Comics
Review: ‘Vampirella: Southern Gothic’ #1
With a solid storyline, “Vampirella: Southern Gothic” #1 establishes enough of its premise to keep readers hooked. There is a sufficient amount vampire action and excitement in these pages to keep your full attention. For those who haven’t read a “Vampirella” comic, this is a perfect place to start with the horror heroine.
Written By: Nate Cosby
Art By: Jose Luis
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Release: July 14, 2013
Vampirella is lost in a supernatural world where demons and vampires want to claim her as their own. Wanting nothing to do with her origins, Vampirella struggles to make a seemingly normal life just for herself. But when an old flame desperately reaches out to her for help, Vampirella realizes she cannot get away from her past. But first, she has to deal with a robbery gone horribly wrong by a group of demons. Before the police arrive, Vampirella has to stop the demonic robbers before their fight reaches the public.
Writer Nate Cosby examines Vampirella as an anti-hero who doesn’t want to belong with any group. Even Vampirella doesn’t know if she is supposed to be a vampire, demon, or alien. She almost prefers to be branded as an outcast to her own supernatural kind. During their action-packed confrontation, the demons are either turned on or off by the fact she is a weird anomaly to their species. The demons have actually found a way to make her bleed, and it frightens Vampirella to the core.
What I really liked is how Cosby suggests Vampirella will be out of her element in the upcoming issues. In the story arc, she will be moving away from the big city to the southern, Mississippi backdrop. Vampirella is also running away from her problems, which could also come back to haunt her later on. Cosby also hinted at flashbacks to Vampirella’s previous life and I hope he continues with this storytelling technique.
Artist Jose Luis captures a modern, yet still provocative, character design for Vampirella. This time around, her new wardrobe is tight blue jeans and skimpy clothing to show off her mid-riff. To tease longtime fans, Luis brings back the signature red suit in a flashback sequence. Luis wants to keep Vampirella’s new look in the present day and her previous costume as a reflection of her past.
The robbery gone wrong in the opening pages is a major highlight of Luis’ illustrations. Vampirella singlehandedly takes on a horde of vicious demons, throwing her fists left and right. The action increases as Vampirella takes the fight to the streets. She actually jumps on a demon and bites his neck with her fangs. There is red blood all over the page when Vampirella sprouts these huge bat-wings from her back.
With its premise established, “Vampirella: Southern Gothic” #1 sets off the vampire seductress with a new look and a different setting. I’m looking forward to seeing this vampire in the American South landscape.
3.5/5 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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