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Review: “Bloodhound: Crowbar Medicine” # 1

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11 years ago

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Dan Jolley’s new book “Bloodhound: Crowbar Medicine” straddles the line between police drama and superhuman pulp with relative ease. The result is an intriguing story that follows a broken man who is more concerned with rebuilding his life than solving crimes. Travis Clevenger is a hulking brute brought to life by Leonard Kirk’s pencils. The certain air of sadness in this giant man tells you everything you need to know about his dark past. With a formidable protagonist this book aims to tell a compelling story with a fantastic superhuman backdrop.


WRITTEN BY: Dan Jolley
ART BY: Leonard Kirk
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 16, 2013

This book begins with typical superhero fare. There are buzzing alarms, police in hot pursuit, and a superpowered being on the run but then it does something fantastic. It cuts to a puzzle being put together. We’re treated to Clev, a man with a lot of scars. Now he’s a man who opts to build a puzzle with his niece rather than bound around in the world he once knew.

The cuts between Clev’s mundane existence and the police’s pursuit of a superhuman provide the book with fantastic pacing. The exposition with Safforn Bell is welcomed, providing understanding of Clev’s motivation.

The entire thing keeps a fairly mundane tone. Although it does ratchet up for a moment when the police shoot at the man they are trying to catch. Aside from Leonard Kirk’s amazing splash panel, the entire affair feels particularly anticlimactic. It’s an interesting choice because it serves to push Clev as a reserved and powerful protagonist.

Leonard Kirk’s art give the book a fantastic real world appearance. His lines are clean, bold, and easy on the eyes. This helps to portray the setting of the book. Kirk’s depiction of Clev as a battle worn brute is excellent. His scarred skin and hulking frame stand in grisly comparison to other’s clean complexions and small bodies.

The man with a haunted past is an archetype in and of itself at this point. Jolley doesn’t do much in the way of explaining just why Travis is so tortured, and it may be the book’s biggest pull. His nonchalance about the past means something terrible happened and has pushed Travis into his complete antithesis. Behind that hulking frame is a lot of anger, and in a moment of action we saw his capabilities.

If this thread is followed and Jolley explores the choice between becoming the man Clev walked away from and saving the day, versus becoming something else and possibly losing, Crowbar Medicine could be a real hit.

Right now it is more like a soft whimper. The elements are there for a good series, but this first issue fails to deliver on the promise of its premise. The story only really begins by the last few page… when the shit hits the fan the book ends.

Rating: 2.5/5 Skulls

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

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1 day 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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