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[5 Skull Comic Review] “Southern Bastards” #5 Is Brutal And Beautiful

Published

9 years ago

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“Southern Bastards” continues to be the most brutal and beautiful book about the deep south ever created.  The beginning of the second arc gives us a taste of Coach Boss Rising and delivers a particular flashback scene that managed to horrify me in a brand new way, which is rare.  It really interesting to see the perspective shift to Boss and to see him as more than the super-villain.  “Southern Bastards” #5 presents a novel concept: how does the bad guy cope when he defeats the hero.  This issue is as rich with life as ever and an enthralling new direction for one of my very favorite books.

STK652986

WRITTEN BY: Jason Aaron

ART BY: Jason Latour

PUBLISHER: Image

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: October 29, 2014

Review By Eric Switzer

Aaron and Latour treat the south with so much tender reverence and harsh indignation that the book almost feels to be in conflict with itself.  These creators are masters of time and place: invocative of Jeff Lemire’s “Essex County”, a love story to rural Ontario, or, in a strange ray, the Coen Brothers’ “Fargo”.  “Southern Bastards” takes a hard light to the south but in a strangely affectionate way.  It is just one of the many things that make this book so complex and interesting.

Losing Earl was difficult, and even starting this issue I sort of hoped Aaron would pull a fast one and raise him, but I’m so glad that he didn’t.  I’m glad that the book isn’t about Earl in the long run.  He was a lens through which we examined Craw County, an outsider for us to take the side of, but at the end of the day he was just another bastard like the rest of them.  This is a character book, certainly, but more than anything I think its a book about an ideology; one that defines the south as much as any one thing can.  The book is about a certain type of pride, an ineffective willfulness that these bastards represent.  It is as admirable as it is pitiful, another complexity of this book.

Being in the mind of Coach Boss is terrifying.  Being party to his brand of chaotic weakness is a hard feeling to shake.  Aaron’s dialogue and narration strikes directly to the core and Latour’s work really drives home the anguish and despair.  There is some really intriguing foreshadowing as far as new players to the series and the flashbacks are perfectly timed and brilliantly depicted.  The first trade is out now so don’t make any excuses.  This is a book that sticks with you long after you finish it.

—

Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles.  His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality.  He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com. 

 

 

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Comics

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

Published

5 days ago

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April 18, 2024

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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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