Comics

Review: “Clive Barker’s Nightbreed” #3

Published

10 years ago

July 30, 2014

A solid installment, “Clive Barker’s Nightbreed” #3 dives headfirst into a vivid nightmare where there is no difference between monsters and humans. Based on Clive Barker’s “Cabal” novella, this spinoff comic explores the isolated inhabitants living in the underground city of Midian. Just like with the “Hellraiser” series, there is so much potential here to explore original stories within the “Nightbreed” mythology.

WRITTEN BY: Clive Barker and Marc Andreyko

ART BY: Piotr Kowalski

PUBLISHER: Boom! Studios

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: July 30, 2013

Reviewed by: Jorge Solis

A hideous-looking woman is hiding her unborn children from an angry mob. If the horde of violent killers finally catch up to the frightened runaway, they will slaughter her offspring one by one. Elsewhere, a young man is about to cross the thin line between saint and sinner. There is no turning back, no act of forgiveness, after what he is about to do. Though these are diverse backgrounds during special circumstances, everyone is about to learn that all roads lead to Midian.

To draw in newcomers, Barker kickstarts the mythology from scratch while keeping the essential themes in the comic book adaptation. This is really about people being persecuted for the color of their skin, their race, and their beliefs. From there, co-writer Marc Andreyko expands on the dark universe, giving minor characters a more significant role. For example, Boone returns into the limelight but not in the way you would expect.

The highlight of Andreyko’s storytelling is how he is able to split and connect three loose narratives. At first, you’re expecting an anthology of shorts but each separate subplot comes together in the last pages for a surprising twist. When you read the three issues together, back-to-back, you can tell the writes have a clear direction in store for the series. I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

Artist Piotr Kowalski doesn’t shy away from sexuality and violence in his gritty illustrations. In just a few panels, Kowalski captures the clumsiness of virginal shyness and the temptation of lust. In the opening pages, the artwork depicts a bearded man being burnt alive. We see the body bursting into flames and falling to the ground in sequence.

Kowalski has done an interesting character design of Boone that stems from the book’s pages, than from the film. Boone’s misshapen face looks more like he had tattoos done on his face, which makes him human-looking. Our reluctant hero isn’t as freakish looking like other Midian residents, but there is something unnatural about his appearance.

“Clive Barker’s Nightbreed” #3 hooks readers in and surprises them with a clever twist. Just reading the “Nightbreed” comic makes me want to preorder “The Cabal Cut.”

Zac Thompson

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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.