Comics

Review: ‘Crawl To Me’ Deluxe Limited Edition – Red Label

Published

11 years ago

April 2, 2013

IDW recently launched IDW Limited, an offshoot company that focuses on printing extremely high quality, limited edition collections of their most popular titles. These collected editions are not only printed on oversized high-grade paper, but they come jam-packed with goodies including original artwork, signatures, previously unseen pages, sketches, scripts, and more. Alan Robert’s Crawl To Me is one such title to receive special treatment from IDW Limited, and this new edition adds even more to an already terrific book.

Alan Robert is a hard working creator and his passion for writing and illustrating horror stories jumps off the page. When “Crawl To Me” was first released, I was swept off my feet. The story follows Ryan who moves into a remote home with his wife and newborn child. The situation immediately becomes dire as their creepy neighbor turns out to be a wanted maniac. To add insult to injury, Ryan and his wife begin losing their minds, which leads to horrifying hallucinations of rat-infested walls and a serious desire to harm their child. Robert’s story is a wonderful pedal-to-the-metal ride straight into the depths of hell. The final chapter is a hard hitting twist that brings the surreal story back to the real world, drawing attention to the real horror that surrounds us every day.

I already loved “Crawl to Me”, but it’s amazing how much this IDW Limited printing adds to the reading experience. The book comes wrapped up in a beautiful slipcover that any horror fan would be proud to showcase on their mantel, but the real delights come from what’s inside the slipcover.

The oversized printing allows you to appreciate all the nitty-gritty details of Robert’s artwork. Robert has a unique style that meshes digital and hand drawn images. With the oversized pages, you see how much effort went into rendering each of the panels, which in turn draws you deeper into the story. At the back of the book are some of Robert’s original scripted pages plus a look at concept art for the series. If you’re an aspiring writer or artist, one of the only ways to learn is to study how the pros do it. This printing offers ample opportunity to get inside the mind of the creator and to see the entire process from concept to script to finished pages.

The Red Label Edition also comes with an original hand-drawn sketch from Alan Robert that is numbered and signed. The original art comes in it’s own binder that fits nicely inside the slipcase as well. I’ve been a big fan of Robert for a while and having an original sketch from him is a welcome addition to my collection.

IDW Limited prints serious books for serious collectors. If there’s a title from IDW that you really love, these special editions are an absolute must. The price range for some of these printings is quite steep, but, as the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If you want an original sketch, generally you’d have to buy a ticket to a comic con, then pay upwards of $50 for the sketch. However, with IDW Limited, the process has become a lot simpler. Now you can get an extremely special edition printing and an original sketch without ever leaving your house.

4.5/5 Skulls

Related Topics:Alan Robert Crawl To Me IDW Limited IDW Publishing

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

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

Published

6 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.