Comics

Review: ‘X-O Manowar’ #8

Published

11 years ago

December 19, 2012

BigJ

Trying to find new ways to rave about Valiant’s books is becoming increasingly difficult each month. The company’s entire line of books are stellar and consistently leading the pack is X-O Manowar. Writer Robert Venditti has taken “X-O Manowar”, and turned it into the crown jewel of the company’s relaunch. “X-O Manowar” combines all the best elements of “300”, “Conan”, and “Iron Man” into one melting pot that is enhanced by spellbinding action, intriguing characters, and some remarkably poignant storytelling.

WRITTEN BY: Robert Venditti
ART BY: Lee Garbett
PUBLISHER: Valiant
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: December 19th, 2012

Issue #8 concludes the second story arc, and reintroduces Ninjak to the Valiant universe. Ninjak is Valiant’s version of James Bond, so he brought elements of international espionage and treacherous treason with him to the series. Since Ninjak’s arrival, the book has been filled with dynamic action scenes and interesting plot twists. Rather than use the guest appearance as a cheap sales gimmick, Venditti actually uses Ninjak to help advance the overall storyline. It’s apparent that the creative team is building to a much larger showdown between Aric and The Vine alien race in the next storyline “Planet Death”, and this issue ends by teasing readers with a glimpse of things to come.

Artist Cary Nord set the bar pretty high on the first four issues. This second arc has featured the artistic talents of Lee Garbett, whose conventional style and sense of storytelling is the perfect complement for the scriptwork. Garbett delivers some blockbuster battle sequences in this issue as Aric Dacia and Ninjak blast and slash their way through the British Secret Intelligence Service.

“X-O Manowar” should be on the top of your reading pile every month, as every issue of so far has been top notch. The first trade is conveniently priced at just $9.99, so why not join in the fun. In a comic book marketplace where most books are plagued with inconsistent creative teams, it’s refreshing to see a book like “X-O Manowar” that is intricately mapped out, building towards a big payoff. Venditti loads “X-O Manowar” with enough energy and excitement to satisfy casual readers and reward longtime fans with some sophisticated comic book fiction.

4/5 Skulls

BigJ

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Comics

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

Published

7 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

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.