Comics
Review: ‘Velvet’ #1
A smart spy thriller, “Velvet” #1 will keep readers on their toes as each plot twist hits them hard. This is an exciting glimpse into a secretive world filled with gun-toting traitors, high-ranking schemers, and trained assassins. No one can be trusted as everyone is pretending to live a double life in the “Velvet” series.
WRITTEN BY: Ed Brubaker
ART BY: Steve Epting
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: October 23, 2013
The underground organization, X-Ops, has sent their top secret agent, Jeff Keller, on a dangerous assignment in Paris. With the Eiffel Tower behind him, Jeff ends up taking out his gun and shooting a room full of innocent civilians. After dodging the French police, Jeff jumps across the rooftops before finally reaching his parked car. Just when he thought the fiasco was over, Jeff suddenly sees the shotgun pointed at him. At point-blank range, the shotgun blast kills Jeff before he can take out his piece. At the X-Ops headquarters in London, Velvet Temptation has just been debriefed about Jeff’s murder. Velvet will have to go through her own team in order to find Jeff’s killer.
Writer Ed Brubaker takes his espionage-driven narrative through different foreign settings and time periods. What I liked most about Brubaker’s writing is how he transitions the timeline between Velvet’s past and present. With the story set amid the ’70s and late ’60s, Brubaker has a way with the hard-bitten dialogue as the narrative steers toward noirish territory. When a secondary character calls Velvet nothing more than a “secretary,” it automatically sounds misogynist and hateful.
During the time jumps, Brubaker is able to hint at the many layers behind Velvet Temptation. When Velvet is at the X-Ops offices, she is more of a bookworm, kind of like a librarian, as she goes through tedious amounts of paperwork. But when she is out in the field, Velvet lets loose her hair, becoming seductive and adventurous. And when she is at home, Velvet acts like a completely different person, living a comfortably quiet life. Notice in the bedroom how there is no personal item belonging to her.
Artist Steve Epting has an interesting character design for Velvet. When Velvet is at the X-Ops headquarters, her wardrobe is classy and business-like. To keep up the elegant look, Epting lets a white strand of Velvet’s hair curl around her face. Epting uses rain as a way to establish the noir themes. When Velvet is walking across the rainy streets of London, she uses a brown trench coat to cover herself, as if she is always hiding something.
Epting’s illustrations in the opening pages will instantly hook the readers. It’s an action sequence gone horribly wrong as Jeff finds himself suddenly comprised. A tribute to the James Bond movies, specifically the Pierce Bronsan ones, Jeff is wearing a black suit and a bowtie as he fights his way through security. The panels burst with red hues as Jeff is taken down by the hidden gunman.
“Velvet” #1 kicks off to a great start and I hope the excitement keeps up in the next issue. If you’re a fan of “24” and the Jason Bourne movies, you’re definitely going to enjoy the hell out of “Velvet.”
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by – Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
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Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
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Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
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Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
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Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
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Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
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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.
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