Comics
[Comic Book Review] George Perez’s “Sirens” #1 Is Confusing and Confounding
“Sirens” from George Perez with BOOM! Studios, certainly plays to their strengths. The colors are vivid, the character designs appealing, the protagonists mostly complex, strong, and female. However, it also jumps all over the known universe through time and mythology, completely unpredictably. If that sounds like a fun romp, I’m sorry, because while I find the concept delightful, in practice it’s a little confusing and off-putting. Any first issue of a serialized narrative has a lot to contend with, and chief among those is the challenge of introducing a fully fleshed out universe concisely so that the story can move on. In Sirens, this aspect of the storytelling feels rushed, jumbled, and hard to follow.
WRITTEN BY: George Perez
ART BY: George Perez
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: September 17, 2014
Reviewed By: Katy Rex
Using a technique common in team comics, the issue starts with each team member in a different time/space, and follows some small slice of her life as she begins to encounter the/a Big Bad. And in many cases, this setup requires the audience to be patient and trust that it will make sense—and it is then the job of the story to reassure the audience that their trust is well-placed. In “Sirens,” every time something starts to make sense, the reality seems to shift just a little, so your assumptions are wrong and any understanding you had is gone. This doesn’t keep the reader on their toes, or introduce a charming lack of predictability, or create an aura of uncertainty in a way that is fun and eerie. It’s just confusing and convoluted.
The narrative starts by following an adventuring woman who is seeking (and who discovers) a dragon, with whom she can communicate. Then they’re in space, and then they’re in the old west, but the characters are different? Like I said, hard to follow.
I’m inclined to give this story more than one issue to make up my mind. I want it to be good. I love stories that are populated, largely, by strong and interesting female characters. I love the fusion of sci-fi and fantasy, I love the things-are-more-than-what-they-seem vibe. It’s a really pretty book with a really interesting premise. I’m hoping, with very little reason to hope, that this is just suffering from first-issue-itis, that next issue they’ll solve all the jumping around because the characters will be together, that next issue there will be enough of the universe established that the constantly establishing reality won’t be quite so jarring.
There’s a pretty good chance that issue #2 of “Sirens” could make issue #1 less confusing, less convoluted, less confounding. The problems I see with this issue aren’t unresolvable. But unless it starts taking those steps, this is not a comic I would recommend. If you’re thinking of picking it up, wait. Issue #2 comes out November 19th, and hopefully that’s when it starts to get good.
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Katy Rex writes comics analysis at endoftheuniversecomics.com, comicsbulletin.com, and bloody-disgusting.com. She also writes scholarly articles for various academic journals. She really likes butt jokes, dinosaurs, and killing psychos and midgets in Borderlands 2. She has a great sense of humor if you’re not an asshole.
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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