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Review: ‘American Vampire: The Long Road To Hell’ #1

Published

11 years ago

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An awesome return from its hiatus, “American Vampire: The Long Road To Hell” #1 delivers more great material for fans to salivate over. This issue contains a lot of visceral sequences and some surprisingly tender moments as well that have made the “American Vampire” series so popular. If you haven’t already, this one-shot special is the perfect opportunity to start reading about the “American Vampire” series.

WRITTEN BY: Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque
ART BY: Rafael Albuquerque
PUBLISHER: Vertigo Comics
PRICE: $6.99
RELEASE: June 12th, 2013

Billy Bob and Jo are young lovers, fugitives of the law, who just crossed the wrong people. On their way to the chapel, they are suddenly attacked by a pack of vicious vampires. Their wedding date is put on hold as they have been turned into undead creatures with a sick, craving need for blood. When the lovebirds pick up a stranded hitchhiker, an orphan named Jasper, the three embark on a road trip to Las Vegas.

Writers Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque have done a fantastic job building the relationship of his characters. The couple, Jo and Billy Bob, are different than Skinner Sweet, the main protagonist of the “American Vampire” series. The couple doesn’t like being vampires at all, and reject the thirst for blood. They don’t want to lose their humanity and are afraid of becoming monsters if they start killing. What these two really want is to get married, which was their dream become they were transformed.

Because the couple cannot have any children, they adopt the orphan, Jasper, and raise him as if he were their own. These three lonely hearts are trying to become a family, something they haven’t felt for a long time. Readers will find themselves rooting for the runaways, especially when Travis Kidd shows. There are strong evocations of Bonnie & Clyde from Jo and Billy Bob, as they desperately try to change their lives.

In his artwork, Albuquerque kicks up the character design of Travis Kidd a notch. Albuquerque draws Travis as if he were a young kung-fu fighting Elvis Presley and adds a samurai sword to his arsenal. In an impressive splash panel, Albuquerque captures Travis slicing off a vampire’s head. Albuquerque has the pose and swing down perfectly in this illustration. I would definitely like to see Albuquerque write and draw another tale in the near feature.

Albuquerque sure knows how to make his vampires nasty-looking and scary. When Billy Bob and Jo transform, you can see the blood veins popping out of their faces. With their fangs and nails elongated, they stare at Jasper with their glowing red eyes. In a great display of artwork, Albuquerque presents the emotional, better half of the couple just before turning them into ravenous monsters.

A fantastic read, readers are going to devour every page of “American Vampire: The Long Road to Hell” #1. If you’re a longtime reader, this is an untold chapter in the long and rich mythology. If you’re a newcomer, there is no way you will not become a fan of “American Vampire” after this.

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

Published

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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