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[Comic Book Review] Vigilante Justice Never Looked Better Than “Critical Hit” #1

Published

10 years ago

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I’ve been an avid follower of Matt Miner’s “Liberator” saga since the beginning. I always gravitate towards comics with a real heart, one that exposes the creator as something more than a conduit to the page and more of passionate human being. When I read this book, it’s the passion for the cause that comes through in droves, and it’s what brings me back. “Critical Hit” may be the beginning of something new, but it still has the passion… and the horror of old.

STK646377

 

WRITTEN BY: Matt Miner

ART BY: Jonathan Brandon Sawyer

PUBLISHER: Black Mask Studios

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: October 1, 2014

The first thing you’ll notice when you open “Critical Hit” is that Jonathan Brandon Sawyer is an absolute beast. Then after that dust settles you’ll see that Miner has pushed Sarah and Jeanette into one super team to champion his cause, and the opening pages of this issue will show you just how determined they are to communicate their agenda.

It’s evident from the first page that this isn’t “Liberator” any more. The art is focused and the storytelling uses dual protagonists to create a more palpable sense of energy than ever before. The result is a grand display of mayhem at the hands of our vigilantes. They ransack a camp, and tear these hunter’s possessions to pieces because well… thier hunters.

It’s all well and good, but it doesn’t serve the same impact or thoughtfulness as before, and Miner makes damn sure they pay for it. Instead of attacking animal testing facilities the girls turn their target onto a more regular type of asshole, but in doing so they incur the wrath of the hunters. They got careless and were forced to the deal with the immediate consequences of their actions. This provides an interesting talking point for the issue, because at first I was concerned that this was an “easy” degradation of Sarah and Jeanette’s cause. But it seems Miner is almost in agreement. How this plays out will truly seal the deal, but for now it seems the Liberators are taking the easy way out.

Jonathan Brandon Sawyer on the other hand, he seems concerned with making the most amount of work possible for himself. His panels are cleanly laid out, and provide the series with the best art it’s ever had. There are certain intimate details in the larger scenes in this book that show worldbuilding at almost every level. To the records on display at the store, to the wallsocket holding an lonely iphone charger in the apartment, this is one helluva artist.

When the book really gets going the action stays clean and is communicated with relative ease. Nothing feels out of the ordinary or disjointed.

For the book itself, I’m a little lost in the shuffle. I sympathize with the cause, and I get behind the idea, I just don’t know if I’m into bringing down to an even more base level. Hunters are assholes, we get it. Hunting isn’t exactly something I’m terribly connected to so perhaps I don’t know the levels to which these people are assholes, but for now it doesn’t seem like a logical extension of their cause and more of misstep given how quickly they burn the cabin to the ground. Then on the other hand, anarchy fucking rules. So I still wait for next issue with bated breath.

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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

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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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