Comics
Review: ‘Clown Fatale’ #1
A pulpy punch of crime and noir, “Clown Fatale” #1 bursts with raw energy that readers will definitely enjoy. Steeped in the noir genre, there is a dangerous assignment for our four protagonists with tons of excitement. Clowns and crime have a funny way of working together in this comic series.
WRITTEN BY: Victor Gischler
ART BY: Maurizio Rosenzweig
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: November 13, 2013
After graduating from the University of Texas, Chloe had big dreams for herself as an actress on Broadway. But then life dealt her a bad hand and the closest thing to an acting gig she could get was the clown role. Candy left her old life as a hooker and joined the circus with no regrets. After taking one too many beatings from her husband, Tina ditched her marriage and escaped town with the circus. There’s something very odd about Aya, who likes to strangle her teddy bear, but it’s best not to ask. When they are handed a job offer from a mysterious man, none of them can actually refuse the much-needed money. The problem is, they’re not the hired killers the mystery man was looking for.
Writer Victor Gischler delivers the brutal and cynical attitude you would expect from the noir genre. Chloe and the rest of the gang have become bitter after having fallen on hard times. Though the four protagonists get a chance for the spotlight, Chloe is the hard-broiled leader of the group. Gischler has done a great job capturing four different personalities and four distinct voices. You understand where each character is coming from and why they would choose their deadly assignment to murder a drug dealer.
What I definitely enjoyed about Gischler’s storyline is how he chose the Western landscape as his setting. Notice how Chloe and their drug dealer are sitting at their table, as if getting ready for a showdown. Throughout the narrative, Gischler is rampant with tough-talking dialogue and witty banter amongst the four. When the violence does happen, it comes out in surprising and shocking ways.
Because there are four different voices, artist Maurizio Rosenzweig illustrates four diverse outfits for the main leads. Chloe stands out from the gang because she has a star painted around her eye. Later on, we find out visually why she as a star on her face. When Chloe is not wearing her clown wardrobe, she is wearing a KISS T-shirt. Tina always has her nose painted red and Anya has a teddy around her arms, as if she’s holding a pet.
In the panels, Rosenzweig has either two of the four protagonists in the same shot or all of them together. Though they are angry all the time, Rosenzweig illustrates different facial expressions that fits each personality. When the circus manager berates the four, Candy is the saddest of the group as she comes close to crying. Chloe hides her feelings as she blows smoke at the camera. Moreno Dinisio fills each panel with a vibrant atmosphere because of his eye-catching colors.
Oozing with hyper-sexuality and tough-talking dialogue, “Clown Fatale” #1 ends up becoming a totally fun read. The “Clown Fatale” series has the right look and attitude to get you hooked.
4/5 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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