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Review: “The Devilers” #1

Published

10 years ago

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Amidst a demonic attack upon the Vatican, an unorthodox priest is folded into a group of inter-continental demon hunters and asked to the front line of the war against hell itself.  This mini-series explodes out of the gate with occult awesomeness and doesn’t slow down, at times to the detriment of its own story telling.  Ultimately,  “Devilers #1”  fills the need for the kind of book you didn’t realize your stack was missing.

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WRITTEN BY: Joshua Hale Fialkov
ART BY: Matt Triano
PUBLISHER: Dynamite
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: July 16, 2014

Reviewed By: Epic Switzer

Father Malcolm O’Rourke, is a hard-drinking, double-talking, wise ass mother fucker.  He is a convention of the genre as much as fire and brimstone, but that isn’t to say he’s necessarily a flat character.  There is enough hinted at about his past as he is rushed into battle to lead me to wonder if this Father Mal may be a new take on the hard edge demon fighter, which is something I’m very much looking forward to discovering.

Speaking of rushed in, my big problem with this book is how quickly characters and conflicts are established.  Its something I pick up on most commonly with mini-series’, and though it isn’t an especially complex premise, our team of multi-faith, “Super Best Friends”-ish demonologists are introduced and thrust into battle in less than 6 pages.  It is certainly too soon to tell, but I hope this book doesn’t forsake characters and relationships for spectacle.

As a spectacle, however, “The Devilers” depicts the most twisted fucked up demons Fialkov and Triano could imagine.  New 52 “Animal Man” seems to be a reference for the grotesque creatures here but there is also an interesting focus on animal-demon hybrid creatures.  There is an especially haunting hippo-tarantula hybrid (don’t try to picture it), a frog with human hands flipping the bird, and even a friendly (second South Park reference) ManBearPig.  I’m really digging the imaginative hellspawn.

This book has got all the ingredients for a delicious Satan Gumbo, I’m just not yet sure if the ratios are right for it to earn a spot in my stack.  It certainly is unique enough to stand out as one of those books I didn’t know I needed, but I also found myself doubling back on more than one occasion for dialogue that didn’t quite make sense or flow and when it was over I wish it had taken a little more time to build up to the big battle.  It’s really too soon to tell where things are going, but I certainly can’t wait to find out.

Epic Switzer AKA Eric is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles.  His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality.  He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com. 

 

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Comics

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

Published

5 days 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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