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Review: ‘The Strain: The Fall’ #1

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11 years ago

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In its highly anticipated return, “The Strain: The Fall” #1 strikes back with even more vampires and biting action. This is a dark apocalyptic vision of New York being overrun by hungry bloodsuckers. If you loved the best-selling trilogy of novels by Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, you’re damn well going to love the comic book adaptation.

WRITTEN BY: David Lapham
ART BY: Mike Huddleston
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE: July 17, 2012

In order for their survival, vampires have been living off the humans for many centuries. Humanity knows that these creatures of the night exist, but as always, we choose to keep them a secret locked away. Hidden from the rest of the world, there is a book made of silver, which can foretell their inevitable destruction. Now that the Master has conquered New York, he plans to take over the world next. If the sun does not rise, there is no stopping the next wave of vampire attacks. How will a small band of heroes prevent The Master from covering the planet in complete darkness?

Writer David Lapham moves away from the police procedural aspects of the first novel, and narrates a different kind of story. Darker in tone and more violent, this is a group ensemble/adventure tale. The team that Ephraim worked so hard to put together is now slowly drifting apart. After failing to stick to his sobriety, Ephraim has hit his downfall and succumbed to his alcoholic thirst. Will Ephraim rise to the call and be a hero for his son? Or, will he remain thirsty for alcohol, just like the vampires are thirsty for blood?

I was wondering how Lapham would adapt the Concerned Citizens brigade into the story. The Concerned Citizens are a neighborhood watch-type team, armed with heavy artillery. They are protecting their broken-down neighborhood from riots and looting. This resistance group thinks they are dealing criminals and junkies, not bloodsuckers. Though they are in a just a few pages, readers get everything they need to know.

In his artwork, Mike Huddleston depicts our protagonist in shadows, as if he lost all hope. In his poses, Ephraim doesn’t stand tall and strong as he did before. Looking way hung-over, Ephraim doesn’t have the energy to actually keep fighting the good fight. In his illustrations, Huddleston captures the struggling battle between sobriety and relapse in Ephraim’s facial expressions. It’s a serious and realistic depiction of an alcoholic losing self-control.

Huddleston takes away the sexiness and romanticism out of his portrayal of vampires. When Zack confronts his mother-turned-vampire, she is unappealingly naked and sickly thin like an anorexic. She doesn’t see Zack as her son; she sees him as food. Aimed at shock value, Huddleston takes a very creepy turn when he depicts naked vampires.

“The Strain: The Fall” #1 sets up a high octane adventure filled with action and suspense. Even if you haven’t read the novel, newcomers will not be at a loss in the narrative. It’s very easy for new readers to jump on in.

4/5 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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2 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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