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Review: ‘Revenge’ #1

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10 years ago

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Jonathan Ross is a British late night television host that made the transition into comics a few years back with the release of “Turf”, a supernatural gangster tale set in 1920s Prohibition-era of New York. Ross then teamed up with artist Bryan Hitch for his sprawling superhero epic “America’s Got Powers”, a tale of super-powered teens battling on television for your entertainment. Now Ross has returned to challenge reader’s expectations with a new twisted horror series entitled “Revenge” that is overflowing with graphic violence and sex.

WRITTEN BY: Jonathan Ross
ART BY: Ian Churchill
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $2.99
RELEASE: February 26, 2014

The book centers around Griffin Franks, a washed up action star that has seen his stardom slowly fade away with age. Hollywood decides to do a modern re-make of the movie The Revenger, the classic film where Franks got his big break. He is given the opportunity to reprise his role in the re-make and quickly finds his career back on the rise. When talk of a sequel begins, Franks realizes that his age is a determent to his success when producers of the film threaten to replace him in favor of a younger actor. It’s at this time that his trophy wife suggests Franks undergo a risky surgical procedure in Mexico that will make him look decades younger, but that is where his life goes off the rails.

Franks is the perfect protagonist for this book, as his situation story mirrors the celebrity obsessed culture that currently pervades our society and becomes a “Bread and circuses” type distraction for the general public. His character is deeply flawed and there are many moments where his actions are downright deplorable to the point where the reader has a hard time feeling sympathy for him. The flaws are what make Franks intriguing enough for readers to want to stick around for future issues.

Ian Churchill art takes center stage in this book and he brings down the house with some stunning hyper detailed line work. Right out of the gate Churchill delivers a jolting nightmarish splash page of a face being ripped off that is truly repulsive. The artwork on this book is worthy of being framed as the images are so intensely detailed that readers will find themselves staring at the pages for lengthy periods of time just to soak in how outrageous it all is.

There’s something uniquely satisfying about a hard boiled revenge tale that we can all take solace in. Everyone has had an experience where they’ve been screwed over and wanted to extract revenge against those that have dared to cross us. Jonathan Ross and Ian Churchill have taken our darkest fantasies about revenge and boiled them into grotesque grindhouse comic that truly gets under your skin. Every page of “Revenge” was tailor made for horror fanatics who can rejoice in blood, sex, violence and crazy plot twists.

4.5/5 Skulls

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Comics

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

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1 day 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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