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Review: ‘The Crow’ #1

Published

12 years ago

on

James O’Barr and Brandon Lee just rolled over in their graves. From quality of content, all the way to artistic style, this book is a dismal let down; a story line that doesn’t know its ass from its elbow, dialogue that is unintentionally comedic, and art like an acid flashback.

WRITTEN BY: John Shirley
ART BY: Kevin Colden
PUBLISHER: IDW
RELEASE: July 11th

Starting at the core, the structure of the story is weak. It constantly jumps around making it hard to know who we are following, and more importantly why this has anything to do with the Crow himself. As the story/acid trip continues it’s a further trip down the rabbit hole, and it’s easy to get lost in the fray with additional characters thrown in all over the place, with little to know explanation of who/what they are. The story jumps around from panel to panel without explanation, and perhaps a narrator would have been useful.

I know it’s the first issue, and I know this sounds harsh, but something has to be there to draw the reader back in. Unfortunately, there are just way too many unanswered questions, but not the good kind. Specifically, who the hell is this guy in the grave yard and why is he being affiliated with the spirit-crows? Even the ending is anti climatic. Finally when there is going to be action of some kind it is a let-down.

Once again, this book looks like a bad drug trip. Swirling art with no definitive outline makes some panels indistinguishable, and combined with light pastels, it makes it even worse. The sketchiness of the art is far too over the top, many of the panels look like there was a lack of effort, or more likely, Colden was in a rush to meet a deadline. There is very little to no effort is put into the backgrounds of half the panels, just some light shading of what could be buildings or a wall? It’s hard to tell. The extreme sketchiness of the art coupled with the over use of light shading at times and extremely dark at others adds to the acid -like nature of the comic.

IDW needs to go back to the drawing board for this book. It has the potential to be something huge, but with its erratic layout, and lack of quality art, it is definitely not a book I can recommend, which is disappointing because I’m a big fan of the original story.

1.5/5 Skulls

Review by- GreenBasterd

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

1 day ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

Witchblade cover

Witchblade, the popular comic series that initially ran from 1995 to 2015 and launched a TV series, is getting resurrected in a new comic series from Top Cow and Image Comics. It’s set to unleash heavy metal, black magic and blood this summer.

Look for the new Witchblade series to launch on July 17, 2024.

In Witchblade #1, “New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini’s life was forever fractured by her father’s murder. Cold, cunning, and hellbent on revenge, Sara now stalks a vicious criminal cabal beneath the city, where an ancient power collides and transforms her into something wild, magnificent, and beyond her darkest imaginings. How will Sara use this ancient power, or will she be consumed by it?”

The series is penned by NYT Best-Selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, Batwoman, DC Bombshells) and visualized by artist Giuseppe Cafaro (Suicide Squad, Power Rangers, Red Sonja). The creative duo is working with original co-creator Marc Silvestri, who is the CEO of Top Cow Productions Inc. and one of the founders of Image Comics. They are set to reintroduce the series to Witchblade’s enduring fans with “a reimagined origin with contemporary takes on familiar characters and new story arcs that will hook new readers and rekindle the energy and excitement that fueled the 90’s Image Revolution that shaped generations of top creators.”

Bennett said in a statement, “The ability to tell a ferocious story full of monsters, sexuality, vision, and history was irresistible.” She adds, “Our saga is sleek, vicious, ferocious, and has a lot to say about power in the 21st century and will be the first time that we are stopping the roller coaster to let more people on. I’ve loved Witchblade since I was a child, and there is truly no other heroine like Sara with such an iconic legacy and such a rich, brutal relationship to her own body.”

“The Witchblade universe is being modernized to reflect how Marguerite beautifully explores the extreme sides of Sara through memories, her personal thoughts, like desire and hunger, in her solitude and when she is possessed by the Witchblade. So, I had to visually intersect a noir True Detective-like world with a supernatural, horror world that is a fantastic mix between Berserk and Zodiac,” Cafaro stated.

Marc Silvestri notes, “This is brand new mythology around Sara, and I can’t wait for you to fall in love with her and all the twists and turns. Discover Witchblade reimagined this summer, and join us as we bring all the fun of the 90s to the modern age and see how exciting comics can be. I can’t wait for you to read this new series.”

Witchblade#1 will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 17th, for $4.99 for 48 pages. And it’ll come with multiple cover variants.

  • Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)

  • Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover

  • Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)

  • Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)

  • Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)

  • Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)

  • Cover H (1/250): Line art by Marc. Virgin Cover, Inks (B/W)

Witchblade #1 will also be available across many digital platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.

Witchblade comic panel Witchblade #1 cover image

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