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Review: ‘Locke & Key: Alpha’ #1

Published

11 years ago

on

A truly scary and spine-chilling installment, “Locke & Key: Alpha” #1 keeps the reader’s heart racing while taking their breath away. The deeply flawed Locke family stands together in an epic-sized battle against evil. With one issue away from the finale, the “Locke & Key” series gets ready to deliver an ending fans are anxiously awaiting.

WRITTEN BY: Joe Hill
ART BY: Gabriel Rodriguez
PUBLISHER: IDW Publishing
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: September 11th, 2013

In the dark caverns underneath KeyHouse, Dodge smiles as his demonic army of living shadows continues to grow. There are only a few who haven’t fallen to Dodge’s merciless madness. Out of weapons and with the clock running out, the beaten Locke members stand together as a family against Dodge. Will Rufus Whedon, a mentally challenged young man, get to the caves in time to help his dearest friends? With no one to stop him, has Dodge finally won the war that started 250 years ago?

What I really loved about Joe Hill’s writing is how he keeps up the intensity and fast pace throughout the narrative. Hill wants each of his protagonists to have an epic moment during their confrontation with Dodge. Readers will find themselves rooting for Nina Locke, the matriarch of the family, as she fights against the monster shadows to save her family. With no weapons in hand, Tyler does something incredibly clever during the climatic pages. Even Kinsey gets to a chance to say something so emotionally true and poetic to her boyfriend while being surrounded by Dodge’s army.

The death count is surprisingly surreal and hard-hitting. These are characters who both fans and Hill have become invested in over the years. The loss of life is taken seriously by the Locke siblings, who have been through their own tragedy. After everything is said and done, how will the survivors hope to move forward after such a devastation? I look forward to the series conclusion to see whether or not Hill explores this question.

Even when the tone is at its bleakest, artist Gabriel Rodriguez finds ways to heighten the quirkiest moments of the suspenseful narrative. As Duncan is being clawed and bitten at by these little shadow gremlins, he desperately drags himself to safety. You might miss it the first time, so pay close attention to the background. In a laugh-out-loud moment, the gremlin shadows are shaking their fists and giving Duncan the finger. Rodriguez visually adds the comic relief and somehow manages to keep tension flowing through the situation.

The confrontation between the Locke family and Dodge also includes the destruction of the KeyHouse mansion. For many issues, Rodriguez has illustrated every hallway, every room of the entire building. And now, in this penultimate installment, Rodriguez has to take down the structure he built brick by brick. In wide shots, Rodriguez wants to the readers to see the collapse in its glory.

Readers will have no idea what hit them when they reach the last page of “Locke & Key: Alpha” #1. Even though I don’t want to, it’s time to say good-bye to the “Locke & Key” series. I’m very anxious to see what’s in store for the final chapter.

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

6 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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