Comics
Review: “Sundowners” #1
If I had say one thing about “Sundowners” #1 it’d be that it’s engaging. I was sucked in up to my neck in curiosity from the first page. On the second page I was blown away. I can’t imagine any sensible person flipping through the first couple pages of “Sundowners” and the not immediately purchasing it, and hell, it only gets better from there.
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seely
ART BY: Jim Terry
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: August 27, 2014
Reviewed by Torbin Chimners
We’re introduced to an incredibly unhinged and manic man named David, who you would probably expect to see breaking down at a group session about government conspiracies. He prattles on about how he’s a great listener to the woman he’s meeting while, expectedly, not doing what he professes to be so good at. What happens next is brilliant, it’s like if you take all of the things a crazy homeless man could feasibly say and then make one of them true.
It’s through this we’re introduced to our four, possibly deluded, heroes. They’re all genuinely interesting characters in their own right. Each is chalk full of their share of quirks. When I say quirks I mean they’re all insane. It’s not explicitly stated but none of them seem to actually have powers and instead, are all suffering from a cavalcade of mental disorders.
When you think about it, these are the kind of people in real life who would dress up and try to fight crime. It’s never a ‘normal’ person. The other worrying thing is the voice of reason in this scene is David who was previously borderline deranged. It’s hard to make sense of and trust what’s going on around you in “Sundowners,” it makes you look at each scene differently, it’s engaging. It requires you to actively participate in the narrative.
Jim Terry’s art is marvelous, it reminds me of a more detailed Mike Allred. His visual composition and storytelling are both superb. Sean Dove’s colours are gorgeous, especially during Citizen’s story. The night feels incredibly alive with light during this sequence.
Sundowners is a, excuse the cliché, a refreshing take on superheroes. It’s off to a great start with a lot going for it: tremendously flawed characters that are a joy to read, intrigue pouring out the seams and exceptional visuals. I’ve never been ‘into’ much of Tim Seeley’s past work but this book has made a fan out of me.
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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
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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