Witchblade: There and Back again (that's right I made a Hobbit reference)
Now to get one thing out of the way, I haven't been around the last 3 months because I have been spending much time on research into the comic Witchblade, while at the same time working on various other comic based work, such as analyses of art and trying to apply it to my own style. but back to the task at hand I wanted to pay great attention to not just the style of the art or the writing in each story Arc, but also to see if their was an increase or decrease in quality in both and writing. I wanted to take my time and properly deconstruct the series in the art writing and the staff who put it together.
If you have ever heard of Witchblade you'll probably think 90's comic sex appeal as many comics during that time represented what is now an outdated image of women, but if you look past that and focus on the overall art and storylines then your really going to enjoy this series. In this I will talk about the best aspects of the book and why it is enjoyable for new readers.
The Staff:
Writer David Wohl and artist Michael Turner originally created the series in 1995 as part of top cow productions which was an imprint of image comics in the 1990's where artists and writers could come up with original works and have creative control during their run on various series.
The art presented by Michael turner was some of the best of his run and Wohl's writing stayed consistent throughout as it kept the origin subtle and made sure character development was shown through each storyline in perfect balance. So from the beginning the series was starting off with some of the best writers and artists in the industry, who would later go on to found their own series such as Turner who would found the Aspen comics productions with such titles as Fathom and Soulfire
and Wohl would expand the Witchblade saga with The Darkness and Aphrodite XI and become a show runner for the Witchblade TV series as well.
To say that the quality increased in the future since the beginning of the series is to say that Marc Silvestri took over and not only took the series into new places, but kept continuity in as a factor and made sure that the previous lore was respected, for any fan of any of these writers work I definitely recommend this comic.
The Story:
The story of Witchblade follows Sara Pezzini an NYPD homicide detective who in a series of events comes into possession of The Witchblade, a powerful, sentient gauntlet that gives its host supernatural powers in order to fight against the supernatural that seek to possess it. The story began introducing many characters that would cause trouble throughout the series through any means necessary, later we would learn more about Sara and her struggle with the blade as it seeks to take control.
The overall story went into themes of horror, the occult and concepts of heaven and earth, but also the struggles of Sara as she was a character of circumstance and affiliation. The story had dark themes, but also touched on real life problems as well and enhanced them in many directions such as getting older, struggles with morality, upholding justice and even unwanted responsibilities.
I'd recommend this series on just the storyline alone, its well paced, the art matches the movement, and the stories always have a point to make in one part or the other, its not just good against evil, its more the fine line between the two. The series Arcs end on a high note that changes the way we se the characters and makes you think, were they right or wrong in what they think or what they did? Marc Silvestri took a more detailed look into Sra's life with the Witchblade and even showed the point of view of another person brought into the series, but you'll have to find that one out for yourself.
The Art:
Now in the beginning of this I said that Witchblade was created in the 1990's and like most comics in that era they involved a large amount of sex appeal that still carries in this series although not as much as it did in the 90's publications...thankfully, Michael turner was the one who perpetuated this trope through his run, but it mellowed out in his run through time as he focused on detail of location and the movement of the character, even if the figure isn't realistic.
Michael turners art was impressive as he used a dark and shaded 90's based city with a dash of cyberpunk in the design of the Witchblade and the various other supernatural threats like the demons.
Where as through the series the art has changed to reflect the times and has even changed the Witchblade design around Sara which is good, by the way. the art has not only gotten better, but in certain stories it changes to reflect the situation, such as in first born Arc where the angels are involved the artwork by Stjepan Sejic takes on this heavenly tone, but also a demonic tone.
Even the visual anatomy of the costume changes over time which is presented in this panel of the last issue.
So all and all the art of Witchblade changes over time, but it has never gone into the realm of crude and has gone onto enhance the story with its quality, you can still feel the work of the original creators in every page of later issues. I read every issue of this series and there was not one artists work that I didn't like.
Conclusion:
In my conclusion I have to say that the Witchblade series is flawed and is not for everyone's reading list, but for those who do like supernatural/horror/dramatic genre I have to say that this is the perfect series for you that has not only aged well with time, but has also reached a natural end. The reason I enjoyed this series so much is because it had so much to offer in al of these aspects I talked about and hopefully Image will produce more work like this in the future to come. Thank you for reading.
