hester didn’t decide to let the team establish itself more first before moving ahead with the “Bog” arc.

Conclusion: It isn’t perfect, but you really can’t go wrong with The Darkness #80. If you like The Darkness, monster stories, and entertaining dialogue, be sure to pick it up.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade #130 (War of the Witchblades) – Review

By Ron Marz (Writer) and Sjepan Sejic (Art)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: A dead main character, a powerful artifact once again made whole…yep, the War of the Witchblades has definitely brought changes to the series.

The Story: The War of the Witchblades concludes…

What’s Good: While some parts of the War of the Witchblades arc felt a bit drawn out, Ron Marz and Stjepan Sejic make every page of Witchblade #130 count. The script is tight, nearly every panel aides the storytelling in some way, and the changes promised breathe some new life into the Top Cow Universe. In short, as a conclusion to a “game-changing” storyline, Witchblade #130 delivers in a big way.

The biggest problem I’ve had with the recent direction of the Witchblade series is that too often individual issues lacked balance. A book was either the Ron Marz show (a slow read, loaded with exposition/dialogue/narration and maybe a montage for flavor) or the Stjepan Sejic show (a really pretty, but very fast, read). Witchblade #130 truly gives readers the best of both worlds. Ron Marz’s War comes to a satisfying close as some new story doors open up, while Stjepan Sejic is given enough epic action to really show off what he’s capable of. And let me tell you what… Stjepan Sejic is capable of a whole hell of a lot. From the dynamic panel layouts and shapes to the level of detail that’s on display, Witchblade #130 is one great-looking comic. It can definitely be a negative thing when a book is loaded with large panels, but Sejic makes the absolute most of every single bit of page space that he’s given.

What’s Not So Good: You know what tends to bother me? When a storyline feels like it wraps up in a way that’s almost too neat and tidy. While the War of the Witchblades’ ending satisfies, it also veers pretty far into ” clean, happy ending” territory that seems out of place considering how dark the overall arc is.
My only other complaint is a familiar one. Stjepan Sejic’s characters occasionally look plastic and doll-like due to the techniques that he uses. A bit more facial detail would really go a long way towards eliminating the plastic look in my opinion.

Conclusion: The latest issue of Witchblade looks great and brings a solid story to a satisfying close. Pick it up.

Grade: B+

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade #129 (War of the Witchblades Chapter 5) – Review

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

Some Thoughts Before The Review: One big problem that I have with events is that once one gets rolling, I can’t help but think about what’s going to happen after it. Is the Witchblade going to become whole again? Is one of the main characters going to die (for real this time)? Is the event leading towards something much bigger? With the War of the Witchblades winding down, I have to imagine I’ll find an answer or two to the questions I have in Witchblade #129.

The Story: Dani confronts Sara with the intention of ending the War of the Witchblades. Meanwhile, the Angelus force hovers outside of Dani’s place, intently watching Finch.

What’s Good: Witchblade #129 is driven by the action that Ron Marz uses to shake the status quo of the series. The battle between Sara and Dani is intense, questions are answered, and the future of the Witchblade series is made a little bit more clear. In other words, the latest Witchblade delivers where it matters most with an event like The War of the Witchblades going on.

Artist Stjepan Sejic does his best work when there’s a lot of supernatural stuff going on. So, needless to say, Witchblade #129 is one hell of a good looking book. The dark and light Witchblade armor looks fantastic, Sara’s Darkness-powered bridge/lair thing is awesome, and a few pages of the fight between Sara and Dani are truly epic-looking (I’d mention my favorite image, but I don’t want to spoil anything).

What’s Not So Good: Since it’s so full of action, Witchblade #129 is an extremely fast read. Dialogue is a bit sparse and since large images dominate the book, the pages just fly by. The only other negative I can think of is that occasionally Stjepan’s characters look plastic, unnatural, and, in all honesty, a bit creepy. That’s a minor complaint about the artwork though, since most of the character work is quite good.

Conclusion: Witchblade #129 is a must read comic for fans of the series. It looks great, packs some nice surprises, and will leave you wanting more.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

The Darkness #79 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer), Jorge Lucas (Art), and Felix Serrano (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I was casually flipping through The Darkness #79 when, all of a sudden, I yelled… “Triple-H!?”

The Story: Jackie’s got a new team to work with…

What’s Good: Phil Hester sticks to a very familiar “team-gathering” formula with The Darkness #79 and it works surprisingly well. Each member of Jackie’s team is introduced and given an entertaining (slightly seedy) back-story in a way that wouldn’t feel out of place in an Avengers title. As you probably know though, The Darkness isn’t your average superhero book and it’s for that reason that the latest issue of The Darkness stands out. While Hester doesn’t do anything new with the formula he’s working with, he doesn’t really have to because the style and tone of The Darkness is enough to make his story feel fresh.

Jorge Lucas’ gritty, dark work is a perfect fit for the new Darkness arc. There’s times when a more exciting style works for the series (Michael Broussard’s comes to mind), but this is not one of them. Hester is building a story that’s a bit more grounded and Lucas’ work adds a lot to the tone Hester is going for.

What’s Not So Good: The whole “HHH” thing is a bit of a distraction. I don’t mind referencing if it’s done right, but the WWE star’s appearance really took me out of the story. While HHH is certainly a solid choice for the character his likeness is used for, Vike will always be HHH rather than Vike.

Conclusion: It’s a bit formulaic, but The Darkness #79 is entertaining as hell. I look forward to seeing what Jackie Estacado’s team can do.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

The Darkness #78 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer), Nelson Blake II (Pencils), Ryan Winn (Inks), and Arif Prianto of IFS (Colors)

Some Thoughts Before The Review: I’m glad that it looks like Phil Hester is about to get The Darkness back on track. While I’ve enjoyed the re-launch of The Darkness quite a bit, there’s no denying that something has been missing.

The Story: Jackie wants to regain some measure of control and power. To do so he must take out the Sovereign…

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The Darkness #78 tells a cool little story that not only works well as a (temporary) conclusion to the Sovereign arc, but also as a standalone story about Jackie Estacado being a total badass. It’s clever, it’s brutal, and it’s written/framed in a way that effectively adds to Estacado’s mystique as someone that’s not to be messed with. In addition, The Darkness #78 does a nice job of setting up the near future of the series which, from the looks of it, seems to be all about getting back to what made Jackie’s story such a hit to begin with.

Nelson Blake II is the big surprise of the latest issue of The Darkness. I’ve seen Blake’s pencil work before, but I don’t recall it ever looking quite as good as it does in The Darkness #78. Thanks to Ryan Winn and Arif Prianto, Blake’s work is bright, clean, and stylish in a way works far better than you’d expect; considering what an issue of The Darkness normally looks like. While the art isn’t really a prime example of the typical “Darkness” style, it still proves to be a nice change of pace for the series.

Conclusion: The Darkness #78 isn’t groundbreaking or particularly exciting, but it delivers as a solid piece of entertainment. The art impresses and the writing effectively sets the stage for the next chapter of The Darkness.

Grade: B

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade #128 (War of the Witchblades Chapter 4) – Review

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

Some Thoughts Before The Review: “The War of the Witchblades” event got quite a jolt from the last issue, thanks in part to the (possible) deaths of not one, but two main characters. While I’m sure that at least one of the Witchblade bearers will turn out to be at least somewhat ok, it all made for a very nice cliffhanger.

The Story: The Angelus warrior Sabine sees an opportunity to make the Witchblade whole again, but needs to manipulate Dani in order for the plan to work…

What’s Good: Let me just say this this section is going to look a bit misleading because I actually like Witchblade #128 quite a bit… Anyways, “The War of the Witchblades” continues to intrigue, thanks to the mystery surrounding some of the elements of the mythology that the story has introduced. Ron Marz is doing a nice job of crafting a memorable event and handling the characters; the latest chapter of the story reads rather well. And thanks to Stjepan Sejic’s unique painted style (the artist’s work is as strong as ever in Witchblade #128), the event is as compelling to look at as it is to read.

What’s Not So Good: The problem with the latest issue of Witchblade is that it doesn’t do a whole lot to move the Witchblade war forward. See the story summary above? That’s pretty much all that happens in the issue outside of the (now standard) mysterious old shop owner appearance. Sure it sets the stage for what looks to be a classic battle, but that doesn’t feel like enough when it seems like more could be happening. It’s always frustrating when a good event is bogged down by pacing issues.

Conclusion: I know that’s not much of a review written above, but there just isn’t a whole lot that needs to be said about Witchblade #128. On a technical level, it’s a pretty standard issue of a good series. What that means is that the book reads well and looks absolutely spectacular at times (the “to be continued” page is poster-worthy for sure). As part of an event though, the latest chapter of “The War of the Witchblades” is a bit weak because not enough happens to make Witchblade #128 as satisfying as it could be.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade Darkness Angelus Trinity Blood On The Sands – Review

Some Thoughts Before The Review: Even though they tend to be ultimately forgettable in the larger scheme of things, I enjoy the random Darkness/ Witchblade one-shots because they always manage to enrich the mythology or characters of the Top Cow universe in some way.

The Darkness: Diyafa by Philip W. Smith II (Writer), Sheldon Mitchell (Pencils), Joe Weems V (Inks), and Arif Prianto (Colors)

Witchblade: Assahiya by Philip W. Smith II (Writer), and Admira Wijaya & Sunny Gho (Art)

Angelus: Chermera by Philip W. Smith II (Writer), Tom Grindburg (Pencils & Inks) and Sunny Gho (Colors)

The Story: In “Diyafa,” a young man seeks out “The Dark Wyrm” that uses the Darkness in order to rescue a loved one. In “Assahiya,” the Witchblade’s balance is divided between two sisters. In “Chermera,” a man must kill a lover that has been corrupted by the Angelus.

What’s Good and What’s Not So Good: The visually impressive Top Cow one-shot Blood on the Sands amounts to more than the sum of its parts. That said, I’m not really sure how much more because I’m certain that Blood on the Sands would have worked better as a mini-series as opposed to a single one-shot. Taken individually, each short story is simple, rushed, predictable, and, truthfully, not all that interesting. But, taken together, each short story weaves together with the current Darkness/Witchblade/Angelus situation surprisingly well.

The artwork is easily the highlight of Blood on the Sands. Each story is done in a specific, (mostly) fitting style that makes up for some of one-shot’s shortcomings. I would love to see each art team given a full issue to work on.

Conclusion: Blood on the Sands is a solid enough fix for fans of the Top Cow universe, but it’s far from an essential read.

Grade: C

-Kyle Posluszny

The Darkness #77 – Review

By Phil Hester (Writer), Michael Broussard (Pencils), Ryan Winn (Inks), and Arif Prianto (Colors)

The Story: Jackie fights the lady with the red ribbon’s guardian and comes to learn the secret of the curse… and of his break with the Darkness.

What’s Good: The battle between Jackie and the sand guardian feels adequately epic thanks to the exciting, dynamic visuals and the dialogue that flows along with the action. In addition, it’s nice to see what (initially) seems like a throwaway battle used as a springboard for getting the series back to doing what it does best. While I don’t want to spoil anything, let’s just say that it’s good to see Phil Hester move the story away from the Sovereign and back towards the Darkness. I wish I could say more about the issue, but the best stuff is saved for the end (in other words, spoiler territory).

What’s Not So Good: While it’s not a huge distraction, Jackie and the lady with the red ribbon are drawn rather inconsistently. Jackie, in particular, looks like a completely different person at times. Having that irregularity throw you when following the character.

Another complaint I have is that some of the dialogue is a bit too heavy-handed and melodramatic. While it fits the story quite well, it’s still a bit silly from time to time.

Conclusion: The Darkness #77 is just solid all around. The visuals look good, the storytelling is pretty compelling, and the ending is sure to please all fans.

Grade: C+

-Kyle Posluszny