Comics
‘Progeny’ Unites The Top Cow Universe
Top Cow enthusiastically announced that they will be launching another universe-changing crossover, Progeny, that brings together their mainstay titles, “Artifacts”, “Witchblade”, and “The Darkness” for a four-issue event. Since the Top Cow Rebirth, all the titles have been building to this moment that will see the artifact wielders united once again in an attempt to overthrow Jackie Estacado and The Darkness.
Ron Marz, Stjepan Sejic, Marco Turini, Tim Seeley, Diego Bernard, David Hine and Jeremy Haun will be the leading creators for the event which kicks off in “Artifact” #25.
Official Press Release:
The events of Top Cow’s vanguard titles have been building to the climactic confrontation in a universe-changing four-issue crossover event: “Progeny.” Jackie Estacado, wielder of the ancient power The Darkness, has remade the world according to his own wishes. His daughter with Witchblade bearer Sara Pezzini, Hope, sacrificed as a baby to save the universe from obliteration, is, in his new world, on the verge of adolescence, and Jackie’s high school girlfriend who had died tragically, Jenny, is her mother — and alive.
Now, the hero of the series ARTIFACTS, Tom Judge, has unraveled the truth of what happened to the world. Ron Marz, Stjepan Sejic, and Marco Turini (ARTIFACTS), Tim Seeley and Diego Bernard (WITCHBLADE), and David Hine and Jeremy Haun (THE DARKNESS) unite to form an interlocking story as Judge gathers together his fellow Artifact bearers for a final clash with Estacado.
“My issue [WITCHBLADE #164] is about Sara facing Jackie for the first time since she became aware that something was ‘wrong’ in the universe,” Seeley said in an interview with Comic Book Resources. “Sara has to deal with what she did to save the universe, and she may not be sure the sacrifice was worth it.”
In another interview with CBR, Marz commented on the odds the heroes of Top Cow’s titles face in their confrontation with the powerful Estacado: “He’s got a bit of an overwhelming advantage, but, you know, if the heroes have an overwhelming advantage, that’s not a very good story.” Marz continued, “That’s really the question: how are they actually going to defeat Jackie and by the time we get to the fourth part of this it’s hopefully an answer that nobody really sees coming.”
“Progeny” begins in ARTIFACTS #25, continues in WITCHBLADE #164 and THE DARKNESS #111, and will come to a dramatic conclusion in ARTIFACTS #26.
The supernatural world of Korean folk horror movie Exhuma grows larger with the arrival of prequel spinoff webtoon Maengjong this weekend, Variety reports today.
Naver Webtoon debuts Maengjong on May 30.
The series hails from Haemuri (Olgami) and will trace the high school origins of how shaman duo Hwarim and Bonggil, played by Kim Go-eun and Lee Do-hyun in the 2024 film, came together to face occultish threats.
The story is set to begin when “Hwarim, who has been concealing her identity following a childhood encounter with a snake spirit called Jin, crosses paths with Bonggil at their school.”
Variety notes that Exhuma director Jang Jae-hyun participated in the project’s early concept stage.
“We are presenting ‘Maengjong,’ a new series capturing the appeal of the horror-occult genre, ahead of the full summer season,” said Lee Jeong-geun, Naver Webtoon’s Korea webtoon content leader. “With the high school story of Hwarim and Bonggil, who left a strong impression in the film ‘Exhuma,’ enhanced by Haemuri’s characteristic tense direction, we expect it will be a welcome work for genre fans.”
“It is meaningful that the spin-off story of ‘Exhuma,’ loved by many audiences, expands by meeting the new grammar of webtoon,” said Lee Hyeon-jeong, managing director of the film business division at Showbox, which distributed the film. “We hope it will be a fresh experience for both film fans and webtoon readers.”
Exhuma was a breakout hit in 2024, becoming the first Korean occult film to surpass 10 million ticket buyers and the country’s highest-grossing film of the year. I wrote in my review that “the intricately woven Exhuma delivers one of the year’s biggest surprises in horror so far.”
The bond between Hwarim and Bonggil was one of the film’s highlights, making this prequel webtoon a must for fans.
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