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Review: ‘The Fuse’ #1

Published

10 years ago

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“The Fuse” #1 is a fresh breath of air in the cop procedural/crime comic book genre. Set 22,000 miles adrift planet Earth on an orbiting energy platform, “The Fuse” tells a story of the crime and corruption amongst half a million people living in Midway City — a five-mile-long steel pressurized environment. Completely emancipated from Earth, Midway City needs all the help it can get. Enter Detective Dietrich…

WRITTEN BY: Antony Johnston
ART BY: Justin Greenwood
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: February 12, 2014

Dietrich has just arrived in Midway City when a woman stumbles through the shuttleport and collapses to her death. He’s immediately thrust into the job, a job that requires him to protect a pressurized city that supposedly allows no guns. Yet cablers (homeless people with a twist, a twist we are left wondering about in the final pages of the issue) are being shot. The Fuse has a gun smuggling problem, but that’s nothing compared to Dietrich’s new partner problem.

Sergeant Klem, Dietrich’s new partner is an older female, completely hardened by the job. She’s the exact definition of a bitter, world-weary cop. While Dietrich questions her skill due to her old age, Klem questions Dietrich due to his young age. It’s the Odd Couple of ageism. But with a lot more hatred and violence.

They are immediately thrown into working with each other without any buffer, and the insults fly. That, combined with the cabler murders, makes for a seriously intense first issue. Crime comic books are a dime a dozen, but ‘The Fuse’ hits fast and hard, with unapologetic wit and a no-nonsense attitude toward different classes of people, an issue that is very apparent in Midway City.

Because of the strong voice and gritty art, ‘The Fuse’ which is technically science fiction, hardly feels that way. It doesn’t feel like you are reading some post-Earth, hundreds of years into the future, experimental society, tired sci-fi plot. It has more of a ‘Repo! A Genetic Opera’ feel, a storyline and concept so strong that it collapses the genre itself. I commend Johnston and Greenwood for accomplishing this very difficult feat.

The art is very stark, simplistic in style yet detailed in plot. No one is attractive, and no one is unattractive. They just… are. I find this to be a very important factor in the grand scheme of the issue. When dealing with a corrupt city in a troubled environment, exquisite art with beautiful people and rich colors would feel completely out of place. Or worse, might tamper with the tenacity of the writing. Johnston and Greenwood have struck a perfect balance to make you feel unease while simultaneously feeling fascination.

I’m excited to see what these creators have in store for us. This first issue wasn’t perfect, but it was pretty dang close. It’s clear that Johnston is playing his cards close to the chest, leaving many questions unanswered, keeping you hanging on to the final pages begging for more.

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Bree Ogden

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Comics

‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics

Published

2 weeks 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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