Comics

[Comic Book Review] “The Empty Man” #6 Ends Without A Proper Ending

Published

9 years ago

December 10, 2014

“The Empty Man” is a book that has evolved considerably over 6 issues. When it began I pegged it as a “True Detective”-esque noir with an occult flavor. It wasn’t long before supernatural and metaphysical elements took center stage; when that demon crawled out of the ceiling in the interrogation room I realized this series was going to be a hell of a lot weirder and I was still on board. Then when things started getting really high concept, some times to the point of being incomprehensible, it was more “Leftovers” than “True Detective”. It all worked for me, truly, the weirder the better in my book. The weirdest thing of all, and what I can’t find a way to reconcile about this book, is that it positively has no ending.

WRITTEN BY: Cullen Bunn
ART BY: Vanesa R. Del Rey
PUBLISHER: BOOM!
PRICE: $3.99
RELEASE: December 10, 2014

Reviewed By Eric Switzer

What began as a mission to find a pair of missing siblings became one of the most surreal and imaginative horror books I’ve ever read. Somewhere along the way the series got off the tracks. It started with a deliciously creepy premise: a series of horrifically unique suicides are committed all over the world and the only thing connecting them is the phrase “The Empty Man made me do it.”

As an elevator pitch its an incredibly intriguing start. Now bring in rough old detective who’s seen it all and is at the end of his career and seemingly his life, and his snappy young partner with shiny new badge, and you’ve got the perfect set up. Then things got really weird; both interesting weird and confusing weird.

As a series, it has been a bit hit and miss in terms of concepts introduced, and through the last two issues I must admit that I was confused even by the plot. Throughout, though, “The Empty Man” maintained its signature style, expressionistic panelling, interesting use of camera perspective, and tight scripting that made each issue come alive with a fast pace. I was truly on the fence about this series all the way up until the end, and by “end” I mean the decision to finish the story at what conceivably should have been the climax, not the conclusion. Whether this was meant to be a statement on storytelling in comics, or a rejection of narrative conventions, it isn’t evident – at all. In fact it comes across like Bunn simply ran out of pages to tell his story with.

It is my tendency to take responsibility when something confuses me or if I can’t decipher the intention of the creator, I would hate to be perceived as a philistine. But if I feel this way certainly others must have been just as confused. I literally flipped back to the first page to verify the “issue 6 of 6” on the cover then started googling “The Empty Man #7”. Whatever the creators meant to do by ending the series in a cliffhanger, it was entirely lost on me. I actually feel taken advantage of, like I invested in this story and I’m not getting my return. Despite all of its qualities, reading this book made me angry.

—

Eric Switzer is an aspiring filmmaker and screenplay writer living in Los Angeles. His work tends to focus on the lighter side of entropy, dystopic futures, and man’s innate struggle with his own mortality. He can be found on twitter @epicswitzer or reached via email at ericswitzerfilm@gmail.com.

Zac Thompson

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Comics

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

Published

1 week 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.