Written by Ron Marz
Art by Stjepan Sejic
Published by Top Cow
In this field of comic book-related journalism, I get asked a lot about what would I recommend. Every now and then I get a new reader and they have no idea where to start. They feel overwhelmed about mega-events and seventy years of continuity to bog their way through. I ask what they are gravitated towards. Usually it’s one of two things: Invincible for the super-hero lover, and Fables for the non-spandex type. However, I’m finding myself recommending Witchblade more and more to both those audiences.
Yes, Witchblade.
I was reintroduced to the character last year because I had dropped that book back in highschool, because it was nothing more than cheesecake and a t’n'a show, and no, I don’t mean Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Believe you me, I was shocked to learn that the series was singing a new tune with a new writer: Ron Marz.
This Summer, Top Cow had the event “War of the Witchblades”, where the two bladebearers, Sara Pezzini and Dani Baptiste, with Sara taken over by the dark side and ready to take the blade for herself. Well, everything is back to normal, and Sara has regained her sanity for the most part.
This issue strays a little from what readers are used to…it’s from the point of view from Sara’s boyfriend and her sister, Julie. We see Sara in the role of cop and supernatural heroine and it just has a classic feel to it that this is the perfect jump on issue for anybody that would be interested. The past events are covered in a single page prologue, and boom! You’re in. I like the fact that Sara has her sister around, she acts like a sort of anchor to her humanity, which she is slowly trying to hold on to after the events of “War of the Witchblades”.
Sejic’s art is breathtaking at times, but he struggles a bit when it comes to the more quaint and quiet moments. Though, when the adrenaline is pumping and the action is on, it’s just top notch.
Top Cow is really stepping up to gather new readers, and this issue for instance, is given away at some comic stores, check to see if your LCS is participating in the give-away and you’ll see what I mean if you pick up this issue. It’s solid supernatual story-telling at its best, and I’m sure you’ll agree.
October 12th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
I’m loving Witchblade and ALL of Top Cow right now! What a real success story they’ve become! $2.99 all year? Hello? Not to mention the comics they give away for free every month! Oh by the way, Ron Marz has been there for nearly 4 years, so he wasn’t exactly new, even last year.
I think the blatant stupidity of some people chalking this up to simply a TnA book is only slightly more absurd than the number of people who keep on buying books from the big 2 they don’t like just so they can complain about it later.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Witchblade is a fantastic series with terrific art and writing! Everyone for some reason rights it off as just another hokey cheesecake book but it is very much to the contrary. Yes, in the book’s early days, there was quit a bit of fan service going on but now I would say there is about as much as you would see in any book with a sexy female lead. That is mostly to do with Ron Marz’s truly visionary take on this title.
The stories are well written, fresh, and believable (well as believable as comics about a world where there’s a magical gauntlet that balances the opposing forces of the universe can be anyway lol) and it just keeps getting more and more intricate with the web Ron weaves for the characters.
Speaking of, the characters are deep and flawed yet all are redeemable and likable at the same time.
Action is always with a purpose to the storyline. And the action is always breathtaking to behold, mostly because of the main artist aboard the project named Stjepan Sejic, He is a Croatian artist that paints every detail like a beautiful tapestry for each page bringing the characters to almost photo-realistic life!
The drama is edge of your seat too, and will always leave you wanting more.
So if you haven’t given it a try I highly recommend it. And at only $2.99 a book what is there to lose?