Comics

Review: ‘Sheltered’ #4

Published

11 years ago

October 17, 2013

As each page hooks the reader right in, “Sheltered” #4 delivers a heart pounding issue. In a suspenseful turn of events, the “Sheltered” series becomes an excellent moody thriller about teens lost in their own hellhole. To survive in the apocalypse, you cannot trust anyone over 18.

WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson
ART BY: Johnnie Christmas
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 16th, 2013

Seeking refuge from the outside world, a group of parents transported their children to Safe Haven, a gated and isolated community. Safe Haven belongs to the “Preppers,” survivalists who have trained themselves for the inevitable doomsday. What the parents didn’t know is that their children were going to kill them. Led by the psychotic Lucas, the teenagers eventually murdered their parents in cold blood. Wanting revenge against the murder of the father, Victoria wants to take down Lucas and his cult. But with Hailey injured, how can Victoria protect her against a room full of murderous savages?

Writer Ed Brisson explores the psychotic mind of Lucas in this installment. Lucas seems himself as a charismatic leader who wants full obedience. When he is pushed to a corner, Lucas knows exactly what to say to calm down the heated argument. But, he has issues when it comes to happiness. Surrounded by couples, Lucas feels isolated and alone even though there are those who worship his very feet. But when someone attempts to defy him, Lucas is ready to take out the knife in his pocket.

Throughout the narrative, Brisson compares teenage angst to an erupting volcano. Victoria is waiting to explode after realizing Lucas’s reasons are nothing more than pathetic lies. But she is able to keep a calm head because Hailey is with her. Victoria is trying to figure out how she can help Hailey walk out of Safe Haven. Hailey’s safety is more important to Victoria than killing Lucas.

Artist Johnnie Christmas brings out the eeriness when he illustrates kids with guns. Christmas is able to demonstrate how these unbalanced teens really don’t know how to handle a firearm. These kids think they know about guns from watching movies and TV. The nerdy kid holding the assault rifle looks like he is going to shoot his foot off by accident.

Pay close attention to the pattern to Lucas’s bruised cheek. In a close-up, Christmas lines up the stitches underneath Lucas’ eye. Because Lucas is cracked in the head, the stitches appear like they can barely hold together. During the climatic pages, Christmas captures Lucas’ mental breakdown on his facial expressions in shadows.

With a startling cliff-hanger, “Sheltered” #4 gets readers anxious for the next issue. As the “Sheltered” series steers into “Lord of the Flies” territory, we’ve just witnessed how Lucas has fallen into the dark side of human nature.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

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

Published

7 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.