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Artifacts #1
Artifacts #1
The Event FIVE Years in the Making! Thirteen mystical Artifacts, including the Witchblade, the Darkness and others, guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe. For centuries, it's been whispered that bringing together all 13 Artifacts would herald mankind's destruction. But a mysterious figure has been manipulating events, laying plans to put Armageddon into motion. The final phase begins here, with the abduction of Hope, the daughter of Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado. What ensues will remake the entirety of the Top Cow Universe, from the Witchblade and the Darkness, to the Angelus, Magdalena, and even Cyberforce. Artifacts #1 is the perfect place for faithful readers to see their loyalty pay off, and for new readers to experience the Top Cow universe. From Top Cow Universe architect Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and Top Cow superstar artist Michael Broussard (The Darkness) comes an event series, which will literally shake the Top Cow Universe to its foundation. Featuring a jam piece cover by Broussard, Marc Silvestri, Stjepan Sejic, Sheldon Mitchell, and Nelson Blake II, as well as a variant cover series featuring each of the 13 Artifact bearers by John Tyler Christopher (Witchblade), and a special first-issue cover by Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).
Also kicking off with issue #1 is the the Top Cow Origins series of backups written by Marz and drawn by a superstar collection of artists. This issue: Witchblade, by Marc Silvestri.
Also kicking off with issue #1 is the the Top Cow Origins series of backups written by Marz and drawn by a superstar collection of artists. This issue: Witchblade, by Marc Silvestri.
30 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2010
16 people are currently reading
226 people want to read
About the author
Ron Marz
1,644 books122 followersMarz is well known for his work on Silver Surfer and Green Lantern, as well as the Marvel vs DC crossover and Batman/Aliens. He also worked on the CrossGen Comics series Scion, Mystic, Sojourn, and The Path. At Dark Horse Comics he created Samurai: Heaven and Earth and various Star Wars comics. He has also done work for Devil’s Due Publishing’s Aftermath line, namely Blade of Kumori. In 1995, he had a brief run on XO-Manowar, for Valiant Comics.
Marz’s more recent works includes a number of Top Cow books including Witchblade and a Cyberforce relaunch. For DC Comics, he has written Ion, a 12 part comic book miniseries that followed the Kyle Rayner character after the One Year Later event, and Tales of the Sinistro Corps Presents: Parallax and Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion, two one-shot tie-ins to the Green Lantern crossover, The Sinestro Corps War.
His current creator owned projects include “Dragon Prince” (Top Cow) and “Samurai : Heaven and Earth” (Dark Horse).
Photo by Luigi Novi.
Marz’s more recent works includes a number of Top Cow books including Witchblade and a Cyberforce relaunch. For DC Comics, he has written Ion, a 12 part comic book miniseries that followed the Kyle Rayner character after the One Year Later event, and Tales of the Sinistro Corps Presents: Parallax and Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Ion, two one-shot tie-ins to the Green Lantern crossover, The Sinestro Corps War.
His current creator owned projects include “Dragon Prince” (Top Cow) and “Samurai : Heaven and Earth” (Dark Horse).
Photo by Luigi Novi.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
August 17, 2013
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. I'm unfamiliar with the Top Cow universe and picked this up on a whim because it was on sale. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it always opens my wallet. Flipping through it, I didn't expect much--women sporting cleavage that would make Barbie feel inadequate and some religious imagery that brought on PTSD flashbacks of Penny for Your Soul. I just knew this was going to have more Catholic fetishism than a Madonna video. Forgive me, Top Cow, for I have sinned.
There's an impressive mythology at work here that has a smart religious element. There are 13 ancient artifacts that have selected bearers/protectors throughout the centuries. Sara Pezzini is the current bearer of the Witchblade, the artifact created to balance the forces of good and evil (represented by The Darkness and The Angelus, both of whom are the embodiment of two artifacts). The remaining artifacts are scattered amongst other characters, such as The Magdalena (the protector of the Catholic Church and wielder of the Spear of Destiny) and Tom Judge (the ex-priest, recent denizen of hell, suspiciously John-Constantine-look-alike bearer of the Rapture). Of course, with 13 artifacts, there's an extensive cast of characters so I'll leave it there.
If the 13 artifacts are ever brought together, it will bring about an apocalyptic event. Naturally, there's always some asshat who wants to bring about the end with the intention of rebuilding the world as he sees fit. It's no different here and it's not long before the artifact bearers have chosen sides: those determined to keep the artifacts apart and those who will stop at nothing to bring them together.
The artwork is beautiful, though conventional and features scantily clad babes that did nothing for me but will probably have the fellas hoping for a wardrobe malfunction. (I mean, seriously, I've seen Victoria's Secret models clad in gauzy nothings that probably offer more protection than Sara Pezzini's Witchblade "armor".) The writing, blend of mythologies, and universe-building is impressive. There are angels and demons and androids and icemen and assassins and even a DRAGON! Well, at least hints of a dragon. That's enough to count me in for the second volume.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
There's an impressive mythology at work here that has a smart religious element. There are 13 ancient artifacts that have selected bearers/protectors throughout the centuries. Sara Pezzini is the current bearer of the Witchblade, the artifact created to balance the forces of good and evil (represented by The Darkness and The Angelus, both of whom are the embodiment of two artifacts). The remaining artifacts are scattered amongst other characters, such as The Magdalena (the protector of the Catholic Church and wielder of the Spear of Destiny) and Tom Judge (the ex-priest, recent denizen of hell, suspiciously John-Constantine-look-alike bearer of the Rapture). Of course, with 13 artifacts, there's an extensive cast of characters so I'll leave it there.
If the 13 artifacts are ever brought together, it will bring about an apocalyptic event. Naturally, there's always some asshat who wants to bring about the end with the intention of rebuilding the world as he sees fit. It's no different here and it's not long before the artifact bearers have chosen sides: those determined to keep the artifacts apart and those who will stop at nothing to bring them together.
The artwork is beautiful, though conventional and features scantily clad babes that did nothing for me but will probably have the fellas hoping for a wardrobe malfunction. (I mean, seriously, I've seen Victoria's Secret models clad in gauzy nothings that probably offer more protection than Sara Pezzini's Witchblade "armor".) The writing, blend of mythologies, and universe-building is impressive. There are angels and demons and androids and icemen and assassins and even a DRAGON! Well, at least hints of a dragon. That's enough to count me in for the second volume.
Cross posted at This Insignificant Cinder
July 25, 2022
It's a team-up/melee crossover of Top Cow's various comic lines. This volume spends most of its time with exposition telling the reader what's happening, first in the prologue, and then repeating it again in the following chapters (a disadvantage of its serial nature, having to reintroduce things to new readers in the following issues). It's the usual premise: the "heroes" band together to stop the villains (who have also banded together) from gathering a McGuffin (the twist is, there are 13 McGuffins and each and every hero and villain is also a McGuffin! Specifically, 1/13 of the Super-McGuffin, with a team-up of 6 heroes vs 6 villains and 1 unidentified individual of unannounced loyalties), because the villains will use the McGuffin to destroy the world! That's it. The villains' motivation is they want to destroy the world The heroes' motivation is because the villains killed one of the heroine's sister and kidnapped her baby and most of them are connected to and on friendly terms with said heroine.
One star for the story. Two stars for the art. But the stars don't stack, so two stars in total.
Recommended to people who won't shut up about how boring Marvel movies are, because it could be worse.
One star for the story. Two stars for the art. But the stars don't stack, so two stars in total.
Recommended to people who won't shut up about how boring Marvel movies are, because it could be worse.
August 3, 2012
This series has started off with a bang and is leaving me on the edge of my seat to see what happens next.
July 25, 2014
A great set up for a new storyline. As usual I love the art, and the story that Ron Marz manages to tell in such a short amount of time. Though it is very spoilery for the Witchblade series.
November 21, 2022
Be warned - this is only part one of a massive crossover event. A mysterious antagonist is bent on gathering 13 artifacts together to remake the world. We get Witchblade and The Darkness as our primary leads to interpret the events. There's a lot of chattering and explanations, and a couple decent action scenes as the artifacts and their wielders are gathered. I'm not deeply familiar with the Top Cow universe, so outside of names a lot of the people were unknown, and this volume at least doesn't do much to change it. While the intro claims this is a good place to enter the Top Cow universe, I would disagree.
Also, it's weird when a book has an issue's worth of covers included. The art is very much Top Cow, although without much of the hypersexualization the imprint is known for - but there's still a fair bit of demonic influence and violence on display.
So ignore the recommendation of it as an entry into the Top Cow universe - start somewhere before and get a grounding before you take this on. And make sure you're ready for the story to stop without any resolution.
Also, it's weird when a book has an issue's worth of covers included. The art is very much Top Cow, although without much of the hypersexualization the imprint is known for - but there's still a fair bit of demonic influence and violence on display.
So ignore the recommendation of it as an entry into the Top Cow universe - start somewhere before and get a grounding before you take this on. And make sure you're ready for the story to stop without any resolution.
March 5, 2012
As a long-time fan of Top Cow, I was hesitant to dive into Artifacts. Long-time readers will no doubt remember the failed Universe storyarc, which was meant to bring the Top Cow universe together in a be-all, end-all change-the-future-of-everyone kind of arc. Universe, which introduced the world to Tom Judge and Tilly Grimes, was abandoned after only seven issues, and the idea of a companywide crossover went with it. I was also wary of Top Cow going the way of larger companies like Marvel and DC, which seem to thrive on reboots and multiverse events, where there are so many versions of stories featuring the same characters going on that it’s ridiculous trying to keep up. I did not want Top Cow to go this way.
After reading the opening arc of Artifacts, I am impressed with how Top Cow is thusfar handling the endeavour. The story opens strong with Sara Pezinni, bearer of the Witchblade being a complete and thorough badass, and progresses to pick up steam as she is introduced to Tom Judge (bearer of the Rapture) and faced with the abduction of her daughter, Hope, and the murder of someone dear to her. As Jackie Estacado (The Darkness, and Hope’s father), Dani Baptiste (the Angelus), Patience (The Magdalena) and other familiar faces join the arc, I grew happier at seeing each familiar face. It was particularly interesting to see Patience and Dani at odds during their first appearance together, since the Magdalena and The Angelus are both on the side of good/the light.
But what I enjoyed the most was seeing the human sides of Sara and Jackie, Sara in particular. In the first two issues alone, she is put through the gauntlet as a detective, a mother, a sister and a bearer of a powerful artifact that has the potential to undo the world. It is some of the strongest storytelling for her that I have seen in years. , and I look forward to seeing where this series takes her, particularly in relation to Hope and Jackie. I hope Jackie eventually comes to feature as prominently as Sara, and look forward to seeing how their always-complicated relationship is handled.
By the end of this arc, the line between those who wish to save the world and those who seek to unmake it has been pretty firmly drawn. One thing I’m not sure about is how the opposing side is going to be handled. Longtime readers to Top Cow will be most familiar with those fighting to preserve the world: Sara, Jackie, Tom, the Angelus, the Magdalena and, to a lesser extent, Abby Van Alstein. Of the other faction, only Ian Nottingham and Aphrodite IV will be truly familiar to long-time readers (though the latter is better known as her original incarnation, Aphrodite IX). The remainder of team “destroy the world” are mostly relatively new characters, most of whom were only introduced in the issues and mini-series leading up to the Artifacts event. The emotional connection and the history that most readers share with Sara, Jackie and company simply isn’t there.
Artifacts claims to be the crossover that will forever alter the Top Cow universe. I feel like for this to really happen, the familiar faces need to be not to one-sided in their alignment. The “bad guys” for lack of a better term, feel by and largely disposable as characters. The dramatic impact would be much more riveting, and much better served, if loyalties were truly divided. I am looking forward to seeing how this is handled in future issues.
I sincerely hope that the future installments will be as strong as the first. If so, Artifacts will truly be an event to be reckoned with.
After reading the opening arc of Artifacts, I am impressed with how Top Cow is thusfar handling the endeavour. The story opens strong with Sara Pezinni, bearer of the Witchblade being a complete and thorough badass, and progresses to pick up steam as she is introduced to Tom Judge (bearer of the Rapture) and faced with the abduction of her daughter, Hope, and the murder of someone dear to her. As Jackie Estacado (The Darkness, and Hope’s father), Dani Baptiste (the Angelus), Patience (The Magdalena) and other familiar faces join the arc, I grew happier at seeing each familiar face. It was particularly interesting to see Patience and Dani at odds during their first appearance together, since the Magdalena and The Angelus are both on the side of good/the light.
But what I enjoyed the most was seeing the human sides of Sara and Jackie, Sara in particular. In the first two issues alone, she is put through the gauntlet as a detective, a mother, a sister and a bearer of a powerful artifact that has the potential to undo the world. It is some of the strongest storytelling for her that I have seen in years. , and I look forward to seeing where this series takes her, particularly in relation to Hope and Jackie. I hope Jackie eventually comes to feature as prominently as Sara, and look forward to seeing how their always-complicated relationship is handled.
By the end of this arc, the line between those who wish to save the world and those who seek to unmake it has been pretty firmly drawn. One thing I’m not sure about is how the opposing side is going to be handled. Longtime readers to Top Cow will be most familiar with those fighting to preserve the world: Sara, Jackie, Tom, the Angelus, the Magdalena and, to a lesser extent, Abby Van Alstein. Of the other faction, only Ian Nottingham and Aphrodite IV will be truly familiar to long-time readers (though the latter is better known as her original incarnation, Aphrodite IX). The remainder of team “destroy the world” are mostly relatively new characters, most of whom were only introduced in the issues and mini-series leading up to the Artifacts event. The emotional connection and the history that most readers share with Sara, Jackie and company simply isn’t there.
Artifacts claims to be the crossover that will forever alter the Top Cow universe. I feel like for this to really happen, the familiar faces need to be not to one-sided in their alignment. The “bad guys” for lack of a better term, feel by and largely disposable as characters. The dramatic impact would be much more riveting, and much better served, if loyalties were truly divided. I am looking forward to seeing how this is handled in future issues.
I sincerely hope that the future installments will be as strong as the first. If so, Artifacts will truly be an event to be reckoned with.
February 15, 2011
This is pretty much all set up for Top Cow event series. The readers are introduced to the premise, that there are 13 artifacts, some mythological some religious, that when gathered will likely spell the end of the world as we know it. Sides are chose among the current 12 known artifact holders, and it looks like volume 2 will be very heavy of the action. This isn't something read for character development. This is a summer blockbuster movie type of story. In many ways it resembles CLAMP's unfinished X. Unlike X this series will get finished
February 3, 2019
This felt like a chore to read. The set up was great, but every issue felt choked with more explanations of who all these characters were, and the explanations just repeated over and over. It's not really clear to me why the villainous characters would want to destroy the universe either--or why you would need, say, a sword with a demon trapped inside or a magic rock that makes you into an ice giant to destroy all of reality anyway.
Awesome art sometimes, but a plot that didn't catch my attention.
Awesome art sometimes, but a plot that didn't catch my attention.
March 12, 2012
Read in one sitting--drew me in and I couldn't put it down!
March 25, 2017
I'm going to briefly review this whole miniseries, which is volumes 1-3.
I really liked volume 1--it pulls together lots of different plotlines, has some ballsy moments early on, and really seems promising.
Volume 2 is a complete waste of time. I'm assuming there was some obligation to include other Top Cow characters in this big event, but they're all boring and don't contribute anything to the plot. I don't think anything really happens in this volume. You could almost skip it completely.
Volume 3 wraps everything up. It's moderately satisfying, although there are some out-of-character moments floating throughout. As a soft reboot, it works fine, although a lot hinges on how they handle the following volumes, I think.
I really liked volume 1--it pulls together lots of different plotlines, has some ballsy moments early on, and really seems promising.
Volume 2 is a complete waste of time. I'm assuming there was some obligation to include other Top Cow characters in this big event, but they're all boring and don't contribute anything to the plot. I don't think anything really happens in this volume. You could almost skip it completely.
Volume 3 wraps everything up. It's moderately satisfying, although there are some out-of-character moments floating throughout. As a soft reboot, it works fine, although a lot hinges on how they handle the following volumes, I think.
May 17, 2020
Probably 3.5 stars. I'm familiar with a couple of these characters Darkness, Witchblade and Tom Judge, but there's really a huge cast going on here. As with all stories with a bunch of main characters it takes time to introduce them all and try to give each one some time. So not a ton happened in these first 5 issues, but I liked what did happen. And now that the "Fellowship" has been gathered (actually 2 different ones) it's time to head to Mordor. :)
I love the art on these and all the characters just radiate "cool". I may have to check some of their previous stuff out.
I love the art on these and all the characters just radiate "cool". I may have to check some of their previous stuff out.
December 4, 2022
Longtime comics Witchblade and The Darkness are the foundations for this Top Cow event series. Turns out there are actually 13 artifacts that give people powers and if they are all combined the world will be "born anew". This is all setup for the series as the users of the artifacts align into two factions for the rest of the series. This thing runs for 30+ issues so we'll see how long it takes for me to come back to this now that the rest isn't a Hoopla Bonus Borrow.
December 20, 2022
The first three volumes of "Artifacts" contain a massive Top Cow crossover that includes characters from all the main titles but does not get clunky or bogged down. Much of the focus is on Sara Pezzini and the Witchblade, but the series also provides good coverage and development for characters from other titles, including "The Darkness, The Magdalena" and "Cyberforce".
This series is a lot of fun and is generally self contained. As such, the reader does not have to struggle to come up to speed with events and characters from unfamiliar titles. Additionally, the volumes all contain large amount of extras including character bios and cover art that aid in understanding the story and the Top Cow universe.
This series would serve as a good entry point for anyone who wants to experience the Top Cow universe without reading thirty years of back issues.
This series is a lot of fun and is generally self contained. As such, the reader does not have to struggle to come up to speed with events and characters from unfamiliar titles. Additionally, the volumes all contain large amount of extras including character bios and cover art that aid in understanding the story and the Top Cow universe.
This series would serve as a good entry point for anyone who wants to experience the Top Cow universe without reading thirty years of back issues.
January 21, 2018
Interesting story and nice art. I am not familiar with the characters or the world but the story gave me enough information that I didn't feel lost.
October 7, 2018
This was such an AWESOME EVENT!!!
13 Artifacts all coming together.
I've read this a long time ago and felt like rereading it.
13 Artifacts all coming together.
I've read this a long time ago and felt like rereading it.
April 3, 2021
Only the first part, the artwork is great
October 1, 2021
Interesting characters and storyline. The artwork will make you drool.
December 18, 2022
Beautifully illustrated. Story itself, feels like I needed a primer of some sorts about the characters it revolves around.
But all in all, I enjoyed this.
But all in all, I enjoyed this.
January 1, 2026
An interesting premise but nothing really meaningful happens in the second half of the book. It feels like a setup for the second volume
January 13, 2023
It was interesting enough, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had been following any of the heroes that were in the story. I was lost here and there.
November 25, 2012
You can find the full review over at The Founding Fields:
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/10/...
“The freshest title I’ve read to date that easily stands out in a market flooded with superheroes and mutants.”
I have next to no experience with Top Cow titles aside from the odd few Witchblade titles I’ve read in recent months. Given that, its fair to say that I’m a novice when it comes to the incredibly rich universe of the various Top Cow series. While DC and Marvel have their superheroes and mutants and are all sci-fi and stuff, Top Cow went with a different direction. Their titles, while being sci-fi to a degree, also incorporate a healthy amount of fantasy. The Top Cow protagonists aren’t differentiated so much by advanced technology but rather with the theme of there being various powerful artifacts, many of them being more ancient than ancient itself. Thirteen artifacts to be exact, with each having a bearer. Which brings me to the premise behind Artifacts. In simple terms, this is the big crossover event for the Top Cow-verse in the same style as Marvel’s Civil War and DC’s various Crisis titles. Or even a mix of the two, but only dealing with a very select few characters.
When this collection (Issues #0-4) starts we are introduced to a female cyber-android known as Aphrodite IV. An off-screen character converses with her, all one-sided as she is unable to talk, and we find out that this mysterious character plans to bring about a war between all the various artifact bearers and that Aphrodite is his chosen champion. We quickly get an intro to all the major players that we’ll be seeing in the main issues and by the end, things are looking quite promising. This carries on in the next four issues as the mysterious character begins his plans to gather all the artifacts by having Sara Pezzini’s sister murdered and her (Sara’s) daughter kidnapped by Aphrodite. As the current bearer of the ancient artifact known as the Witchblade, Sara sets out to get her daughter back and gathers allies to her, all of them artifact bearers.
Ron Marz’s script is really layered and complex. To me, it presents a refreshing look at a world of superheroes of a different variety than what I’m used to. Each of the artifact bearers that we meet in Volume 1 are interesting and nuanced in their own ways with some incredibly rich backstories that I’d love to explore in individual titles. The pacing is relentless, the action bloody, and at any given time you are just too engrossed to care about anything else. Marz hooks in the reader real good. My favourite characters would definitely be Sara, Aphrodite and Jackie Estacado, who is the current bearer of The Darkness.
Artifacts Volume 1 is the most gorgeous book I’ve read this year, hands down. No other comic book compares to it, other than possibly Kill Shakespeare. Stjepan Sejic, Michael Broussard and Chris Johnson’s pencils are just incredibly. I’ve rarely seen such expressive faces in comics, and that’s saying something, given how amazing Greg Capullo’s work is, for example. All the inkers and colourists and letterers who’ve worked on this collection also deserve some serious recognition for their efforts in the book. The… inky style (best as I can describe it!) to all the story panels is an approach that I loved, very different from the mainstream comics, or rather the stuff being put out by the Big Two.
All in all, Artifacts Volume 1 is a fantatic book, and given that I’ve read the next three TPBs as well, I can highly recommend the series.
Rating: 10/10
http://thefoundingfields.com/2012/10/...
“The freshest title I’ve read to date that easily stands out in a market flooded with superheroes and mutants.”
I have next to no experience with Top Cow titles aside from the odd few Witchblade titles I’ve read in recent months. Given that, its fair to say that I’m a novice when it comes to the incredibly rich universe of the various Top Cow series. While DC and Marvel have their superheroes and mutants and are all sci-fi and stuff, Top Cow went with a different direction. Their titles, while being sci-fi to a degree, also incorporate a healthy amount of fantasy. The Top Cow protagonists aren’t differentiated so much by advanced technology but rather with the theme of there being various powerful artifacts, many of them being more ancient than ancient itself. Thirteen artifacts to be exact, with each having a bearer. Which brings me to the premise behind Artifacts. In simple terms, this is the big crossover event for the Top Cow-verse in the same style as Marvel’s Civil War and DC’s various Crisis titles. Or even a mix of the two, but only dealing with a very select few characters.
When this collection (Issues #0-4) starts we are introduced to a female cyber-android known as Aphrodite IV. An off-screen character converses with her, all one-sided as she is unable to talk, and we find out that this mysterious character plans to bring about a war between all the various artifact bearers and that Aphrodite is his chosen champion. We quickly get an intro to all the major players that we’ll be seeing in the main issues and by the end, things are looking quite promising. This carries on in the next four issues as the mysterious character begins his plans to gather all the artifacts by having Sara Pezzini’s sister murdered and her (Sara’s) daughter kidnapped by Aphrodite. As the current bearer of the ancient artifact known as the Witchblade, Sara sets out to get her daughter back and gathers allies to her, all of them artifact bearers.
Ron Marz’s script is really layered and complex. To me, it presents a refreshing look at a world of superheroes of a different variety than what I’m used to. Each of the artifact bearers that we meet in Volume 1 are interesting and nuanced in their own ways with some incredibly rich backstories that I’d love to explore in individual titles. The pacing is relentless, the action bloody, and at any given time you are just too engrossed to care about anything else. Marz hooks in the reader real good. My favourite characters would definitely be Sara, Aphrodite and Jackie Estacado, who is the current bearer of The Darkness.
Artifacts Volume 1 is the most gorgeous book I’ve read this year, hands down. No other comic book compares to it, other than possibly Kill Shakespeare. Stjepan Sejic, Michael Broussard and Chris Johnson’s pencils are just incredibly. I’ve rarely seen such expressive faces in comics, and that’s saying something, given how amazing Greg Capullo’s work is, for example. All the inkers and colourists and letterers who’ve worked on this collection also deserve some serious recognition for their efforts in the book. The… inky style (best as I can describe it!) to all the story panels is an approach that I loved, very different from the mainstream comics, or rather the stuff being put out by the Big Two.
All in all, Artifacts Volume 1 is a fantatic book, and given that I’ve read the next three TPBs as well, I can highly recommend the series.
Rating: 10/10
December 21, 2012
The fate of the world balances on thirteen weapons and items of immense power spread around the world and held by a diverse group of people. In the first act of Top Cow Production’s Artifacts series, a mysterious being sets out to collect the thirteen artifacts that will give him complete power over the world. Artifacts Volume 1 by Ron Marz and Michael Broussard collects the first four issues of the Artifacts series of the biggest event in the near twenty year history of Top Cow Productions.
The story begins with the kidnapping of the daughter of two of the artifact bearers. The kidnapping kicks off a recruitment drive as the possessors of the artifacts are drawn into the opposing sides of the oncoming conflict. There is the side of good, who know the danger in the thirteen artifacts being brought together and there is the side of evil, who serve the mysterious figure that set this battle in motion.
With a large cast of characters spanning the entirety of the Top Cow Comics Universe, writer Ron Marz has taken great care to make Artifacts accessible to new readers as well as bring in the history of the characters to add fun story elements for longtime fans. Marz tells the story at a rapid pace while keeping you on the edge of your seat and getting you invested in the heroes of the story. The heroes are not your garden variety, flashy colored super heroes they are real people that have been given extraordinary powers. Marz shows why you should care about these people as they go through life altering changes.
In the introduction to this collection, Top Cow Founder Marc Silvestri says artist Michael Broussard deserves his position in the awe inspiring list of artists who have worked for Top Cow Productions. Given the legendary status of Top Cow’s talent this is not feint praise. Broussard’s art in this series is stunning. The detailed pencil work is gorgeous as he captures the look and feel of the real world while transforming it into a world full of fantasy. The art is embellished by a talented group of inkers: Rick Basalda, Sal Regla, Joe Weems, Dulce Brassea and Jason Gorder. The varied group of inkers is able to keep the book’s look consistent and allow Broussard’s pencil work and design to shine on each page.
The decision: Artifacts Volume 1 by Ron Marz and Michael Broussard is an excellent way to jump into the Top Cow Universe. A good story should make you want to learn more about the characters, not be fearful of their history. Marz does just that but allow you to read the story without prior knowledge of the characters. After reading this you will want to read more about Witchblade and the Darkness. The collection kicks off with a prologue that outlines what is known about the thirteen artifacts. The book then jumps into an enjoyable, fast paced story of adventure. The series is a lot of fun as powerful super teams are formed to begin a war over the artifacts.
This collection is capped off with an extensive cover gallery showcasing the various covers for the individual issues by stellar artists like Dale Keown and Ryan Sook. The book is finished with a commentary by Marz, Broussard and Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik about the story.
The story begins with the kidnapping of the daughter of two of the artifact bearers. The kidnapping kicks off a recruitment drive as the possessors of the artifacts are drawn into the opposing sides of the oncoming conflict. There is the side of good, who know the danger in the thirteen artifacts being brought together and there is the side of evil, who serve the mysterious figure that set this battle in motion.
With a large cast of characters spanning the entirety of the Top Cow Comics Universe, writer Ron Marz has taken great care to make Artifacts accessible to new readers as well as bring in the history of the characters to add fun story elements for longtime fans. Marz tells the story at a rapid pace while keeping you on the edge of your seat and getting you invested in the heroes of the story. The heroes are not your garden variety, flashy colored super heroes they are real people that have been given extraordinary powers. Marz shows why you should care about these people as they go through life altering changes.
In the introduction to this collection, Top Cow Founder Marc Silvestri says artist Michael Broussard deserves his position in the awe inspiring list of artists who have worked for Top Cow Productions. Given the legendary status of Top Cow’s talent this is not feint praise. Broussard’s art in this series is stunning. The detailed pencil work is gorgeous as he captures the look and feel of the real world while transforming it into a world full of fantasy. The art is embellished by a talented group of inkers: Rick Basalda, Sal Regla, Joe Weems, Dulce Brassea and Jason Gorder. The varied group of inkers is able to keep the book’s look consistent and allow Broussard’s pencil work and design to shine on each page.
The decision: Artifacts Volume 1 by Ron Marz and Michael Broussard is an excellent way to jump into the Top Cow Universe. A good story should make you want to learn more about the characters, not be fearful of their history. Marz does just that but allow you to read the story without prior knowledge of the characters. After reading this you will want to read more about Witchblade and the Darkness. The collection kicks off with a prologue that outlines what is known about the thirteen artifacts. The book then jumps into an enjoyable, fast paced story of adventure. The series is a lot of fun as powerful super teams are formed to begin a war over the artifacts.
This collection is capped off with an extensive cover gallery showcasing the various covers for the individual issues by stellar artists like Dale Keown and Ryan Sook. The book is finished with a commentary by Marz, Broussard and Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik about the story.
December 22, 2012
Appeal Characteristics: exquisite art, characters, action-orientated, save the world versus let die themes, sexy body images
Top Crow comics again decides to take a blend of their individually featured comic book characters and blend them in one big apocalyptic adventure. I almost like these big blending of works better because if you're a newbie (like me) you can get a taste for characters that you would like to follow individually, or find out their back story. Unfortunately the downside to these works are (there's just sooo much you don't know) SO you sit and wonder if there's chemistry between people...then (in my case wiki it) research and find THERE'S THIS WHOLE BACK STORY ARC...that you've missed. In one instant, you aren't lost because these story arcs are completely different...but if you're someone who "has to know everything there ever was about people" that can kind of feel like you're so behind.
ON WITH THE STORY! Anyway, some weird "person, machine, people" I'm still on volume 1, so I'm not sure who the bad guy is yet...but anyway, he wants to collect 13 artifacts that apparently if they are all together will cause the end of the world or it's "rebirth." Anyway, the main characters each have one (or in one guy's case 2) artifacts that enables them their superpower. This person behind wanting them all to be together sends out Aphrodite IX, who is this merciless perfect killing cyborg, that can be controlled to get all the artifacts together. Anyway, you follow how all the characters lives start to interweave as earth's destruction is near. Definitely a keeper!
****The rating on these comics are 12+ So even though I put this as grades 6-8 I would lean on the higher 7-8 grade + range...but again depends on the reader...and the parental feelings.
Red Flags: Violence, Sexy Outfits...
Top Crow comics again decides to take a blend of their individually featured comic book characters and blend them in one big apocalyptic adventure. I almost like these big blending of works better because if you're a newbie (like me) you can get a taste for characters that you would like to follow individually, or find out their back story. Unfortunately the downside to these works are (there's just sooo much you don't know) SO you sit and wonder if there's chemistry between people...then (in my case wiki it) research and find THERE'S THIS WHOLE BACK STORY ARC...that you've missed. In one instant, you aren't lost because these story arcs are completely different...but if you're someone who "has to know everything there ever was about people" that can kind of feel like you're so behind.
ON WITH THE STORY! Anyway, some weird "person, machine, people" I'm still on volume 1, so I'm not sure who the bad guy is yet...but anyway, he wants to collect 13 artifacts that apparently if they are all together will cause the end of the world or it's "rebirth." Anyway, the main characters each have one (or in one guy's case 2) artifacts that enables them their superpower. This person behind wanting them all to be together sends out Aphrodite IX, who is this merciless perfect killing cyborg, that can be controlled to get all the artifacts together. Anyway, you follow how all the characters lives start to interweave as earth's destruction is near. Definitely a keeper!
****The rating on these comics are 12+ So even though I put this as grades 6-8 I would lean on the higher 7-8 grade + range...but again depends on the reader...and the parental feelings.
Red Flags: Violence, Sexy Outfits...
October 29, 2015
No he leido Witchblade, ni The Darkness ni ninguno de los titulos de Top Cow que aparecen en este mega crossover. Sin embargo, esto no me impidió disfrutar de este volumen.
Este fue un comic claramente introductorio, y cuando tienes 13 artefactos mágicos que introducir, este comic es necesariamente introductorio. Pero en todo este desastre de trece historias ligeramente interconectadas, el comic lo resuelve concentrandose en un muy limitado número de escenarios y haciendolos crecer de a poco. Así que tengo que sacarme el sombrero ante el escritor, que además logró hacer que la historia fuera interesante agregando momentos de choque en los lugares correctos.
Así que, tenemos una historia colmada de personajes y mecánicas pero que se las ingenía para no colapsar demasiado al lector e incluso mantenerlo interesado.
Este fue un comic claramente introductorio, y cuando tienes 13 artefactos mágicos que introducir, este comic es necesariamente introductorio. Pero en todo este desastre de trece historias ligeramente interconectadas, el comic lo resuelve concentrandose en un muy limitado número de escenarios y haciendolos crecer de a poco. Así que tengo que sacarme el sombrero ante el escritor, que además logró hacer que la historia fuera interesante agregando momentos de choque en los lugares correctos.
Así que, tenemos una historia colmada de personajes y mecánicas pero que se las ingenía para no colapsar demasiado al lector e incluso mantenerlo interesado.
December 24, 2012
I went to my local comic book store just looking to kill 10 minutes or so. I can walk out without getting anything, I tell myself. Sure. Dream on. Artifacts was the product of said 10 minutes in the comic book store, and I would have been sorely missing something if I hadn't picked it up.
The art is simply stunning. But it doesn't stop there. The story is kick-ass, and each panel is well thought out and planned, working perfectly in-tune with the writing. Easily one of my new favorites, so much so that I just picked up the next few volumes. I'm sure I'll be picking up some Witchblade, too.
The art is simply stunning. But it doesn't stop there. The story is kick-ass, and each panel is well thought out and planned, working perfectly in-tune with the writing. Easily one of my new favorites, so much so that I just picked up the next few volumes. I'm sure I'll be picking up some Witchblade, too.
November 12, 2015
This book is the first volume of a big crossover sort of event in the Top Cow universe. There are 13 artifacts and disaster will happen if all 13 get together, so of course the people trying to prevent this all immediately get together and bring their artifacts with them. This seems like asking for trouble. By and large, there's very little characterization in this book and the dialog is very pedestrian. The art is pretty, but sort of juvenile. For example, all the adult women in the book all seem to have the exact same body shape. So, in the end, this feels like a comic I would have liked when I was in middle school, but it doesn't really do much for me now.
November 18, 2012
Great story for new and old readers alike in the Top Cow universe. Marz is a master story teller and Michael Broussard's pencils are breath taking. This story starts out full throttle and never lets up.
Just a side not here this book had the worst binding of any graphic novel I have ever had. Pages started coming out only after one reading and I am very carefull with my books. I think Top Cow needs to invest a litte more money in their graphic novels for bindings that don't fall apart.
Just a side not here this book had the worst binding of any graphic novel I have ever had. Pages started coming out only after one reading and I am very carefull with my books. I think Top Cow needs to invest a litte more money in their graphic novels for bindings that don't fall apart.
March 21, 2016
Well, it's a good start into the top cow universe. All the big names are there, Witchblade, The Darkness, Angelus. It's the beginning of a big scheme and of course you need to read on if you want to find out what's behind it. If you decide to read this you have to put up with harsh violence and big breasted women.
On the plus side, there's a ton of bonus material in the back of the book (a lot of covers and an interview wich breaks up the comic into the whys and whats).
On the plus side, there's a ton of bonus material in the back of the book (a lot of covers and an interview wich breaks up the comic into the whys and whats).
April 13, 2012
I was surprised when I got to what I thought would be about one comic book's worth of content from the end of the trade paper back, only to find it was instead a cover gallery collection. I was hoping for some big cliffhanger to motivate me to read and care more about these characters or this series.
A cover gallery just didn't cut it . . . off to the sale pile.
A cover gallery just didn't cut it . . . off to the sale pile.
November 8, 2012
A decent read that brings together all the main characters from the Top Cow Universe. Someone wants all the artifacts to destroy the world. Meanwhile, Witchblade and the Darkness have to find their kidnapped child.
I was onlyh familiar with Witchblade and the Darkness, but that did not matter. It's a quick,plot driven story with lots of action set pieces. A good read.
I was onlyh familiar with Witchblade and the Darkness, but that did not matter. It's a quick,plot driven story with lots of action set pieces. A good read.
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