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Review: ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season Nine’ #12

Published

12 years ago

on

Following “Part I” of a new, three-issue, story arc by Andrew Chambliss, “Guarded, Part II” continues with Buffy settling into her new working environment at Deepscan—Ex-slayer Kennedy’s high-end, bodyguard service company, which hires out ex-slayers for the rich elite. It’s definitely a step-up from her dead-end job as a barista, and offers her something she’s always longed for in terms of stability and a “real” life outside of demons and vampires. Unfortunately, where Buffy’s concerned, the forces of darkness never tend to stay away for too long, as proven from last issue’s cliffhanger. Wolfram & Hart has returned! This familiar Whedonverse institution is back and their target happens to be, Theo Daniels, founder of TINCAN, and Buffy’s first client.

WRITTEN BY:Andrew Chambliss
ART BY: Georges Jeanty
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse

Daniels isn’t your typical computer programmer and internet entrepreneur, nor is TINCAN your typical social networking site. It’s a Facebook-esque media platform for demons that are trapped in and outside of hell dimensions, and Daniels was hired by Wolfram & Hart to create it. On paper, the idea of demons “poking” each other online doesn’t seem too farfetched in the Buffyverse, but the issue at hand is obviously much more complicated. The existence of magic on Earth is gone, and the demons need to find creative ways of moving between realms. This is where Daniels and TINCAN come in. By creating a complex code within the social network, he has made it possible for dimension traveling portals to remain open.

Understanding how dangerous his creation is, Daniels hires Deepscan to shut down TINCAN’s servers and to protect him from Wolfram & Hart, who have ordered a hit on his head. Now, under the guidance of the still discontented and broken-hearted Kennedy we met in issue #11, Buffy has a lot of work to do. They can’t get to the servers before battling against a big Teuth Demon with tentacles galore, so she calls on Eldre Koh to help bring it down. Eldre Koh, as we all remember, was the demon who was set free from a mystical prison after the destruction of the Seed of Wonder in Season 9’s “Freefall”. By his people’s code of honor, he was bound and obligated to Buffy Summers, as she was the person responsible for freeing him. He, as it turns out, may or may not be as honest and trustworthy as Buffy would have hoped.

Georges Jeanty has been really inconsistent on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9”. It’s hit or miss, especially where the likenesses in the characters’ faces are concerned. Kennedy is pretty unrecognizable and it seems as if he had trouble with Buffy’s proportions in a lot of areas. It’s not his best work for the series by a longshot, but Andrew Chambliss’ exciting storyline and spirited dialogue make up for it.

There is a lot of action in this installment and hopefully more will be seen in the one to follow. Especially when taking into account the shocking betrayal at the end of the issue. Buffy is going to go ape shit in “Part III”!

3/5 Skulls

Reviewed by -ShadowJayd

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

Published

5 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

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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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