Comics

Review: ‘Evil Empire’ #1

Published

10 years ago

March 6, 2014

Max Bemis’ “Evil Empire” #1 accomplishes exactly what a first issue in a series should accomplish. It introduces the main players, sets up vague and mysterious connections, inexplicitly details what conflicts are to come, and drops an atomic bomb on us in the final panels. If you come away from this issue armed with a list of questions, you’re not alone. But it’s that type of enigmatic opener that makes me clamor for the next issue.

WRITTEN BY: Max Bemis
ART BY: Ransom Getty
 PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
 PRICE: $3.99
 RELEASE: March 5, 2014

We are dropped into some near future society, corrupt and on its way to full-blown evil empire status. Though, in this first issue, none of that is completely articulated. Candidly, it just looks a lot like present-day America. Immoral and fraudulent national leaders, crime-riddled streets, the bad go free while the good suffer type of society. It’s a page out of our everyday handbook. But we’ve been told that this is an evolving comic, a society that evolves (that’s the operative word) into an evil empire, so if this is truly the case, the set up is superb.

Reese, an underground rapper with very strong anti-establishment, dare I say anarchist, views is approached by Democratic nominee Sam Duggins after one of her shows, and although I found his fangirling a little off-putting (think: young girl meets one of those British pop boy band guys), it quickly becomes oddly charming. And that charm is solidified as he pops up again a few days later during one of Reese’s MTV interviews to support her unconventional political stance. But it’s toward the end of this sequence that his charm feels two-faced. We are left feeling unsure whether or not his intentions with Reese are pure or whether he has other less savory plans in store for her. We are entering an evil empire, after all.

Ransom Getty’s art is excellent. I appreciate the strong realistic bent to the art given the story itself is meant to arouse familiar feelings in us. The pacing is quick and the different stories within the arc flow seamlessly together. I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a slow clap for the phenomenal use of literary misdirection in the opening sequence. The use of vague terminology turns into a play on words that leads the reader to believe they are about to dive into a post-apocalyptic comic with zombies and overlord machines, only to find out those terrifying descriptions are in fact being applied to modern society. And frankly, my dear, it’s damn good writing.

As I mentioned, this comic leaves you with buckets of questions, I’ve yet to see the true evil empire, or at least, anything more evil than what I see every day on the news. And more questions abound because at this point, none of the characters can or should be trusted. But Bemis pulls all of this off with perfection and ease, that is, if you enjoy reading some comics with your politics.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Bree Ogden

Lonnie Nadler

1 Comment

Comics

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

Published

6 days 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.