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Advance Review: ‘Liberator’ # 4

Published

11 years ago

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Matt Miner’s ‘Liberator’ concludes this month with a harrowing final act. After a stern lesson in the virtues of vigilante justice Damon and Jeanette agree to one final mission together. The narrative takes some incredibly interesting turns. The final confrontation will linger with you for some time, both due to the emotional beats Miner hits, and the incredible way Aranda brings it to life. A riveting conclusion to a powerful series.


WRITTEN BY: Matt Miner
ART BY: Javier Sanchez Aranda
PUBLISHER: Black Mask Studios
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: Oct 16, 2013

‘Liberator’ is a series that pushes a real world agenda with a larger than life premise. The frustration from animal cruelty pours through the page to create a passionate statement on standing up for your beliefs. We all want to be the empowered hero that saves the day. Damon is a fantastic outlet to live through.

His passion and his fighting strength stem from deep seeded beliefs about animal equality. He was perhaps misguided but his passion should be commended. In the final moments Miner makes sure to twist this character on its head making the real stand out hero Jeanette.

She is always more careful in her actions and thoughts. She is cool, calm, and collected. Damon is untethered and too emotional for his own good. It really hurts when Jeanette learns why Damon is this way. It hurts on almost every level. Even more so because Miner doesn’t even directly address it he lets the art do all the work.

This final chapter doesn’t let up. We’re given the last mission we deserve. We’re even treated to a fantastic moment of innocence as Damon tries to convince a little furry escapee to take off.

Miner even gives a fantastic moment of gore that will be engrained in your memory for quite some time.

The whole thing dovetails with beautiful visceral simplicity. It was all there on the surface, but passion made use blind. When our eyes are finally opened it all makes sense, but not a moment too soon.

Aranda’s art is nothing short of incredible. The relationship fostered by the team is clear. The art carries the story this month. Most of the issue operates at breakneck pace. Aranda is truly left to his own devices to articulate the final confrontation and he shines brighter than ever before.

The fall, oh god the fall. The rotten wood, and the result of a simple slip that escalates everything to the next level shows the danger in vigilante justice. Especially when Miner takes the time to discuss violence isn’t violence if no one gets hurt. Well, such isn’t the case this month.

The end of Liberator isn’t one dotted with finality, but a new hope. The final page will fill you with renewed vigor after the melancholy of the pages that preceded it. The silver lining here defies expectations because its not the one you originally thought you’d get. The result is a fantastic conclusion to a powerful and important series.

Rating: 4.5/5 Skulls

If you dig Liberator you can find Matt Miner at NYCC in the Artist’s Alley Table G3.

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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

on

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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