Comics

Review: ‘R.I.P.D.: City of the Damned’ #2

Published

11 years ago

December 21, 2012

With only two issues left in Dark Horse Comics’ R.I.P.D.: City of the Damned, Jeremy Barlow continues to approach the narrative with an accelerated pace that’s fueled by Tony Parker’s knack for visual storytelling. Feeding off of each other’s creative vision, this duo effectively dishes out a well-balanced issue that’s ripe with mystery, humor, and eccentric elements of horror.

WRITTEN BY: Jeremy Barlow
ART BY: Tony Parker
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: December 19th, 2012

The second installment pulls no punches as we’re thrust into the mayhem that follows Roy Pulsipher and Crispin Mather on their journey into Black Pool. Lucifuge, a lord of Hell whose raison d’être is to torture souls at Satan’s command, has Roy at his mercy. Using the Sorrow of Christ—a vial which holds the actual tears that Jesus shed while being crucified, Crispin defeats the demon, but at an unfortunate cost.

Issue #2 continues with Roy and Crispin embarking on their R.I.P.D. assignment, given to them by Genghis Freakin’ Khan, of finding out what became of the missing souls that never made it out of Black Pool. While Roy hopes to find answers regarding the circumstances surrounding his murder, what they find instead is a creed of terror and insanity. There’s something sinister lying beneath the town, and everyone seems to be harboring a secret; the town’s mine being at the centre of it all.

Parker’s artwork is, arguably, the best he’s done in his career. There’s a semblance of boldness and intensity reminiscent of original series artist, Lucas Maragon’s work, which Parker pours into each panel. He handles human expression and environments very well. Particularly when illustrating looks of horror on the faces of our main characters, and the first depressing, but strangely beautiful mountain-side view of Black Pool.

Michelle Madsen’s colours, though somewhat plain and dismal in execution, actually fits the feel of the series and helps portray Black Pool for what it is — a dark and forlorn city that sucks up human souls.

Barlow is doing a terrific job re-establishing Peter Lenkov’s world, and giving readers a chance to go deeper into the R.I.P.D.’s history. His vision of this warped and anachronistic old west is nothing but creative, and his quick-paced narrative only adds to the excitement of the issue. I have high hopes for the issue #3.

3.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – ShadowJayd

Related Topics:City of the Damned Dark Horse Comics RIPD Ryan Reynolds

Lonnie Nadler

Click to comment

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.