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Review: ‘Hellboy in Hell’ #5

Published

10 years ago

on

After a decent hiatus “Hellboy in Hell” is back with its fifth issue following the fallen hero on his journey through the bowels of his forsaken kingdom. It’s no surprise that Mignola has waited to release this issue. There has been a lot of action since the inception of this book and even more since its break with the two companion titles, “B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth” and “Abe Sapien”. As these other titles have come to a big events, the Hellboy story continues.

WRITTEN BY: Mike Mignola
ART BY: Mike Mignola
PUBLISHER: Dave Stewart
RELEASE DATE: December 4
PRICE: 2.99

Hellboy is coming off a pretty significant story arc, after having been killed he was taken on ridiculous jaunt through the kingdom he has willingly forsaken and to the eventual confrontation with some long lost relatives. After opening hell’s doors and letting lesser demons freedom, Hellboy finds himself at a loss as to what to do next. Luckily for him a damned soul appears and offers him his services. This journey is one of self-realization and allows Hellboy to feel empathy for another person for the first time since his unfortunate demise.

Mike Mignola’s work is genius and there is little doubt about that. He is able to infuse dialogue with such cryptic language, leaving each sentence with underlying messages. This book is not my favourite issue to date, but it offers a reflection on the character of Hellboy through social interaction. The story itself is very dark and uses a sort of sleight-of-hand maneuvering as the conversation follows one story line and the art tends to shift around, giving an eerie air to the tale. As the issue closes out it becomes clear that this incident is but blip on Hellboy’s radar and that he is finally ready to get the ball rolling.

When I think about Mignola’s art, there is one word that immediately pops into mind: creepy. I don’t know if it is the excessive amount of shadows or the sketchy structure of his illustrations but there is definitely something undeniably creepy it. I always find it strange how appealing his drawings are. There are so many other artists that give very realistic images, really bringing the image to life that scream talent, but this is a different kind of art. When you look at Mignola’s work for the first time the images appear crude and almost unfinished in some regards, the lines are uneven, robbing the illustrations of any semblance of symmetry. Upon closer inspection the images come to life as the shear care put into every squiggly curve gives the art a sinister look to reflect his word. This book is a testimonial to this raw style that makes me crave “Hellboy in Hell”. Dave Stewart continues to excel at colouring as the contrast of soft pastel colour and pure darkness gives the images the brilliance they deserve.

A slower issue overall, but I’m not to worried about it. With so much going on in the Mignolaverse Hellboy will surely play a predominant role.

3.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – GreenBasterd

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Comics

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

Published

2 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

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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