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Review: “The Life After” #1

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10 years ago

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There is something alluring about Joshua Hale Fialkov’s new series “The Life After” right from the get go, it might be the gorgeous art from Gabo, a two page spread featuring forty panels, or the breakneck pace of the narrative. Whatever it is, it’s irresistible and confidently introduces you to the strange new world of purgatory.

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WRITTEN BY: Joshua Hale Fialkov

ART BY: Gabo

PUBLISHER: Oni Press

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: July 9, 2014

I have a certain respect for debut issues that can survive solely on the merit of the questions they ask. Servicing their story and their audience plagues most comic series debuts. They offer explanations for literally everything. “The Life After” #1 doesn’t have a single answer on the page. Instead we’re thrown headfirst into the world with our protagonist and taken on a visually immersive adventure that has inklings of something more.

There is an element of control to this chaos. Fialkov makes so much clear within the opening page, but he doesn’t over explain it. In fact these little acts of puppeteering actually make the complexity a little less daunting. Someone or something is behind this insanity, and eventually we’ll get to the bottom of it.

For now Gabo does most of the heavy lifting. The script gives plenty of room for heavy bits of voice over narration but the artwork takes the story to dizzying heights. There is such a clash of worlds going on here that Gabo’s style should be frenzied but it never misses the mark.

Instead he offers a seamless clash of every sort of visual inspiration you can think of, co-existing in a mad world where nothing seems to make sense. His character designs are remarkable and varied. The large panels showing off this purgatory world are as impressive as they are complex.

Fialkov wastes no time pulling the story to a head with the introduction of Ernest Hemmingway. A character I wasn’t expecting in the least, but serves as easily one of the most charming parts of the issue. The adventurer is sure to pull our protagonist into a wild journey of discovery, and while the influential writer does offer a lot of exposition, it’s hardly distracting.

What should be a intense concept hardly ever feels that way. While the comic does have some difficult scenes within it, it never feels over indulgent. Instead we’re given a dose of terror amongst all the wonder on the page. Not everything in this world can be wonderful, and knowing Failkov, there is bound to be a whole lot more horror around the corner.

“The Life After” is equal parts whimsical and haunting. It’s brilliantly paced and expertly communicated. This debut issues shows you a world where anything is possible and teases a near limitless scope for the future of the series. As far as first issues go it’s a total knockout.

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Comics

‘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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