Comics

Review: ‘Sovereign’ #1

Published

10 years ago

March 20, 2014

Three stories begin in one book in the first issue. Sounds daunting to would-be writers, doesn’t it? “Sovereign” #1 not only does this but does it so well that I wanted to know more about each character that appeared on panel almost instantly. If you like storytelling in the same layered way Game of Thrones weaves a tale, this book is for you.

WRITTEN BY: Chris Roberson
ART BY: Paul Maybury
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEAS: 19 March 2014

This new fantasy world grabs reader’s attention and gambles on showering both mesmerizing language and visuals on each page. Each section of this story (Leaving Silence, Blade and Bow, and From the Depths) comes across as old and new at the same time. This world created by writer Chris Roberson feels age-old yet ageless at the same time. Like the real world, each part feels like the only place on the planet that matters. At the same time, you know these three very and fantastically different domains will collide down the road.

The artwork by Paul Maybury is just beautiful in its grittiness and range. Everything looks old and original and well-worn. You can clearly see Paul Pope and Marcos Martin influences in Maybury’s work. At the same time, he wholly makes his pages into an original blend into something completely engrossing and tangible. Nothing looks out of place in the valleys, the vast seas or the bountiful country sides.

Like the start to Brian K. Vaughan’s “Saga”, this new world birthed in “Sovereign” #1 gives the impression of being vast. It feels like there is a good deal to explore, experience, and exploit. Sword-wielding masked monks, dead monsters at sea and hunting parties make for a great start to a fresh feeling fantasy epic waiting to grow with each coming issue.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by: Your Friendly Neighborhood Brady

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

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

Published

7 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.