Comics

Review: ‘The Crow: Curare’ #2

Published

11 years ago

July 25, 2013

Deepening its mystery, “The Crow: Curare” #2 follows up with another gripping installment. At its emotional core, the narrative is in tune to its combination of police procedural and horror. Driven in sadness and revenge, “The Crow” series continues to say so much about the perils of grief and redemption.

WRITTEN BY: James O’ Barr
ART BY: Antoine Dode
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: July 24, 2013

Since the ’70s, Detective Joe Salk has dedicated himself into solving the murder of a little girl. With his badge and gun, Salk prowled the gritty and crime-infested streets of Detroit for a vicious child-killer. But when the clues led to dead-ends, Salk became too obsessed with this case. In the present day, Salk spends every waking hour tormenting himself on his failure. But now, the crow, the spirit guide, has given him a second chance at the investigation. Salk has one more chance to make things right for the dead little girl.

James O’ Barr divides the revenge-driven narrative into two sections. In the first part, readers are given a hard-edged crime tale where Detective Salk is morally tested. Because this is about an innocent little girl, who was violated before her death, does this give Salk the right to cross the line between good and bad cop? At first, you’re rooting for Salk to beat up the child molester in the dark corner. But when readers discover this is the wrong suspect, you really see how self-destructive Salk has become.

In the second part, O’ Barr takes the “Crow” premise into a different direction. This isn’t a gun-toting dark avenger coming back from the dead. Trapped in the body of a little girl, Carrie is an echo of her true self. Though years have passed, Carrie still speaks to Salk like a little girl because she hasn’t grown up. She’s not there to haunt Salk as a ghost, but rather to serve as a second chance at hope.

In his sketchy artwork, Antoine Dode delivers cringe-worthy illustrations that never stray from reality. At a slow pace, Salk becomes more and more violent as he continues to abuse his power of authority. Dode builds an unsettling atmosphere as he visually portrays how children are easily kidnapped in real-life scenarios. Readers will react strongly to the scenes where the child-killer actually gets away with the crime.

Dode makes great use of colors throughout the narrative. In the flashbacks, Dode uses blue, gray, and white tones to highlight the police procedural aspects. A drop of red is all it takes to heighten the mishmash of colors. Salk’s home-life is drenched with an orange glow, with a dash of yellow.

“The Crow: Curare” #2 is a compelling read that will definitely hook readers. If you’re a huge fan of police/crime thrillers such as “The Killing” and “Zodiac,” this title is definitely geared to your tastes.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Lonnie Nadler

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Comics

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

Published

1 week ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

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.