Comics

[Comic Book Review] “Escape From New York” #2 Is The Ultimate Sequel

Published

9 years ago

January 7, 2015

A terrific follow-up, “Escape From New York” #2 continues the saga of John Carpenter’s lone badass anti-hero with another exciting installment. The action never seems to slow down and the bullets never seem to run out as the one-eyed Snake Plissken manages to cheat death once again with style. Surrounded by off-the-wall characters, you’re rooting for Snake to pull through and shoot them down before he ends up going insane too.

WRITTEN BY: Christopher Sebela

ART BY: Diego Barreto

PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios

PRICE: $3.99

RELEASE: January 7, 2015

Review By Jorge Solis

For making a fool out of the President, a nationwide manhunt has been called out for the ex-war hero and convict Plissken. Thinking he was on the road to freedom, Snake ends up crossing paths with twin psychopaths. It turns out Florida happens to be in pretty worse shape than the big Apple. With dead bodies hanging from the streetlights, Snake could end up as one of them if he doesn’t somehow manage to break free. If he can get past the trigger-happy boys, Snake has to go one-on-one against Meemaw.

Writer Christopher Sebela delivers a fine sense of rhythm and pacing for dialogue. The zany characters are energetic with their nonstop chatter. The dark humor hits its punchline after Snake responds with a spot-on one-liner. A man of few words, Snake has the best lines in the comic, thanks to Sebela. The dialogue still feels like something Kurt Russell would say in character.

Sebela also makes interesting points about our reluctant protagonist in this issue. Snake has his own moral code and never breaks from his own set of rules, even if a person’s life depends on it. But there is a leadership quality about Snake, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. The fallout from the movie’s ending continues to have a ripple effect outside of New York.

Artist Diego Barreto uses the Florida setting to enhance the background. When Snake passes through the city, people are now living in tents because the economy has gone downhill. He doesn’t even react to the gang turf war going on in the streets. My favorite part of the story is when Snake ends up in the swamps, near the climax.

Barreto’s action sequences keep the panels running at a quick pace.. Notice the detail in the poses as Snake fights Meemax. With each punch, kick, and head-butt, Barreto jumps from one different angles to another to keep the action flowing nicely. Just for the heck of it, Barreto even illustrates Snake kicking an alligator while slugging through the swamps.

An enjoyable read, “Escape From New York” #2 delivers the sequel that many fans have been asking for. Reading the comic makes me want to see both of John Carpenter’s movies again.

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.