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Review: “Translucid” #3

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10 years ago

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“Translucid” #3 pushes forward in its ambitious mission to change the way we look at good and evil. As The Navigator falls deeper into his own ambiguous morality, Cornelius is faced with trial after trial of abuse and loss. The mirroring of these two storylines (as one falls, the other falls with him) is quite frankly one of the most captivating aspects of this comic book, especially since the relationship between the two timelines remains ominously unclear.

Translucid_03_coverA-580x891WRITTEN BY: Claudio Sanchez & Chondra Echert

ART BY: Daniel Bayliss

PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: June 18, 2014

Review By: Bree Odgen

“Translucid” is a dark comic book. It proves this fact every month with each new issue. Its creators are absolutely not afraid to push the series and its characters through difficult issue after horrible, tragic, difficult issue. All of the characters are in codependent or abusive relationships. No one seems happy. It’s dark. The difference between “Translucid” and other issue-driven, neurotic stories is the fact that it never quite crosses over into “heavy-handed” territory. All of “Translucid’s” blatant drama feels less like a gloomy raincloud that follows you around, and more like existential villains that propel the story forwards.

“Translucid” isn’t perfect by any means. There are some pieces of dialogue that feel all too obvious, perhaps even a little cliché. Dialogue like The Horse’s sarcastic remark to The Navigator: “I’d almost forgotten that you still believe justice comes at the hands of lawmakers” feels as if the writers don’t entirely trust the readers to pick up on the story’s nuances without spelling it out for us. There are several instances of this particular explanatory dialogue that are saved by the comic’s unique ability to become totally self-aware at the snap of a finger. When The Horse calls out The Navigator with, “You rely on your nemesis to deliver you truth?” the story faults seem to merge back into place. Because during those moments, it feels like The Navigator suffers from poor character development, but the fact that the comic is aware of its character’s stunted growth, transforms it into something that works so well.

The story is dense; I wish there were more issues in which to explore it. It’s difficult to feel really connected to all of the characters because the development is slow. Each new interaction between The Horse and The Navigator has been very similar to the interaction before it. But honestly, these criticisms pale in comparison to the dynamic structure of this series. The concept is deep and the art is ideal on both superficial and expository levels.

My overall hope is that they’re setting up Drake as The Horse. I’ll just set that theory down and back away slowly.

 

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

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8 hours 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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