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Review: “American Vampire: Second Cycle” #2

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10 years ago

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A terrifying and suspenseful installment, “American Vampire: Second Cycle” #2 builds the horrifying tension of what’s to come. Readers should be prepared to see such vivid nightmarish imagery jump right off the pages. The “American Vampire” series hasn’t lost its edge after a long hiatus and actually came back more twisted than ever.

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder
ART BY: Rafael Albuquerque
PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: April 16, 2014

Pearl Jones previously rescued an innocent little girl from a group of nasty hunters. The little girl, May, has deep bloody wounds dug into her soft skin. Trembling in fear, the girl whispers a name close into Pearl’s ear, making sure no one else hears her. The Gray Trader is coming and Hell is coming along with him. No human and no vampire is safe from this demonic monster. Pearl has to find information about this Gray Trader and warn everyone about him. But Pearl is actually too late to warn anyone. The Gray Trader is already here and the killings have just began.

Writer Scott Snyder has put together a riveting issue that quickly builds to a shocking twist. Fully developed as a character, Pearl is the anti-heroine who doesn’t want to get involved. She has already lost too muchand truly believes this isn’t her fight. She knows the Gray Trader means danger to both humans and vampires, but she doesn’t want to get drawn in. In tune to her maternal instincts, Pearl just wants to keep the unwanted orphans safe from the outside world.

In the previous issue, we just caught a glimpse of the antagonist in the climatic last pages. Readers are now presented with the Gray Trader and it is a dozy. I don’t want to give anything away but it is something you should definitely see. Right off the bat, you can tell Snyder is a John Carpenter fan and has created a creature that is cinematically mind-blowing.

Artist Rafael Albuquerque slowly paces the illustrations with suspense before finally revealing the scares. Music is such an influence to the time period even though there isn’t a soundtrack. In the opening pages, a Johnny Cash-type singer marches onto the stage. With the aid of Dave McCaig’s colors, the tones are important because they symbolize impending doom.

My favorite part of Albuquerque’s illustrations is when Pearl is tucking May into bed. Albuquerque illustrates the emotion and tenderness of the quiet scene as Pearl gently covers up May. Reinforcing the maternal theme, Pearl is horrified to see the scars on May’s back. Even though they are not related, Pearl wants to take care of May as if she was her own child.

A must read, “American Vampire: Second Cycle” #2 delivers the heart-pounding suspense and the shocking scares with outstanding style. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next issue.

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

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11 hours ago

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April 17, 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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