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Review: “The Woods” #3

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10 years ago

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“The Woods” #3 fish-out-of-water cosmic horror story continues to chug along at a decent pace this month. All of the conflicts set up in the first two issues are beginning to take shape now. We’ve got two distinct storylines; Maria and her struggle against the oppressive and clueless school faculty juxtaposed against Adrian’s ragtag adventure group exploring “The Woods” in search of answers.

Woods_003_coverA

 

WRITTEN BY: James Tynion IV

ART BY: Michael Dialynas

PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: July 2, 2014

Reviewed By: Torbin Chimners

 

 

Now incarcerated within her very own school, Marie has her hands full. The principal is just a puppet preaching the gospel of Coach Clay. He’s aiming to rule this school like a totalitarian regime with the jocks as his personal army. His true motivations are still fuzzy at this point; it seems he making this power play now because of a twisted ideal of what’s right or to capture a glory he never could in his past life on Earth. Either way brutality is already creeping its way into the school, which is sure to become a warzone in coming issues.

On the opposite side of the spectrum are the free kids comprising Adrian’s expedition. They’ve got much more immediate, life threatening, concerns. Their story picks up promptly in the middle of the chase that started last issue. The kids are close to being torn limb from limb by the fluorescent green alien bear-dog and if that wasn’t enough Calder’s arm isn’t looking much better.

Both of these groups are heading in such different directions. The school is clearly the stronger plotline right now with Coach Clay in a position to do some real damage. It’s the ultimate high school nightmare of your teacher’s suddenly and forcefully taking real charge of your life. It’s tense and unsettling even more so than the group in the woods. Sure, Adrian’s group in the woods have a fair amount of physical threats but those aren’t as engaging to read about as the sociological and political threats Maria is facing.

The art is at its best with Adrian’s group. Michael Dialynas really gets to let go on this fantastical and florescent other world. The perfect blend of familiar and alien bring the woods to life in a way the school just can’t compare. Not to say the school looks bad, far from it. It’s just by virtue of being a familiar setting that it’s not as spectacular.

The Woods #3 is going through some growing pains but the overall creative concept is still incredibly promising. This is a book that’s either going to blossom or putter out in the next few issues. I’d like to see where it’s going but at this point I’m still not 100% sold.

Torbin Chimners AKA 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@Vulgar_Rhombus 

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

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1 day 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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