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Review: ‘Mister X: Hard Candy’ One Shot

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11 years ago

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Dean Motter’s Mister X: Hard Candy is a unique one shot. The blend of neo noir sensibilities with drug culture culminates to create an original take on a familiar story.

WRITTEN BY: Dean Motter
ART BY: Dean Motter
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: March 27th, 2013

Mister X is a mysterious man who never seems to sleep. He claims to be an architect of Radiant City. Radiant City is a dystopia wasteland that echoes Fritz Lang’s metropolis, but feels more like a neon lit neo noir from the seventies. Motter’s range of influences is vast and varied. He uses these influences to create an incomparable tribute to the things that inspired him.

Motter’s art is dark and fantastic. The world of Radiant City is shrouded in darkness, and seemingly lit by one neon sign. The style echoes that of Batman the Animated Series. The tone created by the art gives the feeling of a world lost in time. Elements from so many different artistic movements influence every page. With the art having a particular influence from German Expressionism.

The characters that inhabit the city are drab and mysterious. In typical noir fashion, their motivations are shrouded in just as much darkness as the city. Mister X himself is dynamically odd. He is apparently addicted to a drug he helped invent, and finds himself lost in a world he had a hand in creating. Yet, he navigates the city with relative ease.

Motter’s use of internal monologue allows Radiant City to come alive. Mister X knows the local haunts and characters that inhabit them. So through monologue we too come to learn a lot about the city rather quickly.

The story itself is a typical noir mystery. Missing person and our protagonist is the only one with enough connections to track her down. What results is a tale of deception, mystery, and the status quo being reestablished. Don’t pick up this book for the story; it’s hardly the draw here.

The principal plot point surrounding all the drugs of Radiant City was what interested me the most. Yet, most drugs are only mentioned in passing. This is a world where recreational drug use isn’t just the norm, but considered a necessity to get through the day. With that in mind the story moves from being run of the mill to something dynamically different. Although you will find yourself wanting to know more about the drug culture that has created Radiant City, Hard Candy will at least give you a bump to tide you over.

This was a world that I was previously uninitiated too, but the history of Mister X seems to reach pretty far back. The world Motter has created is deep and filled with intrigue. I can’t wait to see more of it.

3/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jumbus_Christ

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

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1 day 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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