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Review: ‘Spike’ #3

Published

12 years ago

on

Season Nine of the Buffyverse has been so consistently awesome, that it’s almost painful to see one of the major spin-offs fizzle out into ineffective filler material. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the case for Victor Gischler’s Spike #3. Following the events of “A Dark Place” #2, Spike meets a demon in distress named Morgan, and gets reacquainted with the nasty Pearl and Nash; all of whom are after the pieces of the destroyed Seed buried in the rubble formerly known as Sunnydale.

WRITTEN BY: Victor Gischler
ART BY: Paul Lee
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: October 24th

Part 3 begins with a flashback to Rome in 1953, where we meet an 18 year old Pearl and a young Nash who are caught up in some Black Widower Demon sex drama. Spike happens to have business with this particular demon so he shows up in all his greaser glory and decapitates the beast right as Drusilla makes her first cameo appearance of the series. Disregarding the fact that a flashback in “The Girl in Question” puts Spike and Dru in Italy in the 1950s, Gischler’s Pearl and Nash seems to be out of character and extremely superfluous in both flashback and present scenes. The readers get to touch on a bit of the backstory between Pearl, Nash, and Spike, though there’s not nearly enough presented to get anything significant out of the scene.

The rest of the issue deals with Spike, Morgan, and the bug minions in orbit aboard his ship. Past assumptions concerning Morgan’s succubus background are kicked to the curb as she reveals she’s a “high end” type of female sex demon, if you will. The fact that Gischler feels the need to establish the fact that Morgan is a classier companion, as opposed to your run-of-the-mill succubae, seems like indirect slut-shaming to me. Why is one more or less acceptable than the other?

The plot appears to be advancing, but it’s happening at such a slow pace that it’s hard to be sure how the series is going to play out. Makes you wonder how Gischler’s going to tie the story together to make for a satisfying end with only 2 more issues left.

Overall, Spike’s sarcastic retorts and his affinity for dark humor is handled really well, but the British slang placed in the dialogue comes off as forced. The third installment brings about less action on the pages but more dialogue and self-reflective monologues from our male protagonist. In terms of the artwork, Paul Lee continues to deliver uncanny likeness to the already established characters from the franchise on pencils; and Andy Owens remains consistent with his inks.

2.5/5 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

6 days 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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