Review: Witchblade #1

Image: Image Comics

She back! An all new on going of Witchblade from Image/Top Cow. With a redesign and reboot of the character, we’re getting a new version for a new generation. Let’s Go!

We open in New York City with ‘Sara Pezzini’ at her desk narrating her story. And is that a hint at ‘Jackie Estacado’ on the police files in front of her? I believe it is, so that’s something to look for in the future. I’m guessing if this relaunch is successful a new version of The Darkness won’t be far behind. Sara lets us know she’ll be dead in an hour. Flash forward an hour and she, as the Witchblade is tearing thru a warehouse full of, I’m assuming, bad guys.

Flashback to nine hours before and we get our first look at and introduction to ‘Kenneth Irons’, who I’m gonna guess is on a quest to find the Witchblade. At a dig site with a small army of heavily armed men they send in a woman to look for something hidden in the dirt. Where we get our first look at and introduction to, the Witchblade as it “attacks’ and possesses the woman. Who is a fury runs away from everyone. Kenneth tells his people to follow her as the Witchblade WANTS it’s true avatar. The one destined to become the Witchblade. And the chase is on.

They chase her to an airport where the ‘Blade switches bodies with every woman it comes in contact with trying to get away to, where else, New York.

Story picks back up with Sara telling us WHY she became a cop: Her father was an honest cop, too honest for the others around him and he paid the price for that morality. She joined the military, excelled at the training and lifestyle came back after her time was up and became a cop like her father. and set out to find the ones responsible for his death. With her partner ‘Michael Yee’ and civilian liaison, ‘Nocole Berkshire’, she heads to a warehouse for a meeting, anyone else think its the same warehouse as the one in the flash forward moment from earlier?, with human traffickers who think she’s corrupt and can be bought for the right price.

Inside she meets the man she came to meet who knows a lot about her, giving us the chance to learn more about her past as a soldier, not JUST a soldier but a special operations group member, or SOG. They go to the places and do the things others won’t or can’t. Sara aint just a pretty face. This man wants her to procure a certain wine vintage for him, rare, expensive, and he doesnt want to go thru the ordinary channels in getting it. But first to prove herself trustworthy she has to kill a smuggler who failed in his job. Kill him she’s in.

As she thinks about what she has to do and why we see the plane carrying the Witchblade has landed and Kenneth Irons is right behind it still chasing the woman it’s possessing. Switching bodies continuously as it try’s to get away and find the true avatar of its power. Sara pulls the trigger…on the empty gun.

As the man raises the gun to either kill Sara or the smuggler its all interrupted as the current host of the Witchblade crashes thru the warehouse and kills the man before HE can pull the trigger. Bonding with Sara now they’re surrounded by the rest of the gang in the warehouse and as Sara describes the power that now fills her they take down everyone around them in a very brutal yet beautifully drawn way. Yet amid all the destruction and chaos 1 of the men gets a shot off, Right in Sara’s heart. She falls.

And wakes up with the Witchblade removing the bullet from her. She gets up and checks the warehouse finding a group of women being held inside a room. Telling them they’re free.

In the aftermath of police and rescue coming in to help the women and collect the bodies Sara DOESN’T tell her partner about what happens so no one knows.

Well except for someone on the roof of another warehouse who, presumably, watched it all…Our first look at and introduction to ‘Ian Nottingham’.

To be continued next issue.

This was a great reintroduction and reboot of the series. We get a lot of the main players, a quick look at WHY someone would want the Witchblade if not yet the reasons behind it. A great fast paced story setting up the world we are about to live in. The art is, as all of Top Cow’s books have always been, amazing. Keeps the feel and tone of the Michael Turner version without copying it. Colors really lending a new feel to the redesigns as well. Lettering moving the eyes across the page and not hurting the art. Just a very well put together book. As someone who use to read the original series I’m looking forward to where this one is going to go, what will be the same and what will be changed.

What did you think? Any questions? Comments? Notice anything I missed? If so feel free to reply and let everyone know what you think.

Till next time…

#Witchblade #ImageComics #TopCow #Comic #Action #Adventure #Supernatural