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[Comic Book Review] “Rat Queens” #8 Wants To Fuck With You

Published

10 years ago

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First, let me admit my bias: I love Rat Queens. I have the T-shirt, I did an interview with the creators on my own site, I drove up to New York for the D20 Burlesque Show, my phone autosuggests “Dave” when I type “Orc,” and I have a quarter sleeve tattoo. So it would be impossible to pretend that this review is an impartial one. However, as a (possibly insane, obsessive) fan, I love this series because it is great. It is well written, it is funny, it is beautiful. If it stopped being any of those things, you can bet I would have a problem with it. I’m not cutting this series any breaks, because I love it so much.

STK647481

WRITTEN BY: Kurtis J. Wiebe
ART BY: Roc Upchurch
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: #3.50
RELEASE: October 1, 2014

Reviewed By Katy Rex

All that said, oh my goodness. Issue #8, debuting on Oct 1, is mostly a Violet origin story. More than that, though, it hints at a Rat Queens origin story. Wait, you say. What about that cliffhanger? What do you mean, origin story? Sorry, folks. Kurtis J. Wiebe is fucking with you. And if you’re like me, you won’t even be mad about it. Sure, the issue after the “most epic cliffhanger to date” is a flashback, leaving you on the edge of your seat for another month.  But this issue gives Violet more depth and character, it puts her temper into context, and it explains (at least a little) what the deal was with Barrie a few issues ago. Plus, it gives us the slightest little hint about the name “Rat Queens.”

Roc Upchurch, who apparently doesn’t want to have any free time, does the colors, the pencils, and the inks.  The colors in this issue are phenomenal. There are panels, like the one below, where details like Barrie and Violet’s eyes speak volumes about siblinghood (the same eye color) and resentment.  Some of the panels, however, suffer from a lack of detail. In contrast to the single page portrait of Vi on page 2, the following splash features inset panels with characters with no faces. This lack of detail isn’t present through most of the book, but it is slightly off-putting. On the other hand, the depth of detail in the shaving scene later makes the moment truly heartwarming.

If you’re trade-waiting on this series, you’re missing the letters page, which is your usual collection of cosplays, fan art, and love letters—but this issue, we get to see Kurtis’ new daughter, Willow Kate, and we get a recipe for a new “vomit inducing, blood poisoning [alcoholic] beverage,” dubbed “Betty’s Candy Coated Dreams.”

Be sure to pick this issue up today!

—

yoyos2Katy 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.
Twitter: @eotucomics
Instagram: @katy_rex
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Comics

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

Published

6 days ago

on

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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