Connect with us

Comics

Review: “Ash and the Army of Darkness” #6

Published

10 years ago

on

Full disclosure: “Ash and the Army of Darkness” hasn’t really been doing it for me. The first arc left so much to be desired both in plot and art. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised by issue #6 and its presentation of a slightly (emphasis on slightly) meatier plot, giving us more character depth and story development. Not to mention the series new artist, Nacho Tenorio, who absolutely killed it.

 

ASHandAOD06-Cov-ERICKSON-e692fWRITTEN BY: Steve Niles

ART BY: Nacho Tenorio

PUBLISHER: Dynamite Entertainment

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: April 23, 2014

When I read the official blurb from Dynamite, “A new adventure awaits Ash in the Dark Wood as he tries to find Evil Sheila and the Book of the Dead. But Sheila is too busy trying to resurrect a new undead husband to bother with Ash.” I was fairly pumped. It sounded like Evil Sheila was going to Frankenstein the hell out of a new Ash for herself. And Folks, that’s exactly what happens. She scrounges around for perfect male parts to put together her love and it’s awesome! But short. I would have been happy with more of that plot.

Meanwhile, Ash sets out to find his Sheila and the Book of the Dead but stumbles into a totally weird situation leading him to meet Sulevia. Earlier in the issue we are introduced to this character by a group of creepily faithful and handless Ash devotees (handless to show their devotion to Ash. See? Creepy). They explain that they’re aware of Ash because Sulevia, a woman who knows all has foretold of him. And at this point, it’s anyone’s guess whether or not she’s good or evil since Ash has a tendency to get mixed up with deceivers.

While the plot is meatier, as I mentioned above, it’s still lacking in… something. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Maybe it’s just that not a lot happens in the course of the issue. But what does happen is cool and exciting, leaving us on a cliffhanger that gets me reading more and more even though I’m not totally on board with this comic.

One thing I will say about this issue is that Niles has completely dialed down the Ash-isms. And thank hell for that. We still get a “Groovy” but that’s about it. In fact, gone is the Ash who loves the praise of ladies and wants the world to bow to his sexy goodness. In this issue, we see an Ash who is tired of being called “sir” and “sire,” an Ash who just wants to get business done without those around him messing up his plans with their odd sense of worship. This was a refreshing spin on the Ash we all know. He’s showing a sincere side that if kept up, could really turn this comic around for me.

 

 

Reviewed By: Bree Odgen

Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Comics

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

Published

4 hours 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

Continue Reading