Comics

Advanced Review: ‘Sheltered’ #6

Published

10 years ago

January 7, 2014

With its second story arc beginning, “Sheltered” is back and better than ever with more action, suspense, and survival goodness. A perfect installment for newcomers and regulars alike, this issue offers plenty to push the story forward in the “Sheltered” series.

WRITTEN BY: Ed Brisson
ART BY: Johnnie Christmas
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: Jan. 8, 2014

In the shocking cliffhanger of the fifth installment, Lucas and his sadistic followers were suddenly discovered by someone from the outside world. For some time, Lucas and the rest of the teens were living a rebellious and violent life without adult rule. In an unexpected turn of events, someone they have never met, above their age range, has arrived at their front gates. What this interloper doesn’t know is that Lucas and his others murdered their own parents in cold blood. What will Lucas do with this invader who has unknowingly stumbled upon a bloody crime scene?

Writer Ed Brisson does something that is quite clever, yet unbelievably risky at the same time. Brisson moves away from the Safe Haven compound and tells the narrative from the point-of-view of a new character. For those who want to know what Victoria and Hailey are doing, you’ll have to wait. Brisson tell a different aspect of his mythology through a fresh perspective. Because the previous installments have all been told with a rather bleak tone, Brisson gets a chance to throw in some humorous banter, which is a welcomed addition.

What I really enjoy about this new character, Clifford, is that Brisson uses him to focus on the themes of survival and fate. The survivalists of Safe Haven have been running away because they’re afraid the whole world will fall apart. With his wife and children, Clifford has been facing hard times because the economy is in a jam. Just because the economy is bad, that doesn’t mean the apocalypse is going to happen. Clifford sticks around, even going to the extreme, to make sure his family has food on the table.

Because the story moves outside of the Safe Haven compound, artist Johnnie Christmas is able to illustrate different settings and characters. Christmas steers away from the eeriness and coldness of the winter setting, focusing more on the mundane, suburban backgrounds. Through Christmas’ artwork, we’re inside family diners, apartment buildings, and houses, which you never see at Safe Haven. In his character design, Clifford has an everyman quality about him with his overweight physique and long hair.

Christmas is also able to heighten Brisson’s witty humor in his illustrations. In one laugh-out-loud scenario, Clifford is having dinner with his family. I thought it was hilarious that Clifford’s daughter is wearing pink pajamas while eating her food. It’s a small detail, but it got me. After all, it’s the nuances that make books like “Sheltered” stand out.

“Sheltered” #6 takes the series in a new and unexpected direction, which will hopefully bring in great results as the story progresses. As always with “Sheltered”, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

4.5/5 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

1 week 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.