Comics
5 Skull Review: “The Wicked + The Divine” #1
A gorgeous book cover to cover, with rich colors, and a wildly imaginative premise that will hold from page one Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s “The Wicked + The Divine” is not to be missed. It defies high expectations and manages to surprise on almost every page.
WRITTEN BY: Kieron Gillen
ART BY: Jamie McKelvie
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: June 18, 2014
The opening pages of this comic will have you captivated. Gillen and McKelvie continue their trend of playing with comic paneling to create a more dynamic pace. There are panels that are left filled with large numbers, or entire pages devoted to a human skull. But everything is done with a masterful sense of purpose.
Quickly the book hooks its simple premise by blending musical culture with Gods. The attribution of deity like status onto musical icons is reality here. They are gods, and they are treated almost the same way. Gillen’s script uses razor sharp dialogue to quickly introduce the expectations of a fan and the tongue in cheek manor in which these beings refer to themselves. We’re easily brought into this world and made to think we know how it works.
McKelvie takes Lucifer and makes the abominable creature into a slick Bowie wannabe with style to spare. His work is marvelous throughout and manages to even make pages of dialogue pop off the page. His character work is absolutely stunning. His thick lines give way to vibrant creations that look incredibly real.
What’s more is that he can cut a page with whatever paneling he likes and manages to make the entire thing radiate. When Lucifer confronts her attackers, the symmetry on the page is a stunning visual orgasm. Holy hell. And the raw displays of Lucifer’s power and exemplified by Matthew Wilson’s phenomenal color, honestly, he may be the best colorist in comics right now. He doesn’t miss a single beat here, his vibrant and neon soaked colors are irresistible.
The issue easily introduces the core premise of the book thanks to an outside being sheparded in and a nonbeliever making an ass of themselves. It even manages to flip the core of its premise by the end of the final page and leave you fearful for the future of the characters. Amidst the incredible stakes weird godly reincarnations lies incredibly sharp dialogue and relatable characters that create the core of the book.
Which is a deconstruction of modern myth laid out for a new century of creatives and layabouts who’d rather worship than create. The very creatures of myth that Gillen and Mckelvie have created on these pages will surely propel the team into a godlike status of their own. This is a first issue pulled off with incredible confidence and mastery, it’s irresistible and all consuming. It’s your new obsession.
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
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Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
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Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
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Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
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Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
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Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
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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.
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