Comics
[Comic Review] Let “Material” #1 Was Over You
“Material” #1 is ambitious, it is not a book with a message, it IS a message. In this first issue alone Ales Kot explores a great many themes and social complexities that each could sustain their own graphic meditation (which feels more fitting a description than “comic book” for something as highbrow as “Material”) but together, this is a book about desperation, about fear and control, about communication and when it stops. “Material” inspires dialogue. As a critic my piece is to say “know what you’re getting into”. As an emotionally engaged millennial I urge you to allow “Material” to give you pause, and spread it around.
WRITTEN BY: Ales Kot
ART BY: Will Tempest
PUBLISHER: Image
PRICE:$3.50
RELEASE: May 27, 2015
By way of story, “Material” #1 sets up 4 plot lines: a disillusioned professor longing for a time before “hyper-capitalism” and before we became one with our machines is contacted through email by someone claiming to be the first A.I., a drug addicted actress is recruited by a powerful director to make a atypical and mysterious kind of film, a black youth protesting police brutality in Chicago is arrested and, well, brutalized, and a middle-eastern man is having trouble assimilating after being released from Guantanamo Bay where he was held prisoner and tortured.
What connects these stories? They are all distinctly representing current social issues. They are all focused on an individual, a microcosm character that represents a group. They are not objective. Kot is delivering a pretty pointed perspective on these issues. Its hard to imagine where things are going at this point, but it is so uncommon for a comic book to say something that I have to encourage you all to be a part of this. Thankfully, Kot writes incredibly natural dialogue. Mark Waid, Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, Brian K. Vaughn, Scott Snyder, Ray Fawkes; the master write memorable character and remarkable stories that use universal themes to create emotional attachment to the stories. Kot is using the medium to speak directly to his audience. There are footnotes on almost every page offering connections to theorists and related essays and it seems evident you could spend a lifetime diving into conflicts and contradiction Kot is pointing at.
Fiona Duncan’s essay at the end really opens up one particular thread of this issue and makes it all a lot easier to digest, something I think new readers of Kot’s work will be turned off by; there is a significant intellectual barrier to entry. Kot is not writing for the lowest common denominator by any stretch, and the dialogue will be lost on a group of readers who or frustrated by their lack of understanding and feel that “Material” is deliberately over-academic. If you felt this way about the first issue, please stay with it. You don’t need to understand necessarily every reference to Thoreau or have seen the films of Godard and David Lynch to catch his drift. I say let it wash over you. Take in what you can and then ask someone to read it and talk with you about it. It will be good for you, I promise.
Comics
‘Witchblade’ is Getting Resurrected This Summer in New Comic Series from Top Cow and Image Comics
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.
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Cover A: Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover B: Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto (Full Color)
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Cover C: Blank Sketch Cover
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Cover D (1/10): Dani and Brad Simpson (Full Color)
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Cover E (1/25): Marc Silvestri and Arif Prianto, Virgin Cover (Full Color)
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Cover F (1/50): J.Scott Campbell (Full Color)
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Cover G (1/100): Bill Sienkiewicz. (Full Color)
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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.
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