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Witchblade
A New Era
Posted 23 Apr 2008
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Mike Choi, Stephen Sadowski, Adriana Melo (pencils)
Artist: Stjepan Sejic (cover)
Letters: Troy Peteri
Ink: Jay Leisten, Rob Hunter, Mark Prudeaux, Andrew Pepoy,Sal Regla, Drew Geraci, Mariah Benes, Joe Weems, Rick Basaldua, Haberlin Studios
Colors: Sonia Oback, Michael Atiyeh, Blond
Publisher: Top Cow
5.00 out of 5 Stars
Reviewed by Sara Michelle Kowalczyk
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The stunning revelations of Witchblade’s 10th Anniversary
issue, Witchblade #92, lead
directly into Witchblade Volume
3. Issue #92, written by Ron Marz (First Born,Star Wars), features artwork by
series favorites Mike Choi, Eric Basaldua, Francis Manapul, and Marc
Silvestri as well as art by Chris Bachalo, Terry Dodson, Darwyn Cooke,
George Perez, Joseph Michael Linsner, and more. Joseph Michael
Linsner’s Dawn cameos as an ethereal goddess who reveals the
Witchblade’s origin to Sara. In Witchblade#92, we learn that the
Witchblade is a male aspect; an offspring conceived by the Angelus and
the Darkness to act as a balance. At the end of the issue, Sara forges
an impenetrable bond to the Witchblade and embraces the powers of the
bearers who came before her.
“Ron Marz gives a realistic
female perspective to Sara… the spotlight on Sara’s inner
and outer turmoil really develops her character.”
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Witchblade Volume 3
collects issues #93-100. Witchblade#93, titled
“Reflections,” picks up where #92 left off. Sara is
haunted by a hybrid apparition of the Angelus and the Darkness in the
police department’s gymnasium pool. She realizes it’s a
manifestation of the cocoon she emerged from at the Curator’s
shop in issue #92. Sara unites with the creature (the creature
personifies her future as the Witchblade wielder) and relinquishes her
life as a “normal” young woman. “Reflections”
is one of my favorite issues in Volume 3. Ron Marz gives a realistic
female perspective to Sara. During an emotional scene, Sara sits alone
in her apartment, struggling with the notion that she was not given
the choice to be the bearer. In the end, all of her fears and
uncertainties are forgotten when she accepts her fate. Ron’s
spotlight on Sara’s inner and outer turmoil really develops her
character. Mike Choi (Witchblade:
Witch Hunt,X-Men) does
an amazing job on the underwater sequences, and Sonia Oback’s
palette adds a splash of color to this aquatic tale.
“Artifacts” (#94-95) is probably my least favorite
story in the book. The statue of the death goddess, Gyantse Yerpa, is
stolen from the Curator’s shop and brought back to life. Sara
battles the Gyantse Yerpa, and defeats it with her blast power.
It’s implied that the Gyantse Yerpa is never really stolen, and
that the Curator awakens the ancient entity to test Sara.
“Artifacts'” stand-alone plot lacks continuity. I’m
not impressed with Stephen Sadowski’s stint on pencils; I only
like the two page spread where Sara eviscerates the death goddess.
Witchblade#96, “True
Confessions,” resumes the Witchblade#88 story line (in #88,
Sara and her partner, Patrick Gleason, investigate the murder of a
little girl named Keisha Sims). Sara’s captain, Captain
Peyroux, informs her that the department has a suspect in custody
(Lorenzo). Sara uses the power of the Witchblade to coerce a
confession from Lorenzo. After he admits to murdering Keisha, the
Witchblade decides it wants Lorenzo dead. It takes control of Sara,
and she barely pulls it back in time. In celebration of bringing
Keisha’s murderer to justice, Patrick gets the courage to ask
Sara on a date. Sara agrees to meet him at a Chinese restaurant. She
is fashionably late, of course! I love Mike Choi’s depiction of
Sara. He portrays her with chic clothes and accessories. It’s
nice to see Sara dressed in something other than her usual cop outfit.
Just as things with Sara and Patrick heat up, Ian Nottingham crashes
through a window, ruining any trace of a romantic vibe.
Ian Nottingham makes his deadly return in “Old Habits”
(#97-98). Ian is a trained martial artist and swordsman (his weapon of
choice is the Japanese Katana). He is the former wielder of the male
version of the Witchblade, the Excalibur. Ian is an assassin and a
high-ranking member of the Yakuza, an organized Japanese crime ring.
Ian and Sara have a romantic relationship in the early issues of
Witchblade. After being pursued by a splinter group of Yakuza soldiers
who follow the orders of Lord Nogawa, Ian comes to Sara for help. Sara
signs on and asks Ian to meet her at the Curator’s shop the next
morning, but Ian has his own agenda. He ignores her wishes, steals a
Katana from the Curator’s store, and goes after the Yakuza
soldiers. Sara catches up with him, and although she is angry, she
joins in the battle. Sara and Ian take out the Yakuza clan. While Sara
is fighting, Ian slays Nogawa so he can take his place as leader. Ian
tells Sara he murdered Nogawa so they can be together. She
doesn’t believe him and places him under arrest. Later, Sara
finds the devastated Patrick at a bar (Patrick leaves early in #97
after feeling like a third wheel). Sara apologizes for the
night’s events and asks Patrick to give “them” a
try. Patrick accepts and again just as they share a moment,
Sara’s cell phone rings. Her former partner Jake has woken from
his coma. My criticism of Mike Choi is that Ian is supposed to have
tattooed markings on his right hand. These markings, bestowed upon him
by his mentor Kenneth Irons, allow him to steal the powers of the
Witchblade and the Darkness. Mike hardly drew Ian’s tattoos; I
think I only saw them once.
Witchblade #99, “In
the Darkness . . . Something Stirs,” marks the homecoming of
detective Jake McCarthy. The epic plot ties into Witchblade Volume 1: Witch Hunt
(#80-85). In #83, Jake rescues Sara from insect-like parasites. They
feed on his soul and render him unconscious. When Sara visits Jake in
the hospital, he asks her what’s happened since he’s been
in a coma. She rehashes everything Jake missed, basically, the Witch Hunt conclusion: Sara takes on
a living god that a brotherhood of evil priests summons from the
depths. She annihilates the apocalyptic beast and sends it back
through the gateway of hell. Sara also breaks the news to Jake that
they’re no longer partners. She promises to visit him the
following day; she notices that Jake seems a little off. The next
evening, Sara brings Jake to see the top of the Empire State Building.
Jake mutates into the living god. This is the point where I get
confused. My take on the story is the demon Sara eradicates in Witch Hunt is not the living god. I
think the living god possesses Jake’s body while he is out of it
(he needs a human host). The living god explains to Sara that
“the Witchblade allowed her to slip away before he could take
her.” Therefore, because Jake is conscious, the monster can
manifest himself. He argues with Sara and pushes her off the roof! I
really like Adriana Melo (Ms.
Marvel, Birds of Prey)
on pencils. She has a very fluid stroke. Adriana’s layouts look
more like paintings than illustrations.
“I love the individual
compositions, the metallic design of Sara’s wings, and the molten look
of the living god. ”
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“Gods and Monsters” is the landmark 100th issue of
Witchblade. The Witchblade
sprouts wings to save Sara from falling. She flies back to the rooftop
where the living god merges with the Witchblade. He explains what the
world will be like with him in power, “He will sit upon a throne
and look down upon a feast of fire and flesh.” The previous
bearers of the Witchblade infuse Sara with their strength. Patrick
sees strange lights coming from the Empire State Building and rushes
to the top. He tries to help Sara, but the living god casts him away.
Sara phases her hand through the living god’s chest, crushing
his heart. Jake reappears and tells Sara to check on Patrick. While
Sara makes sure Patrick is okay, Jake admits he’s always loved
her. He reaches for Patrick’s gun and sacrifices himself before
the living god can resurface. Patrick embraces Sara and she reveals
she might be pregnant. On the street below, Danielle Baptiste finds
the flowers Patrick bought for Sara and accidentally dropped in his
haste. Next to her a caption reads: “For most the balance brings
triumph and tragedy in equal measure, until it passes into the hands
of another.” The 100th issue sets up events for future Witchbladestory arcs and features
art by Marc Silvestri, Brian Ching, Christian Gossett, Billy Tan,
Randy Green, Mike Choi, and Adriana Melo. I love the individual
compositions, the metallic design of Sara’s wings, and the
molten look of the living god. Ron Marz has reinvented the Witchbladecomics. He’s
transformed Sara’s character into a noble descendant of the
Witchblade legacy. Finally, fans can praise Sara as an honorable
heroine!
Witchblade Volume 3 is
loaded with extras including an intro by Ian Edginton (Witchblade: Signs and Portents), a
cover gallery with covers by Pat Lee, Tyler Kirkham, Michael Turner,
and Stjepan Sejic as well as Witchblade: Bearers of the Blade,
written by Top Cow editor Rob Levin. Bearers of the Blade provides an
in-depth history of the Witchblade gauntlet and chronicles the lives
of the women destined to wield it.
—CCdC—
Cover image used without explicit permission in accordance with the "Fair Use" provision of US copyright law.
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