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Review: ‘Witch Doctor: Mal Practice’ #4

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11 years ago

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Another terrific installment, Witch Doctor: Mal Practice #4 is a worthwhile read loaded with black humor, action, and surprise twists. Characters deliver their hilarious one-liners and there are always monsters creeping in the background.

WRITTEN BY: Brandon Seifert
ART BY: Lukas Ketner
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: February 27th, 2013

After feeling sick and pale from a one-night stand, Dr. Vincent Morrow desperately needs someone to treat him. Even after so many cases and supernatural attacks, Dr. Morrow has no idea what kind of deadly virus is invading his internal organs. With the clock ticking, Morrow has doubts he can actually find the cure in time. But, when his mysterious enemies, the ones trying to kill him, reveal themselves, Dr. Morrow realizes he has something they want. Dr. Morrow has to choose, whether he can trust this enemies or believe the cure they are offering actually exists.

WBrandon Seifert continues to build up the tension and suspense. Seifert adds more twists and plays around with the antagonists, revealing there is someone bigger and deadlier doing all the planning. Continuing to be the action hero of the series, Eric does a last-minute trick and rescues Dr. Morrow from danger. After crashing their ambulance, Eric loses a vital member of the team, Penny. As events keep getting worse, Eric has to save Dr. Morrow and Penny from death at the same time.

While Seifert has provided some character growth to Dr. Morrow, the spotlight is now on Eric. The only way to bring back Dr. Morrow’s soul is to deliver his dead body to Catrina Macabrey, a necromancer. Because Catrina doesn’t work for free, she offers Eric a twisted ultimatum. Whenever Catrina desires, Eric must return her one single favor, which means betraying Dr. Morrow. On the spot and with no time left, Eric must decide whether he can still remain loyal Dr. Morrow while accepting Catrina’s proposal.

Artist Lukas Ketner creates a suspenseful atmosphere with his moody lighting. Keeping with the continuity from the previous issue, Dr. Morrow’s confrontation with his enemies still takes place during a single night. To heighten the mood, Ketner focuses on the nighttime backgrounds, detailing the moonlit sky and shadow-drenched buildings. When Eric is running around in the empty road, the light source always comes from the streetlights.

In a wickedly funny twist, the antagonist’s hideout is a rundown building, where drug dealers and junkies live. In an interesting panel, Ketner illustrates what is going on inside two floors of the building at the same time. In one floor, readers can see the cloaked dealer mixing the drugs in the bathroom. In the bottom floor, Morrow’s enemies are planning to torture Penny, who is chained up.

Close to its six-part conclusion, “Witch Doctor: Mal Practice” #4 keeps adding more twists and surprises. With its combination of supernatural and medical drama, the “Witch Doctor” series continues to be a fun and entertaining read. If you haven’t started yet, this is the perfect time to jump right in.

4.5/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

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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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5 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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