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Review: “X-Files Season 10” # 8

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10 years ago

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Joe Harris brings a one and done adventure to the “X-Files Season 10” this month. The effect is a fast paced issue that is steeped in mystery and rushes toward a conclusion. Michael Walsh’s return is welcomed, as his artistic style feels incredibly at home in this world. The tight script and fun art make for one of the best chapters of this book yet.


WRITTEN BY: Joe Harris
ART BY: Michael Walsh
PUBLISHER: IDW
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 8, 2014

This month begins with one of the most chilling sequences the series has ever churned out. It gets under your skin, and dashes the story with the perfect amount of mystery before abruptly shooting us back into the present.

See, Harris knows that any good mystery is steeped in the past. By unraveling threads that once made sense the present can come apart at the seams. Seeing Mulder return to his older home, only to receive a cryptic message that unnerves him shows that everything is fractured. It makes the mystery all the more interesting.

Theoretically I was always a fan of approaching this series as a more frenzied affair. I was excited to see what a one and done issue would be like. It begins with a frantic and dangerous pace. The entire thing has a sense of danger, urgency, and deep mystery. Everything falls apart in the final pages. In an effort to resolve the plot, the script falls into a question and answer period between Mulder and Scully. We’re treated to the all too conventional “you’re not going to believe this revelation” and cliffhanger. It feels forced.

Michael Walsh’s work here is actually staggering. Although I enjoyed different artists take on the characters, it’s clear that Walsh “gets” the mannerisms of Mulder and Scully. Not to mention, his art in the opening sequence manages to be completely chilling. His use of a birds eye view paneling to set the stage of the massacre will get inside your head. While his panel of Mulder with his feet up, pencils in the ceiling, and sound asleep at his desk will have you laughing. It’s the great range that this book needs, and it somehow Walsh can flip between these styles within a page.

This issue feels like another great chapter in the series. While the ending does feel forced and a little to inorganic to service the conclusion of the story, the first 80% of the issue is absolutely top notch. The opening sequence is worth the cover price alone.

The X-Files has always been in this state of near progress. We’re always treated to startling truths about the past that don’t really change anything. For this series to truly succeed some forward momentum needs to be introduced that challenges and changes these characters. Far too often things are hastily dealt with and taken care of in tried and true methods. Harris, I dare you to give me a failure, show me what happens when nothing goes right. Put The X-Files program in danger again give me some real stakes.

Rating: 3.5/5 Skulls.

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

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21 hours 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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