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[TV] “Arrow” Recap: Left Behind

Published

9 years ago

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Arrow began 2015 on extremely solid footing by focusing on Ollie’s massive absence after his deadly duel with Ras Al Ghul. After the events of “The Climb” Ollie is left dying on a rock face halfway down a mountain and “Left Behind” explores the effects of his loss to varying degrees of success.

Somehow it didn’t even matter. We all knew Oliver was going to be coming back in relatively short order, but this week we got to see just how badly his absence affected the team that was “Left Behind.” After having very little to do for most of this season Diggle and Roy begin the episode with a bang. I could seriously watch Diggle in that “too tight” suit for the remainder of the season. While Roy actually made good on his training and proved to be a rather formidable force when going up against the faceless goons of the week.

Their resolve to keep fighting was contrasted by Felicity’s loss of her ditzy attitude. It was replaced by a noticeable hole. She’s lost the man she loves and she refuses to believe it. She can’t help but want to prevent Diggle, and Roy from falling to the same fate. And even still we can see her worry with Ray, a scientist who has great ideas but faulty execution. Her scenes this week felt a lot more at home with Ray as the two of them actually have some stakes to their interactions.

While, Malcolm Merlyn is the honorary recipient of the most convenient appearance of the week award since his few scenes in this episode were nothing if not problematic. His rolling into the Arrow cave to deliver his version of the bad news, only to reappear a little later to show that he’s done the worst detective work on his trip to Nanda Parbat was pretty much laughable. As was his random scene with Thea warning that they had to leave the city asap.

Danny Brickwell was a welcome addition to the glades. He is perfectly cast as Vinny Jones, and looks to be the villain of the next couple of weeks. I found his plan to not only be enjoyable but a pretty great idea all things considered. Plus he gave us that fantastic sequence between his goons and Roy in the pipe.

The fight choreography has really taken a step to another level this year.  I was legitimately on the edge of my seat when Roy jumped out of the pipe, onto the top and bounced off the one to his side while firing his bow. Giving us simply awesome stuff that you wouldn’t have been able to find on this show two years ago.

The flashbacks with Ollie and Maseo did a lot to sell the debt between these characters. The infiltration of the lab was another action highpoint and showed yet another different side of Ollie that we never knew he had. I’m happy they didn’t play coy with Ollie’s resurrection for too long. I knew we’d be seeing him sooner rather than later but I’m glad to see the literal “cliffhanger” resolved so quickly. Maseo seems to be the perfect character to save Ollie. I’m excited to see where this goes.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Laurel’s transition from useless pretty face to Black Canary. But I can’t stop cringing over that line she delivers. Let’s hope donning that domino mask does something for her character, otherwise I welcome her long overdue death.

Next week we’ve got “Midnight City.”

 

 

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Comics

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

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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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