Withcblade Issue 116

’Advent’ Part 1 of 3

Written by Ron Marz

Art by Stjepan Sezic

Published by Top Cow

Every now and again, it’s always nice to revisit your roots. Witchblade was one of the first titles I ever bought regularly, back when dinosaurs walked the Earth and the fabulous Michael Turner was the artist (As an aside, Turner’s own work, Fathom is one of the best kept secrets in action comics. Well worth tracking down.). The whole thing played rather like a cross between Highlander and NYPD Blue. For a long time I really enjoyed it too, then, after wading through yet another place holding crossover, yet another moment of faux enigma and yet more increasingly gratuitous cheesecake, I moved on to different pastures.

Until, entirely on spec, I decided to pick this up and to say I was pleasantly surprised is something of an understatement. Ron Marz has turned the book neatly on its head, focussing on the characters and plot far more than however many (or few) clothes they happen to have on at the time and the end result is genuinely huge amounts of fun.

The recap at the start, staggeringly illustrated by Sezic, brings the reader nicely up to speed. Things have changed, fairly seismically too; Sara Pezzini has had a baby, the father is ‘elsewhere’ and she’s been transferred to the Special Crimes Unit at One Police Plaza. The Witchblade itself has changed too, with half now belonging to Sara and half to Dani, a young woman the weapon may have chosen for the task all by itself.

Sara has a new partner, a new boyfriend, a new job and a new case and the end result feels to all intents and purposes like the pilot for a new series.

Marz has a nice line in naturalistic dialogue and there are two scenes here that really shine. The moment where Sara goes to visit her sister in prison is refreshingly compassionate and natural, the interplay between the two and even between Sara and a guard emphasising that these are normal people in an exceptional situation. There’s a tenderness to the conversation with Julie that’s touching without being mawkish and that’s a difficult trick to accomplish. Likewise, the easy, three way banter between Sara, her new partner and the pathologist on scene at her first case with SCU is unforced and real. The characters are finally front and centre.

The impact of Sezic’s art simply cannot be overstated. Lush and naturalistic without being forced he’s as much at home with the epic history of the Witchblade as he is with small character moments. The lighting and sense of place in the prison scene alone is impressive but the consistency of the art really makes this a stand out piece from a stand out artist. The characters are grounded, well designed and feel as natural as the dialogue and the end result is something very special.

The really great thing about revisiting your roots is every now and then you remember why you started there, you find something that, for once, lives up to your memories of it. This is a smart, well written, beautifully drawn piece of supernatural fiction. If you like the genre, then this is absolutely for you.