Comics

Review: ‘The Strain: The Fall’ #9

Published

10 years ago

March 20, 2014

An action-packed finale, “The Strain: The Fall” #9 closes its latest chapter with tons of bloody thrills. Every subplot has been geared up for the mind-blowing finish. With the conclusion of “The Fall,” readers will be amped up more for Guillermo Del Toro’s TV series to surface this summer.

WRITTEN BY: David Lapham
ART BY: Mike Huddleston
PUBLISHER: Dark Horse Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: March 19, 2014

The bloodsuckers will sacrifice themselves in order to bring about world destruction. The Master knows that in order to strike down all his enemies, he must destroy the power plant. With the power plant explosion, humans will suddenly fear the never-ending terrorist attacks. With Ephraim searching for his lost son, Abraham and his small army have to do everything they can to stop the nuclear explosion. The key to humanity’s salvation lies hidden inside the ancient text that has never been translated.

What I particularly enjoy about David Lapham’s adaptation is how the writing captures on the essence of the tragic hero. In the war between humans and vampires, Ephraim is still fighting, even though his wife and son have been taken from him. Abraham, who has been hunting the Master since WWII, is just a heart attack away from dying. Then, there’s the Sapphires gang who are slaughtering the bloodsuckers, in hopes of making money. But in the end, what kind of profit will they stand to make when the rest of the world is gone?

Lapham emphasizes the novel’s themes during the last climatic pages. Because Lapham doesn’t shy away, the concluding tone is bleak and pessimistic. Since the beginning, Abraham knew he was too old and sick to stand up against The Master. When he was really needed in battle, Abraham had to fall back and find his pills for his heart condition. Abraham knew he was going to die, but his ending had to be on his own terms.

In his artwork, Mike Huddleston captures the nerve-wracking suspense and action during the power plant attack. Using crooked angles, Huddleston makes the action sequences seem heightened and exaggerated. During the climatic conclusion, one of the Sapphires gang members takes out a rocket launcher and blows away the bloodsuckers. You do ask yourself, where the hell did he get that? Huddleston’s fantastic artwork makes you forget logic and just enjoy the ride.

Huddleston’s artwork really shines during the pulse-pounding confrontation between the Master and Abraham. Because Huddleston designed the Master as the Grim Reaper, the illustrations make great use of shadows and height differences. The Master looms tall and large over the small and withering Abraham as he extends his long arms. Death is coming for Abraham and there is no stopping him.

Readers won’t know what hit them with the last pages of “The Strain: The Fall” #9. I can’t wait to see how writer David Lapham and artist Mike Huddleston will adapt the concluding part of the trilogy, “The Night Eternal.”

4/5 Skulls

Reviewed by – Jorge Solis

Lonnie Nadler

Click to comment

Comics

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

Published

7 days ago

April 18, 2024

Meagan Navarro

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.