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Review: ‘The Witching Hour’ #1

Published

11 years ago

on

Full of double toil and trouble, “The Witching Hour” one-shot special is a an awesome collection of nine chilling tales. Fooling around with witchcraft can sometimes bring in grave consequences and powerful enemies. Evil spirits, wicked witches flying in brooms, and flesh-eating spiders lurk inside these twisted pages.

WRITTEN BY: Lauren Beukes, Annie Mok, Kelly Sue Donnick, Matthew Sturges, Ales Knot, Toby Litt, and Mariah Huehner
ART BY: Steve Beach, Gerhard Human, Cliff Chiang, Emily Carroll, Ming Doyle, Shawn McManus, Morgan Jeske, Mark Buckingham, Victor Santos, Tula Lotay
PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics
PRICE: $7.99
RELEASE: October 2, 2013

Casting the spell right, these tales know how to get the blood rising and the heart racing. In “Daniel,” three little witches stalk a lonely man, who is trying to hide from his past. Not even the red planet is safe from the gruesome reach of witchcraft in “Mars To Stay.” A womanizer is about to his match in “Legs.” In the charming “Fellow Travelers,” actress Marilyn Monroe and author Arthur Miller are in a race against to save the future. In “Rise,” a dead witch possesses an innocent young girl to kill everyone in sight.

In “Daniel,” I found writer/artist Steve Beach’s social commentary to be timely and gut-wrenching. The neighborhood bullies are picking on three little girls because they are dressed as witches. The same bullies then attack a lonely old man because he happens to be gay. Beach demonstrates in his heartbreaking narrative how the fear of being different plagues someone’s mind. Beach cleverly uses the horror genre to tell his message about morality and the inescapable reach of hatred.

In “Rise,” writer Mariah Huehner also has something to say about human nature. An angry witch, who was burned at the stake, blames an entire town for her unjustly execution. But these are not the same people she wants to take revenge on. Fighting for the town’s soul, Elena is trying to convince the witch that times have changed and the town is innocent. Huehner asks through her writing, is humanity really different or has human nature gotten worse over the years?

I particularly enjoyed Shawn McManus’ artwork in “Fellow Travelers.” McManus is having a blast depicting the sweet and playful personality of Norma Jean, aka Marilyn Monroe. As Monroe wears the witch’s black costume, the caricature reminds me of Elizabeth Montgomery in “Bewitched.” McManus has the cheery smile and blonde locks down pat in his drawings. Colorist Jordie Bellaire heightens Ming Doyle’s moody artwork in “Legs” with some striking red tones.

My favorite is the short, “Dead Boy Detectives in Run Ragged.” Toby Litt’s witty humor has such a strong presence in the narrative, especially when Edwin and Charles find themselves trapped in a haunted school. Mark Buckingham’s panel layouts are incredibly creative as the camera follows Maggy and Libby as they leave the tree house to rescue the dead boy detectives. The conclusion makes me excited for the upcoming “Dead Boy Detectives” series in December.

Readers will definitely get themselves in the Halloween spirit after reading the spooky tales in “The Witching Hour”.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

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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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