Comics
Advance Review: ‘The Creep’ HC
A great read from start to finish, The Creep HC is an emotionally-enthralling private eye tale that pulls at the heart strings. As each page goes by, readers will start to feel for the deeply-flawed protagonist. This is a bleak and heart-breaking story about a disconnected loner looking for answers.
WRITTEN BY: John Arcudi
ART BY: Jonathan Case
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE: April 24th, 2013
A small town is shocked to hear by a pair of backyard teen suicides. When a grieving mother suspects more than suicide at play, she calls in a special favor from an old flame. A disfigured private eye, named Oxel Karnhus, reluctantly finds himself investigating a seemingly solved case. Doubting the evidence, Oxel wonders if the two teenagers were hiding any terrible secrets. With no help from the local police, Oxel finds himself in a tough situation as he searches for the truth. As the snow pours and pours, Oxel wanders deep into the woods and uncovers an even more shocking crime.
Writer John Arcudi delivers an interesting take on the private eye novels. Oxel is the anti-Philip Marlowe because of his disfigurement. Neither smooth, nor charismatic, Oxel is rough around the edges and prone to anger issues. Oxel also happens to be the anti-Mike Hammer because of his desperate need for companionship from women. Aching from loneliness, Oxel wants to get close to his ex-flame, but he knows she will turn her back after one look at him.
During the narrative, Arcudi delivers lots of unexpected twists and red herrings. Typically in old-school private eye novels, the investigation leads to a bigger crime. As Oxel investigates the suicides, he finds himself taking the wrong leads and interrogating the wrong suspects. This doesn’t make Oxel a bad private eye; it just means he is given half-truths and mostly lies. Oxel has to rely on his imagination most of the time, but his mind is plagued by melancholy and cynicism.
Keeping the readers in Oxel’s point-of-view, artist Jonathan Case captures a brutally silent and somber atmosphere. Using wide shots, Case highlights Oxel’s yearning for acceptance when no one is around. In these scenes, Oxel is either surrounded by empty seats, or is in a small room. Oxel is always by himself, lost in his own thoughts and feelings. The snowy mountain range represents how far away he is from the city, as if the world itself wants to keep him away from civilization.
Arcudi keeps in mind of Oxel’s rare condition when illustrating his character design. Oxel suffers from acromegaly, an excess of growth hormones that causes enlarged physical features and height. Arcudi paints beads of sweat on Oxel’s forehead during interrogations. Oxel is always the tallest person when he is standing next to someone. Oxel looks bulked up like a quarterback, but we never see him in a fight.
“The Creep” is tailor-made for fans of crime fiction and private eye novels. Because the protagonist is so well-developed, I’m really hoping there is a another case out there for our private investigator.
4/5 Skulls
Reviewed by Jorge Solis
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
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Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
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Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
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Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
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Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
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Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
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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.
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