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Comic Book Review: ‘Gotham By Midnight’ # 3 – Is Demonically Enjoyable

Published

9 years ago

on

‘Gotham By Midnight’ #3 promises to show you the horror behind the most corrupt city in comics. This month, Detective Jim Corrigan uncovers true supernatural insanity and the tone of the book cements itself as the most unique offering in the Batman universe.

STK659752

WRITTEN BY: Ray Fawkes

ART BY: Ben Templesmith

PUBLISHER: DC Comics

PRICE: $2.99

RELEASE: January 28, 2015

The first issue of ‘Gotham By Midnight’ suffered from heaps of exposition that did their best to establish this new team of cops prying beneath the scummy floorboards of Gotham. With the introductions out of the way, Ray Fawkes sinks his teeth into the true horror behind the series to thrilling results.

After finding the strange nun who spoke in tongues in the first issue, Corrigan and company have plunged themselves into the heart of darkness. The first page sets the perfect tone for the issue showing that this team is the only thing the darkness fears. Every member of the team has a moment here, but this is really Jim Corrigan’s book.

He doesn’t quite get the moment here that I wanted but through the experiences of the supporting characters you understand why he was the perfect man to lead this force. The troubling evil he sensed has reared its ugly head, and now it’s time for people to get in line with his leadership. Fawkes reminds us that our hero is broken, and gives a phenomenal supporting team to buttress this odd demonic hero by giving Lisa Drake an incredible flashback that reinforces her character in a beautiful way.

Ben Templesmith’s work is moody and evocative. Certain pages are overpowering in their visceral use of contrast to cut the page, but it never proves distracting. Instead the think fog of his coloring creates a color palette that defines the dirty and dangerous work of ‘Gotham By Midnight.’ Plus when things get really out of control, Templesmith slides into his singnature use of dirty green and muddy orange to evoke a dichotomy of warmth and cold that really resonates through his panels.

A book like this couldn’t have existed a few years ago. Batman has grown into a full blown phenomenon and yet, he doesn’t grace a single page of this comic. His world stands tall and stranger without him. Fawkes is doing great work to build the occult underworld of the criminal underworld. Better yet he informs all the horror we’ve been seeing in the other bat books, as if its something more sinister at play.

‘Gotham By Midnight’ isn’t motivated by fear, instead it challenges you by giving a foreboding tone to a world we thought we knew and with every issue it builds a strong foundation for the best Bat book on the stands. I can only hope it lives longer than 6 issues, because for it to be wiped out by Convergence in April would be an absolute shame.

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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

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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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