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5 Skull Review: ‘Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray’ # 2

Published

11 years ago

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Five Ghosts is probably the most fun comic you will read this year. Barbiere has crafted a story that thrives on the page, and is nothing but a pleasure to read. An insanely original concept weaved around a globe trotting adventure make for an issue that is impossible to set down. All things combined make for one of the best books out there today.

WRITTEN BY: Frank J Barbiere
ART BY: Chris Mooneyham
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: April 17th , 2013

“Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray” is a story that embraces the medium of comic books to the fullest. Barbiere creates a story layered with archetypes that stands on its own as a strong piece of literature. For the uninitiated the story follows infamous treasure hunter Fabian Gray after his encounter with a mysterious artifact known as the dreamstone. Now Fabian is possessed by five literary ghosts and can use their unique abilities.

Which is to say, our hero Fabian is just awesome. He has the magic of the wizard, the skills of the archer, the swordsmanship of the samurai, the intuition of the detective, and the everything else of the vampire. Each ghost’s skills are used sparingly and in creative ways. Fabian is profoundly interesting and conflicted by the use of his powers. Powers which seem to manifest themselves erratically and can also overcome Fabian.

By the above description one would believe that “Five Ghosts” is inherently character driven and lacks a cohesive plot. I am happy to report that such is not the case at all. Barbiere has carefully constructed a story that owes everything to old serial adventures. Memories of Indiana Jones come to mind as the pages progress, which is a damn good thing.

The story picks up in the heat of the action and our protagonist has found himself captured by the enemy. What results are the quickest 32 pages you’ll read this week. The plot flies by with tremendous pacing, and has GIANT SPIDERS! What more could a reader ask for.

Chris Mooneyham’s art is particularly incredible. His arrangement of the panels and the art within them help to create the lightening quick pacing I mentioned before. Yet, Mooneyham still finds the time to linger on a select few images. Often I found myself thinking he couldn’t possible top the last page I had turned. Yet, then I got to the end. Mooneyham lets it all run wild once Fabian uses the powers of the vampire. It’s beautiful, haunting, and impossible to resist. His style suits the pulp adventures Five Ghosts owes so much too, but stands on its own merits.

This book is easily one of the best this year. The characters are incredibly compelling, the premise is near perfect, the plot is fun, and the art is utterly fantastic. Do yourself a favor and pick this book up. It’s what comics were made for.

5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jumbus_Christ

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Comics

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

Published

5 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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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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