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Review: ‘Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight’ # 3

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10 years ago

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This month marks the beginning of “Prison Ship Antares.” Another fantastically trashy chapter of “Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight.” The story is perfect sci fi camp brought to life once again by writer Alex De Campi. The script is sure to shock, disgust, and positively entertain with fantastic art by Simon Fraser.

This entirely new chapter is fantastically paced. The quick story is deeply rooted in grindhouse cinema taking all the rules of normal film and throwing them at wall. This series is pure tongue in cheek fun that never lets up for a moment.

WRITTEN BY: Alex De Campi
ART BY: Simon Fraser
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: December 4, 2013

It’s clear to me that Alex De Campi’s last name is no mistake given her mastery of camp. Since her new story “Prison Ship Antares” is so ripe with silly concepts that take themselves so seriously that she may as well offer a masterclass on writing grindhouse movies.

The correctional transport spaceship Antares is home to a bunch of badass babely women. The ship is home to an insane warden who wants nothing more than to “cleanse” the residents of her ship. Obviously a bunch of these badass babes won’t put up with the warden’s shit.

De Campi makes sure to work in a wonderful assortment of genre tropes. The script is delightfully busy and dripping with sexuality. Nothing is ever really lingered on long enough for any plot point to be questionable. Instead the script barrels ahead trading shocking moments for fun character moments in equal measure.

The result is a series of strong introductions to a wonderful cast of characters and a little bit of exposition hidden within for good measure. It had me marveling because artist Simon Fraser doesn’t waste a single panel.

His art perfectly compliments the cheese of the story. His depiction of the ship, or his wonderful display of the Warden’s power once she turns on the hose to “cleanse” the prisoner flexes his chops in the sci fi world. His characters are extremely expressive and ripe with details that help set them apart in a world of orange jumpsuits. His roots are 2000AD should be quite clear once you see any of his characters with a menacing face.

A particular flashback scene is paneled with such ferocity that the karate moves leap out of the page at the reader. The entire fight feels authentic and fluid and is quite possibly the best fight scene any grindhouse movie could ever hope for. Plus it ends with a horrid display that reminds the reader of the world they’ve entered.

The best way to describe this series is sensual. In that it appeals to the senses. It will arouse, disgust, and shock you. The entire ordeal is a provocative and irresistible tribute to an era of cinema long forgotten. The nice truth is that this comic is the perfection of the idea. This comic can achieve things in the voice of grindhouse that the cinema equivalent could never due to budgets, actors, and special effects. So the result is something better than the idea that inspired it. Which is a hard task to achieve but De Campi and Fraser make it look easy.

Rating: 4.5/5 Skulls

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Comics

‘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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