Comics

[Comic Book Review] “Aliens: Fire & Stone” #2 Is A Bloody Good Time

Published

9 years ago

October 29, 2014

I felt a slight sense of fatigue going back into “Aliens: Fire and Stone”, having been through all four “Fire and Stone” titles and “Prometheus” twice now, I had a slight moment of hesitation as I tried to recall what was going on in this book. Then I opened it and immediately fell back in love. All you need to recall from issue #1 is spelled out fairly clearly on the first page: a mining crew on another moon got overrun by aliens and escaped to LV-223 where they are trying to survive and avoid the aliens. This issue makes the biggest leap to connect the series to “Prometheus” the film and does so expertly while maintaining the tension that characterizes the “Fire and Stone” series. Get ready for a bloody good time.

WRITTEN BY: Chris Roberson

ART BY: Patric Reynolds

PUBLISHER: Dark Horse

PRICE: $3.50

RELEASE: October 29, 2014

Review By Eric Switzer

The narrator of this issue is a Hadley’s Hope crew member that has discovered and captured one of the drones left behind by the Prometheus crew from the film. He goes about examining the device and starts to discover what had happened and eventually finds the temple and the remaining Engineers cryo-pod. What I really like about this issue is not only how it connects us to the film but how all the while the rest of the crews story is going on in the background. The drama between them and their struggle with the aliens hunting them is de-emphasized in favor of the grander plot. Our narrator is literally separated from them to tell the more important story, and in fact eventually goes back to tell them about the truth he has uncovered and they can’t be bothered; to busy out running aliens and arguing over who is in charge to understand the significance of what he has discovered. I may be reaching, but I think there are some social implications here worthy of examining.

I can’t get over how brilliantly crafted and connected these four books are. Even their release schedule seems to be significant, as each issue released gets us a little bit closer to seeing the whole picture. I can’t say I am enjoying any one title over any other because they all feel like one massive story. I’ve been waiting for something like this for a long time and I’m pinching myself still that we finally have it.

It feels as though now it is sort of a race to see how many answers we will get about the origins of the aliens and engineers between this crew gets completely hunted down. It gives the aliens a deeper level of implied motive as they hunt our characters seemingly to keep them (and us) from discovering what they really are. I doubt this is actually the case, but as a plot device it works really well. Part of the strength of these franchises and what keeps us coming back for more is how enigmatic the creatures are. I think I want all the answers, but I’m not sure that is what I really want. Time will tell I suppose, meanwhile I am absolutely loving this series.

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Eric Switzer 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.

Zac Thompson

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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

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

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.