Comics

Review: ‘Hellraiser: The Dark Watch’ #2

Published

11 years ago

March 20, 2013

Hellraiser: The Dark Watch #2 explores its very own mythology while taking unexpected twists and turns. This is a bold and fresh step in reinventing Clive Barker’s “Hellraiser” franchise. For fans of Hellraiser 2: Hellbound, an old and unexpected face returns to the storyline.

WRITTEN BY: Clive Barker and Brandon Seifert
ART BY: Tom Garcia
PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 20th, 2013

At the Channard Institute, young Tiffany never had much to say to the nurses who took care of her. Locked inside with a psychopath, Tiffany watched as Dr. Channard became obsessed with solving the puzzle box. Willing to do anything, Channard forced Tiffany to open the gates of Hell. After Kirsty Cotton rescued Tiffany from Pinhead, they started their own war against the Cenobites. Now older, Tiffany returns to her mission of closing Hell’s gates. With demons hot on her trail, Tiffany will soon meet with Elliot Spencer’s replacement, the new ruler of Hell’s throne.

Barker and co-writer, Brandon Seifert, have matured Tiffany in her new role, while taking aspects from Kirsty’s characterization. In the opening pages, Tiffany doesn’t hesitate when she executes a puzzle box collector in cold blood. Readers see Tiffany struggle with her leadership role in the group, “Harry’s Angels.” Tiffany has what it takes to fight the Cenobites, but there is so much she doesn’t understand about them. Because she doesn’t know who the big players are in Hell, Tiffany is leading her teammates to their deaths.

What I really enjoyed about this issue how Barker and Seifert used elements of private eye novels into this horror story. In these private eye novels, there is always the informant, the muscle, and the femme fatale. In a clever nod, Tiffany gets her information from a psychic, who drowns out the ghost’s whiny voices by watching a lot of television.

What I particularly liked is how artist Tom Garcia illustrates pivotal scenes from the “Hellraiser” sequel. This isn’t a shot-for-shot recreation but Garcia’s own twisted version of the movie. In the flashback, the narrative is told from Tiffany’s point-of-view. As an adult, Tiffany is reliving how her younger self encountered Pinhead’s wrath. In her new character design, Tiffany is wearing modern fashionable clothing that makes her look hip and stylish.

Garcia doesn’t hold back on the disturbing imagery. When one of Tiffany’s teammates encounters a skeletal demon, readers will see his insides in full glory. When the monster strikes, we see his guts flying in the air and blood splashing everywhere. The dying man is even holding onto his intestines as he lies flat on the floor.

“Hellraiser: The Dark Watch” #2 continues in a promising direction and ends with a shocker. With Seifert’s love for dialogue, Tiffany returns with a feisty attitude and this time, she always has something to say. Ending on a WTF teaser, I’m definitely interested in what’s going to happen next in the third issue.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Related Topics:Boom Studios Clive Barker Hellraiser

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

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

Published

1 week 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.