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Review: “Revival” #20

Published

10 years ago

on

By Jorge Solis

The line between being a suspect and being distracted by a red herring is blurred in “Revival” #20. The mystery continues to thicken as readers are given a whodunit mystery with no one being murdered. The plot twists keep piling up as the story steers in unexpected directions in this latest “Revival” installment.
revival20
WRITTEN BY: Tim Seeley
ART BY: Mike Norton
PUBLISHER: Image Comics
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: May 7, 2013

For exactly one day, the dead of rural Wisconsin suddenly came back to life. An endless parade of government agents, reporters, and scientists continue to hound the “Revivers,” asking them why they have returned. While Sheriff Dana Cypress attempts to control the zombie crisis, she is also investigating the unsolved murder of her sister, Em. Her investigation has led to a masked murderer who may have been resurrected while being cremated. Death is a disease as the reviving population has begun to slowly spread beyond the point of origin in Wisconsin and into the big city.

Writer Tim Seeley surprisingly steers the police procedural into an intense family drama. My favorite parts of “Revival” are when Seeley explores the family dynamic between Dana and her son. Seeley slowly develops his dialogue so that last sentence really pulls at the heartstrings. This is about a mother losing the love and respect of her son. Dana is so obsessed with solving the mystery behind the Revivers. She has actually forgotten what it’s meant to be alive. She is losing her son and there is nothing she can do to fix it.

Seeley sneaks in the bloody horror during his monologues. There are two things going on in the panel. The rambling conversation between two people takes place on one side, while an upcoming murder is happening nearby. As the reader, you’re invested in what the characters are saying in their conversation. But you’re also keeping your eyes glued on what’s going in on the background.

Artist Mike Norton delivers the foreshadowing of a heart-wrenching breakup in subtle hints. Dana’s son, who cannot sleep at night because of a stalker, clings to the robot toy in his hands. The toy represents the last remaining piece of his childhood. Norton portrays the heartbreak in the boy’s eyes when he looks at his own mother.

In a scene with very little dialogue, Norton delivers the shock of a police bust gone horribly wrong. Norton tells the crime through a cell phone screen, showing footage from a surveillance camera. Norton illustrates the footage with grainy highlights, as if the camera was brought on the cheap. Norton nails the right facial expression from Dana when she sees the dead man rise up from the floor, after getting shot point-blank.

“Revival” #20 delivers a puzzling murder mystery that keeps readers guessing. The next installment of “Revival” looks promising because the story seems to be moving to a new setting.

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

Published

2 days ago

on

April 18, 2024

By

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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