Comics

[Comic Review] “Descender” #1 Begins An Enthralling Space Epic

Published

9 years ago

March 4, 2015

Reviewed By Torin Chambers. “Descender” #1 marks the start of a glorious new space epic, massive in the sheer scope of its universe and ideas. This is the beginning of something monumental that could span the entire universe, possibly even beyond. The mystery at the centre of Descender is thoroughly engaging, one with an infinite amount of possibility. It’s all encompassing and at the same time so incredibly simple.

WRITTEN BY: Jeff Lemire

ART BY: Dustin Nguyen

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: March 5, 2015

It’s a whodunit playing out on the galactic stage and it’s utterly enthralling. But the story isn’t the only draw here. The visuals are out of this world and very different from what you’d expect for a tale such as this. Dustin Nguyen brings his signature style to the table, realizing a vast galactic community in a way you rarely, if ever, see. Every page is beautifully rendered in flowing and vibrant water colours, giving an intriguingly natural feel to this incredibly unnatural space age world.

Opening on The Planet Niyrata, “the technological and cultural hub of the group of nine Core Planets known as The United Galactic Council” where everything’s dandy and everyone’s going about their normal day to day activities. That is before the unthinkable happens. A towering machine of massive scope appeares from nowhere, holding its position immediately before the planet. Think Galactus or The Celestials from Marvel, this thing is essentially standing next to the planet and towering over it. This also isn’t the only one, 8 more have taken up posts next to the other 8 planets that make up The United Galactic Council. All seem to be relatively harmless and entirely inactive. Enter Dr. Quon, the man who “practically invented modern robotics.” He’s their foremost expert, if anybody can decipher where and who these things come from it’s him.

That’s the basic set up from which the book truly takes off. I dare not say more and possibly ruin your experience, but trust me it only gets better. There’s more than a few twists and turns in this first issue that keep it readily engaging from start to finish.

I’ve only got a couple concerns. This first one’s almost paltry; there’s a robot that’s speech bubbles are neon teal with neon yellow text overtop, it’s no fun at all to try and read. The other is that there’s not a lot of diversity shown for the other races. This is a galactic community made up of numerous other races and besides a short reveal late in the book we only get a glimpse of 1 person that’s not human. My hope is going forward that we get to see a lot more of them.

Lemire and Nguyen have crafted an story that oozes style and originality. With a plot on the grandest of scales and refreshingly unexpected visuals Descender is sure to excite anyone who reads it.

—

Torin Chambers is a rad dude from the nineties who does film stuff or something. Thomas the Tank Engine is his favorite transformer. Find him on Twitter @TorinsChambers

Zac Thompson

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Comics

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

Published

1 week 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.