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Advance Comic Review: “Chrononauts” #1 – Shows Time Travel As A Remarkable National Event

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9 years ago

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Reviewed By Eric Switzer. As time travel stories go, “Chrononauts” #1 isn’t your typical “kids with too much power” or “last chance to save the future” story.  Time travel here is presented as a national event and an incredible achievement for science with the goal of documenting and recording the past.  Things go horribly wrong, of course, but “Chrononauts” delivers something fresh and intriguing with all the Mark Millar flavor that has made him a master of the medium.  Its more “Quantum Leap” than “Back to the Future”, and has all the potential of being a remarkable adventure through time.

STK666055

WRITTEN BY: Mark Millar

ART BY: Sean Gordon Murphy

PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE: $3.50
RELEASE: March 18, 2015

“Chrononauts” is a buddy story at heart.  Corbin Quinn is the lead researcher who has gotten the project up to the point of sending a satellite to record the civil war.  Danny O’Reilly is brought on to develop the suits that will allow humans to travel back in time as well.  Where Corbin is sort of solemn guy living with regret for the people in his life he has let down, Danny is kind of a flaky party boy that is interested primarily in the notoriety that the expedition will bring him so he can “bang coeds”.  I wasn’t to hot on all the fist-bumping and dudebro stuff.  It may be meant to counterpoint all of Corbin’s brooding, but it comes across as out of place and flat character writing.  Tony Stark pulls off the play boy genius, Danny just comes across as sort of an idiot.  I would have personally preferred it was played a little straighter.

As I mentioned the book has a very intriguing premise: the first manned time travel is promoted and televised the way any NASA space mission has or would be.  Their mission is unique and realistic too: to record history as its happening.  There’s a particular line that I really liked:  “History is unfolding right before our eyes, clear color footage of America’s ancestors preparing for battle like they’re still alive.”  The sentiment bring a lot of weight to mission, this is how I imagine we would react were time travel ever invented.  And finally, the stakes are raised as one would expect and a sense of urgency is created.  “Chrononauts” serves it up in a perfectly designed little package, something Millar has perfected over the years.

Despite one or two missing beats and Danny’s questionable character traits, “Chrononauts” #1 is a refreshing and intriguing time romp beautifully rendered by Sean Gordon Murphy through and through (The last splash will make your heart skip a beat).  Mark Millar has the most cinematic mind in comics and every story he writes has major motion picture potential.  “Chrononauts” is no exception.  As long as the bromance doesn’t outweigh solid plotting, this book is going to be real stand out.

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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. 

 

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

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6 hours 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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