Comics

[Comic Book Review] “Tooth and Claw” #1 Is Ambitious High Fantasy Endeavor

Published

9 years ago

November 5, 2014

“Tooth and Claw” #1 is an intriguing, albeit somewhat enigmatic, introduction to the magical anthropomorphic fantasy world from the mind of bestselling writer Kurt Busiek (‘Marvels,’ ‘Astro City’). This 48-page comic (with no ads) is a behemoth of world building but quite sparse in plot development. Still, this exceptionally illustrated comic is a superb start to what is sure to be an ambitious high fantasy undertaking.

WRITTEN BY: Kurt Busiek

ART BY: Benjamin Dewey

PUBLISHER: Image Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: November 5^th, 2014

When magic begins to fail them, the wizards of the world gather in secrecy, using their combined powers bring forth he who unleashed magic in the beginning. The mysterious and legendary being has been long gone, and therefore the task of bringing him through space and time is a dangerous and difficult one—one with disastrous consequences. However, if their magic does indeed cease, as it appears to be doing, they will be left with literally nothing.

“Tooth and Claw” #1 felt a bit like a prologue of sorts. It needed to be done in order to give us necessary backstory on the world we’ve been hurled into, the different tribes and colonies of anthropomorphic beasts, the political structures, and the system of magic. But as I mentioned above, not much happened as far as moving the plot forward. In a lesser-detailed comic, it could have been achieved in a standard 22-page issue. I’m not complaining, the set up is gorgeous and leaves the reader feeling completely prepared for the coming series.

When I say that the comic is “somewhat enigmatic” I’m referring to the set up of the magic system. While it’s discussed at length, and the art does a phenomenal job of portraying it, the actual constructs and rules for the magic are simply unclear. I’m not sure if this was intentional or if the creators thought they were clearly explaining it—I don’t know, but regardless, one can only hope that the magical elements (the technicalities and especially the rules) will be given some clarity as the issues progress.

I cannot speak highly enough of the art. It, of course, relies heavily on the tropes of high fantasy but is made unique with its realistic landscape, picturesque backgrounds and incredible attention to detail. I’m not normally one for anthropomorphism, in fact, I typically strongly dislike comics that utilize it (there are definitely exceptions to this). So while it took me, personally, a moment to adjust, I was quickly sucked in and stopped analyzing the characters strictly as animals and started seeing their unique qualities and how being a certain type of animal might contribute to those specific qualities and/or possibly their brand of magic? We’ll see.

An impressive feat, this comic is. But it reads smoothly and quickly. While the magic needs to be made more clear, the paradigms of the world are all there and very easy to grasp, which is always tricky in high fantasy. If the creators can manage to smooth out some of the aforementioned wrinkles and not continue to keep the reader in a “LOST” universe of constant unexplainable happenings, this is sure to be a truly imaginary and impressive series.

Bree Ogden

Click to comment

Comics

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

Published

1 week 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.