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Review: ‘Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight’ # 6

Published

10 years ago

on

The doors close on the third arc of ‘Grindhouse: Doors Open At Midnight.’ This month sees yet another blood soaked descent into madness. The issue is jam packed with typical De Campi charm and topped with a flair for the theatrical. “Bride of Blood” doesn’t shy away from the grisly details. Artist Federica Manfredi shows the brutal reality of medieval death in all it’s disgusting glory.


WRITTEN BY: Alex De Campi
ART BY: Frederica Manfredi
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 5th, 2014

Anyone who has talked to me recently knows I love this comic. I mean it’s every grindhouse fan’s dream come true. De Campi knows the history of this particular film subculture and smartly shifts between genres while keeping a trashy vibe throughout. “Bride of Blood” continues the tradition flawlessly. De Campi heavily entrenches herself in the medieval world as if its second nature. The savagery of the time lends itself well to the violence this comic flaunts. This is the story of revenge. The barbaric bastards who aimed to destroy a wedding actually created a monster and this month our bride gets what she seeks most.

Visually Manfredi is a gift to the medieval world. She understands the scenery and the characters of the time. Yet, the true magic comes with the gore. Things are brutal here. The script or the panels don’t shy away from incredible and horrific detail. The scene with the pack of dogs is sure to make your skin crawl.

With all that being said the story does feel particularly flimsy. Revenge stories are often simple tales with clear goals. However, we never really spent enough time with any of the characters to understand what they want outside of revenge. It’s strange, because previous chapters of this book were able to balance character and plot almost seamlessly.

However, if you’re just looking for a gory good time then look no further. This month’s story doesn’t deliver much in the way of thought provoking narrative, but it does push the creepy up to eleven. The bride is staggeringly awesome in her suit of armor. She is cool, calm, and collected. She is a killing machine. So it’s a beautiful thing to watch her exact her revenge. Failure is never an option and you don’t feel it for a second. The end of the story is haunting, and just the right amount of horrendous that you’ve come to expect from this title.

De Campi has a certain relentless talent for shameless violence and gratuitous nudity that commands the page. Her understanding of grindhouse conventions allow her to play with expectations in ways you could never imagine, and she actually elevates her stories to a level the stories that inspired them could never reach. “Bride of Blood” may not be the best chapter, but it proves she hasn’t run out of ways to shock and disgust.

Rating: 3/5 Skulls.

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

Published

5 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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