Comics
Review: ‘Valentine Vol. 1: Ice Death’
A solid effort in combining horror, adventure, and fantasy, Valentine Vol.1: Ice Death steadily shows promise of an epic narrative and visual style. Each chapter delivers on the cliff-hangers, twist after twist, taking the narrative in surprisingly different directions. Valentine, originally published as a digital comic, is now available in print, collected as a trade paperback from Image Comics.
WRITTEN BY: Alex De Campi
ART BY: Christine Larsen
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $24.99
RE:EASE: October 10th, 2012
The greatest army in the world dwindles because of the Russian winter storm of 1812. Lost in the raging blizzard, a young soldier finds himself being hunted by ravenous red-eyed monsters. For some time now, demonic creatures have been passing dimensions because magic is being drained from their world. Now, Earth has become an intense battleground between humans and demons.
This is an interesting coming of age tale about protagonist Valentine Renaud. In the beginning, Valentine is uncomfortable stepping into battle, and he yearns to go back home. During his travels with the immortal Roland, Valentine learns much in the way of battle and becomes a true soldier. By the end, Valentine rises to the occasion, unafraid to draw blood with his glowing sword and moves without hesitation. Just when you think you know where the story arc is going, De Campi caps off each chapter with a nice plot twist to keep the story from becoming too formulaic. But, De Campi brings in elements of time travel to kick-starts the narrative. In a new time period, Valentine suddenly discovers automobiles, cell phones, and bullets.
Christine Larsen’s artwork establishes the dreary and moody atmosphere. Larsen illustrates large-scale wide shots with never-ending coldness, covering the page with snowy grounds and white skies. In the middle of nowhere, with the snow blurring the background, Larsen eerily depicts the demonic soldiers with red eyes as they rise from the shadows. Each chapter is given a distinct look and color scheme. Using historical references, Larsen is able to add little details to the guns, the clothing, and the swords, drawing out the 1812 time period. Rich in brightness and green hues, the land of magic is surrounded by fairies and elves, reminiscent of “The Hobbit”. When Valentine arrives in modern times, the vivid colors are washed away by dark red and purple tones.
“Valentine” delivers a nice balance of action and horror, without going over the top. The swordplay sequences, such as when Valentine slashes everyone around him, are always aimed for excitement, rather than shock value. De Campi and Larsen take the hero quest up a notch, adding time travel and horror to the fantasy genre. With a great starting point, Valentine’s continuing journey has the potential to build to an epic status.
Rating: 3.5/5 skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
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Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
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Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
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Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
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Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
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Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
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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.
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