Comics
Review: ‘Curse’ # 1
“Curse” # 1 will get under your skin with a story of a man pushed so far to the edge that he must hunt a terrifying creature just to pay for his dying son’s medical expenses. Writers Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel are no strangers to telling a good horror story. Colin Lorimer does a lot of the heavy lifting with his incredibly dark and moody artwork and Riley Rossmo swoops in adding his horrifying touch to create own of the most finely crafted horror books I’ve had the pleasure of reading.
WRITTEN BY: Michael Moreci & Tim Daniel
ART BY: Colin Lorimer & Riley Rossmo
PUBLISHER: BOOM! Studios
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: January 15, 2014
Creative teams like these don’t come around very often. From the opening page of “Curse” you know that you’re in good hands. Lorimer treats you to the dark, shadowy style that permeates the book. You feel the words “cold” in your bones and that chill doesn’t go away until the last page.
Moreci and Daniel take the time to give Laney Griffen a robust introduction. We’re treated to his past, his present, and his future here. No moment is wasted, and by the end of the issue we fully understand what drives him. He’s a desperate and determined father.
The script is incredibly tight in its character development, but doesn’t skimp in the plot department either. Rossmo steps in and treats the reader to visceral displays of brute force as the beast is alluded to through police reports. Rossmo’s primal style compliments Lorimer’s hard edges and heavy shadows to show a wilder more dangerous side of the book.
Although when Laney chases the beast out into the cold wilderness it’s Lorimer’s jagged edges that will creep under your skin. The thorn like trees that surround Laney scream danger while the dark colors against bleak white backgrounds make the smattering splashes of red stand out in the final pages.
“Curse” doesn’t have an ounce of warmth to it. Even Laney’s love for his son feels misguided and troubled. A man, who loves his dying son with relentless conviction, probably wouldn’t go traipsing out into the night searching for a werewolf. This bodes well for the reader as hints of everything to come seem scattered throughout this first issue. Everything is only going to get worse.
So far the story fails to do anything new with the werewolf as a genre, or concept. We’re treated to some incredibly familiar elements that fail to bring anything new to the premise of a werewolf stalking a small town. However, Moerci and Daniel have crafted a script that is paced with a certain urgency that will leave you wanting more and still manage to find time for great character moments. The visual style is cold and unrelenting. Creating one of the most finely crafted first issues of horror that you’ll find on the stands.
Rating: 4.5/5 Skulls
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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