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Witchblade Collected Editions #1
Witchblade Deluxe Collected Edition
An alternate cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.
Officer Sara Pezzini is mortally wounded in a Mafia raid at an abandoned theater. As she feels death coming over her, the Witchblade reaches out to her, healing her and attacking everyone else in the theater. Sara awakens in a hospital to learn that her partner has died along with most of the men at the scene. But one man, Kenneth Irons, will do whatever it takes to control the one who possesses the Witchblade.
Officer Sara Pezzini is mortally wounded in a Mafia raid at an abandoned theater. As she feels death coming over her, the Witchblade reaches out to her, healing her and attacking everyone else in the theater. Sara awakens in a hospital to learn that her partner has died along with most of the men at the scene. But one man, Kenneth Irons, will do whatever it takes to control the one who possesses the Witchblade.
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 13, 2001
46 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
David Wohl
475 books24 followersDavid Wohl is an American comic book writer and editor.
(source: Wikipedia)
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
April 27, 2020
Yikes, this was bad. But you'd be surprised what you'll find yourself reading during a global pandemic. I thought this thing might be saved by Michael Turner's art (This is where Turner got his start back in 1995.), but even that was bad to begin with. The women have gigantic boobs and stomachs three times as long as they should be. All the women also must borrow their clothes from their younger sisters because they are at least 4 sizes too small. The panel layouts are excruciatingly bad with text boxes randomly placed all over the page. I was constantly confused where to go next. There's a ton of 2 page spreads both horizontal and vertical. I'm guessing so Turner could keep up with the book. These made the book real fun to read digitally. Try reading a 2 page vertical spread on an ipad. It's always off by 90 degrees so you find yourself tilting your head to the left to try and read it. The art itself is so static. Every shot is posed. There's never a sense of action. For a comic book, that's a problem.
October 13, 2016
The story didn't grab me and I'm not a huge fan of the 90's style art.
December 8, 2014
I, like so many others, was sucked into the phenomenon that was Image Comics in the early and mid 90s. Now that I'm a fully-formed adult, I decided to go back and read one of these comics and see how it withstood the test of time.
It didn't.
The character motivations in this book aren't paper-thin; you'll have a hard time finding reasonable motivations at all. Sarah Pezzini is a cop, yet she doesn't pursue a serial killer that is ravaging NYC, instead opting to ogle virtually every male character she comes across and wander around the city, doing things largely at random. There are multiple plot lines in this story, none of which come to a satisfactory conclusion in the first six issues. The writer kicks the can down the road on story arcs that might give the reader some sense of who Pezzini is as a character at every opportunity.
When she isn't busy getting into various states of undress, Sarah Pezzini tries to understand the power of the Witchblade, a mysterious mystical glove she basically stole from a mysterious mobster whose name I can't even remember because it doesn't matter (though he's the primary antagonist). Every woman looks the same in this book and no opportunity is passed when it comes to showing the female characters sans proper clothing.
The dialogue is written like someone binge-watched 70s cop shows and then mad-libbed the dialogue to form a new story. The words are unrelenting; I haven't seen this many words in a comic book in a long time... Yet, amazingly enough, all those words manage to say absolutely nothing of interest, instead spewing trite "hard-boiled" cop/mobster lines at every opportunity.
Need an example of the character motivations? Pezzini is shot defending her partner, someone the audience neither knows nor cares about. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by two fellow police officers. Her second thought? I'm not wearing make-up! I nearly punched my iPad right then and there.
This is a very, very bad comic book. It floors me that it has a rating over three stars on this site.
If you'd like to hear a podcast of the review: http://schlockworks.com/counter-cultu...
It didn't.
The character motivations in this book aren't paper-thin; you'll have a hard time finding reasonable motivations at all. Sarah Pezzini is a cop, yet she doesn't pursue a serial killer that is ravaging NYC, instead opting to ogle virtually every male character she comes across and wander around the city, doing things largely at random. There are multiple plot lines in this story, none of which come to a satisfactory conclusion in the first six issues. The writer kicks the can down the road on story arcs that might give the reader some sense of who Pezzini is as a character at every opportunity.
When she isn't busy getting into various states of undress, Sarah Pezzini tries to understand the power of the Witchblade, a mysterious mystical glove she basically stole from a mysterious mobster whose name I can't even remember because it doesn't matter (though he's the primary antagonist). Every woman looks the same in this book and no opportunity is passed when it comes to showing the female characters sans proper clothing.
The dialogue is written like someone binge-watched 70s cop shows and then mad-libbed the dialogue to form a new story. The words are unrelenting; I haven't seen this many words in a comic book in a long time... Yet, amazingly enough, all those words manage to say absolutely nothing of interest, instead spewing trite "hard-boiled" cop/mobster lines at every opportunity.
Need an example of the character motivations? Pezzini is shot defending her partner, someone the audience neither knows nor cares about. She wakes up in the hospital, surrounded by two fellow police officers. Her second thought? I'm not wearing make-up! I nearly punched my iPad right then and there.
This is a very, very bad comic book. It floors me that it has a rating over three stars on this site.
If you'd like to hear a podcast of the review: http://schlockworks.com/counter-cultu...
May 21, 2018
Okay so Image had a way with drawing good looking women and muscular men. It was the 90's....comics and time moves on. I am trying out my free trail period of Comixology Unlimited, and I decided to try it out on this collection. This is the first time I have read all 8 issues of this series. Already picked up the first volume of Aphrodite IX. Just starting this service and I will look around for more titles to read.
As for Witchblade, it was an okay story, could have shortened to 5 issues I bet. Lots of stylized action.
As for Witchblade, it was an okay story, could have shortened to 5 issues I bet. Lots of stylized action.
November 2, 2015
I first heard about Witchblade when I was but a noob on the internet (12?13?) as someone whose fanfics I liked also wrote some about Ian Nottingham. I happened upon this while browsing in my local comic shop, and decided to give it a go.
Well, the artwork is very 90s (impossibly musclebound men, gorgeous women whose bodies defy gravity and biology etc), but once I got over the stylised nature of it I didn't find it that distracting. The vertical double page spreads were more irritating though often beautiful in their composure.
I got into the plot fairly quickly - and yes, I actually liked Sara as a character. She may not be like me, but I don't think she was that unrealistic a character personality-wise and I became quite fond of her sense of humour. The make-up comment that another reviewer uses as an example of how fake she is, is actually a joke at her own expense because she refuses to accept her co-workers are that worried over her wellbeing. That and if you are a woman who wears make up regularly, the day you don't you can guarantee people will ask if you're ill because you 'look sick', so even if it was straight it's a believable thought for someone who cares about the image they present to the world.
I am very keen to continue the series, and at least finish off the Origins volumes to see how the storyline develops.
Well, the artwork is very 90s (impossibly musclebound men, gorgeous women whose bodies defy gravity and biology etc), but once I got over the stylised nature of it I didn't find it that distracting. The vertical double page spreads were more irritating though often beautiful in their composure.
I got into the plot fairly quickly - and yes, I actually liked Sara as a character. She may not be like me, but I don't think she was that unrealistic a character personality-wise and I became quite fond of her sense of humour. The make-up comment that another reviewer uses as an example of how fake she is, is actually a joke at her own expense because she refuses to accept her co-workers are that worried over her wellbeing. That and if you are a woman who wears make up regularly, the day you don't you can guarantee people will ask if you're ill because you 'look sick', so even if it was straight it's a believable thought for someone who cares about the image they present to the world.
I am very keen to continue the series, and at least finish off the Origins volumes to see how the storyline develops.
June 5, 2015
lovingly and beautifully drawn by Michael Turner this story of how Sara Pezzini GOT the Witchblade and her first encounters with Ian Nottingham and Kenneth Irons is a great story's beginning.
First there was the legal thing when Michael Turner left Image/Top Cow and then started AspenMLT and now he's dead. Don't look for a re-collection of the earlier stories again.
RE-READ:
Witchblade #1 4-30-2008
Witchblade #2 5-1-2008
Witchblade #3 5-2-2008
Witchblade #4 5-3-2008
Witchblade #5 5-4-2008
Witchblade #6 5-5-2008
Witchblade #7 5-6-2008
Witchblade #8 5-7-2008
re-read 5/5/2005
re-read TPB 5/7/2013
First there was the legal thing when Michael Turner left Image/Top Cow and then started AspenMLT and now he's dead. Don't look for a re-collection of the earlier stories again.
RE-READ:
Witchblade #1 4-30-2008
Witchblade #2 5-1-2008
Witchblade #3 5-2-2008
Witchblade #4 5-3-2008
Witchblade #5 5-4-2008
Witchblade #6 5-5-2008
Witchblade #7 5-6-2008
Witchblade #8 5-7-2008
re-read 5/5/2005
re-read TPB 5/7/2013
June 1, 2013
The artwork is incredible. Sara is a great character with ups and downs and weaknesses who seems authentic. The only thing I didn't like was the old fashioned dress code of the 1960s but hopefully that'll get better as the issues progress.
September 25, 2010
The porn-star looks of the heroine--indeed, of all the women here, even the young "innocent" one--really grated on me. Still, this had a compelling story and some beautiful images and ideas.
April 29, 2013
Sara Pezzini will always be the one true wielder of our times to me. Death to Danielle Baptiste!
October 19, 2020
Un classique.
November 1, 2012
Collecting the first eight issues of the Witchblade comic in a convenient format, this graphic novel is likely to please existing fans. However, as a newcomer to Witchblade I found the artwork dated and uneven, characterization slight, and the plot clunky.
Witchblade, or at least the beginning collected here, seems very much like a product of its time. In the early '90s, Image Comics and its Top Cow imprint were finding their footing, darker heroes like Spawn were big, and artists like Rob Liefeld (hugely influential then, now a target of derision) received mainstream media attention. Witchblade became a significant part of the creator-owned boom and enjoyed a great deal of popularity. However, Witchblade shares a lot of the unfortunate quirks of comics from this era.
The artwork is a mixed bag. The late Michael Turner apparently started as a background artist, and the scenery on display here is well done. His character artwork is less consistent, however. His women tend to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing, until you notice the weirdly mannerist elongation of their legs and waists. His male characters are what I'd call "'90s badass": with rippling muscles, bulky shoulders, surfer haircuts, and a tendency to stand with their faces partially concealed by dramatic shadows. When you can see them, the guys' faces are invariably covered in tons of inexplicable fine lines (not hatching, just lines), an artistic quirk that seems to have been borrowed from Liefeld.
The story is fairly clumsy, and manages to be both minimal and confusing at the same time. "Tough cop" (they call her a tough cop, but she didn't seem to be especially tough, nor much of a cop) Sara Pezzini acquires the mystical Witchblade gauntlet, attracting the interest of buff tycoon Ken Irons, who wants to further some vague scheme. Irons' '90s badass henchman Ian Nottingham (who dresses like Lestat and carries a katana) has a few run-ins with Pezzini, and there are hints that he may not be entirely loyal to his boss. There's a final showdown, and the eighth issue concludes. In addition to this, there are subplots about Pezzini's neighbor--a orphan fashion model who becomes involved with "edgy" bondage aficionados--and a Scientology-like organization that Irons is associated with. Neither of these subplots pay off in the issues collected here. There's also a lot of muddled exposition about the Witchblade's origins and capabilities.
The characters are pretty flat, and none of the emotional moments are very convincing. This is true of many comics, but the better series are able to make up for that deficiency with their action scenes. Unfortunately, many of the fight scenes in Witchblade are difficult to follow. There were multiple occasions where it was impossible to determine whether the titular weapon's tendrils were lashing out and spearing someone, or snapping back from them. As the title suggests, the Witchblade plays a fairly important role in the story, so this is a bit of a drawback.
Many comics get off to a rough start, and it's entirely possible that the art became more polished over time, the storytelling refined, and the characters endowed with more depth. Based on what I've seen here, however, I'm not particularly compelled to seek out subsequent volumes. If you already enjoy Witchblade, this is a satisfying collection. If you're not familiar with the comic, however, the '90s quirks and lack of substance may lead to disappointment.
Witchblade, or at least the beginning collected here, seems very much like a product of its time. In the early '90s, Image Comics and its Top Cow imprint were finding their footing, darker heroes like Spawn were big, and artists like Rob Liefeld (hugely influential then, now a target of derision) received mainstream media attention. Witchblade became a significant part of the creator-owned boom and enjoyed a great deal of popularity. However, Witchblade shares a lot of the unfortunate quirks of comics from this era.
The artwork is a mixed bag. The late Michael Turner apparently started as a background artist, and the scenery on display here is well done. His character artwork is less consistent, however. His women tend to be somewhat aesthetically pleasing, until you notice the weirdly mannerist elongation of their legs and waists. His male characters are what I'd call "'90s badass": with rippling muscles, bulky shoulders, surfer haircuts, and a tendency to stand with their faces partially concealed by dramatic shadows. When you can see them, the guys' faces are invariably covered in tons of inexplicable fine lines (not hatching, just lines), an artistic quirk that seems to have been borrowed from Liefeld.
The story is fairly clumsy, and manages to be both minimal and confusing at the same time. "Tough cop" (they call her a tough cop, but she didn't seem to be especially tough, nor much of a cop) Sara Pezzini acquires the mystical Witchblade gauntlet, attracting the interest of buff tycoon Ken Irons, who wants to further some vague scheme. Irons' '90s badass henchman Ian Nottingham (who dresses like Lestat and carries a katana) has a few run-ins with Pezzini, and there are hints that he may not be entirely loyal to his boss. There's a final showdown, and the eighth issue concludes. In addition to this, there are subplots about Pezzini's neighbor--a orphan fashion model who becomes involved with "edgy" bondage aficionados--and a Scientology-like organization that Irons is associated with. Neither of these subplots pay off in the issues collected here. There's also a lot of muddled exposition about the Witchblade's origins and capabilities.
The characters are pretty flat, and none of the emotional moments are very convincing. This is true of many comics, but the better series are able to make up for that deficiency with their action scenes. Unfortunately, many of the fight scenes in Witchblade are difficult to follow. There were multiple occasions where it was impossible to determine whether the titular weapon's tendrils were lashing out and spearing someone, or snapping back from them. As the title suggests, the Witchblade plays a fairly important role in the story, so this is a bit of a drawback.
Many comics get off to a rough start, and it's entirely possible that the art became more polished over time, the storytelling refined, and the characters endowed with more depth. Based on what I've seen here, however, I'm not particularly compelled to seek out subsequent volumes. If you already enjoy Witchblade, this is a satisfying collection. If you're not familiar with the comic, however, the '90s quirks and lack of substance may lead to disappointment.
February 3, 2023
Why is this dreadful series a five? Well, there's so much baggage tied up in this series I don't really know where to start. Re-reading it, there are some huge issues that are immensely problematic which just passed me by on the series' first release in 1995. Not the ridiculous T&A, which was always one of the reasons people told me I shouldn't be reading it, but the awfulness of Irons' dodgy victim blaming, the tiny tiny captions in colours that make them hard to read, the exploitation of minors sub sub plot, the weird stalker that is Jake, and Sara's bad attitude and generally rudeness / inability to actually talk to people properly. Also that alpha male business man thing is just... very out of date. (Irons lives in Irons' Tower and the comparisons are weird and no and argh). Nottingham's accent is so bad *even in a comic book*, that I think I had wiped it from my mind entirely. Seriously, his dialogue is AWFUL. Finally, I'd completely forgotten the weird interlude in #8 where someone clearly thought adding 'is suddenly vulnerable and blames herself for other people's toxic relationship behaviour’ is a female thing that girls should do and like in their narratives - and I'm quite glad I had because it's awful. Finally, at the end of this arc, both the male leads get thrown off a building. Which is weird, but don't worry, our hot boi with the long hair WILL RETURN.
Good stuff. This is still ridiculously overwritten, fun nonsense, and reading it again. I realised that the issue that a lot of the (male) readers who told me it was garbage is that actually, it's a pretty standard love triangle romance with lots and lots of fighting, a bit of brooding, some sexy dreamtime and some magic weapon over the topness in it. Nottingham is just this broody hot guy who is semi naked A LOT, in a dysfunctional relationship with his boss/love interest, when we all know really that he should just be having very intense hot sex with Sara Pezzini and why can't we have more scenes of that. I can only assume that literally no one in comics understood that there were a bunch of comic book readers who were really into that and maybe also wanted more female representation and hot guys swooning over our gorgeous lead. Also more naked Nottingham full spreads.
Re-reading this also reminds me of all of the people who told me that it wasn't cool to like Lara Croft (there are crossovers later in the series). Sara Pezzini is completely oversexualised - but her obvious sexualisation is coupled with the very rare 1990s trope of being a hardcore heroine who likes fighting and wants to take people on. I always found it incredibly difficult to articulate my love of her in the past, but it makes a lot more sense now, because despite the dimorphism, she is a sexy character, as is Nottingham. A more modern look at both of them is... well, they don't really stand up in any way at all, but in 1990s comic book land, they really stand out as for the female gaze and a genuine attempt to write for female readers (even if this was never stated).
Overall, glad I went back. This is trash fiction at it's finest (for the 1990s). It's terribly dated, but that assassin and the girl with the magical weapon are still worthy of the massive crush I had on both of them when I first read the series, even if literally no one else will agree with me.
Good stuff. This is still ridiculously overwritten, fun nonsense, and reading it again. I realised that the issue that a lot of the (male) readers who told me it was garbage is that actually, it's a pretty standard love triangle romance with lots and lots of fighting, a bit of brooding, some sexy dreamtime and some magic weapon over the topness in it. Nottingham is just this broody hot guy who is semi naked A LOT, in a dysfunctional relationship with his boss/love interest, when we all know really that he should just be having very intense hot sex with Sara Pezzini and why can't we have more scenes of that. I can only assume that literally no one in comics understood that there were a bunch of comic book readers who were really into that and maybe also wanted more female representation and hot guys swooning over our gorgeous lead. Also more naked Nottingham full spreads.
Re-reading this also reminds me of all of the people who told me that it wasn't cool to like Lara Croft (there are crossovers later in the series). Sara Pezzini is completely oversexualised - but her obvious sexualisation is coupled with the very rare 1990s trope of being a hardcore heroine who likes fighting and wants to take people on. I always found it incredibly difficult to articulate my love of her in the past, but it makes a lot more sense now, because despite the dimorphism, she is a sexy character, as is Nottingham. A more modern look at both of them is... well, they don't really stand up in any way at all, but in 1990s comic book land, they really stand out as for the female gaze and a genuine attempt to write for female readers (even if this was never stated).
Overall, glad I went back. This is trash fiction at it's finest (for the 1990s). It's terribly dated, but that assassin and the girl with the magical weapon are still worthy of the massive crush I had on both of them when I first read the series, even if literally no one else will agree with me.
August 14, 2016
I wanted to like this, I thought the only thing standing in my way was an outfit clearly overly dedicated to fan service. I was wrong. Sara had the making of an interesting character, she is a homicide detective, she is spunky, she has slight anger issues, she is a take-charge kind of a person. If it were just that then I would have liked the character. Instead, she is a complete asshole to the one guy who is nice to her, basically giving credence to the idea that pretty girls will walk all over you if you treat them nicely (what a great lesson there). I don't care if her character is promiscuous, and it seems she is, but if you are faced with a man coming at you with swords I don't think the first reaction is "damn I would have slept with him if he wasn't trying to kill me." No one thinks that and to cater to that line of thinking is doing the character a big disservice. She also looses touch with the strong aspects of her character as soon as she starts seeing Ken Irons. To have a person who doesn't take crap from anybody suddenly turn around and allow herself to be addressed in a disrespectful manner because of her "supposed" actions at a party seems completely out of character. I was hoping to read more about her job and the current homicide case as she is a homicide detective but we barely get to see any of that story. And lets talk about the outfits. As a superhero I expect her outfit to be skimpy because that is apparently the way women get to be drawn. But then I opened the book and page one was a nice picture of her ass. This pretty much tells you what to expect throughout the book. Even teenage girls are dressed in revealing clothing. Maybe the clothing is meant as a distraction from the fact that almost every female character looks the same, I honestly thought I saw Sara in a few scenes because the characters looked so much like her. And I can't even get started on how bad some of the dialogue is. I wanted to like it, I really did. I just couldn't.
August 9, 2023
TW: b-plot includes the sexual trafficking of a child depicted as sexy and her own fault.
I knew going into this book that the art and story would favor voyeurism and sexy women above substance, but I draw the line at probably the most unreflective depiction of pedophilia I have seen up to this time. Notably, this theme gets worse in Witchblade: Revelations, which I dnf'ed once I realized how bad it was, but the themes are still present in this first installment.
Also, the art is bad. The women are sexy, but the art is stiff and lifeless, making the fight scenes utterly boring.
The character writing is horrid too, but it's not as if I picked this up thinking it'd be well written--I got it second hand for cheap after hearing the art was good. It is not.
I usually donate my used books, but I will be burning my copy at the soonest possible convenience as I can not in good conscious let it continue to exist or share it with another.
I knew going into this book that the art and story would favor voyeurism and sexy women above substance, but I draw the line at probably the most unreflective depiction of pedophilia I have seen up to this time. Notably, this theme gets worse in Witchblade: Revelations, which I dnf'ed once I realized how bad it was, but the themes are still present in this first installment.
Also, the art is bad. The women are sexy, but the art is stiff and lifeless, making the fight scenes utterly boring.
The character writing is horrid too, but it's not as if I picked this up thinking it'd be well written--I got it second hand for cheap after hearing the art was good. It is not.
I usually donate my used books, but I will be burning my copy at the soonest possible convenience as I can not in good conscious let it continue to exist or share it with another.
April 23, 2014
3.5 Stars.
Witchblade, yet another "banned comic" for me as I was growing up (see Fathom Volume 1 review for that story) turned out just ok for me. The art, Michael Turner drawn, is amazing as always, but does follow the stereotypes towards women that he and other artists (ex. J. Scott Campbell who I also love) tend to base most of their catalog on. However, unlike Fathom and Danger Girl, Witchblade doesn't feature a strong female role model.... at least not yet. Sara Pezzini has all the makings of a strong heroine, but she obviously hasn't come into her own yet after these 8 issues. For a NYC cop, she also really hasn't displayed the strength that a New York female cop would have either.
Overall, I might read additional volumes of this comic, but only after knowing that the story will get better, the villains roster more evil, and that the book isnt simply a T&A comic.
Witchblade, yet another "banned comic" for me as I was growing up (see Fathom Volume 1 review for that story) turned out just ok for me. The art, Michael Turner drawn, is amazing as always, but does follow the stereotypes towards women that he and other artists (ex. J. Scott Campbell who I also love) tend to base most of their catalog on. However, unlike Fathom and Danger Girl, Witchblade doesn't feature a strong female role model.... at least not yet. Sara Pezzini has all the makings of a strong heroine, but she obviously hasn't come into her own yet after these 8 issues. For a NYC cop, she also really hasn't displayed the strength that a New York female cop would have either.
Overall, I might read additional volumes of this comic, but only after knowing that the story will get better, the villains roster more evil, and that the book isnt simply a T&A comic.
June 29, 2009
this witchblade collection brings together the first eight issues of the popular comic by top cow. it is a story about a powerful weapon that is essentially a bracelet but will transform itself into a gauntlet when the wearer is in battle. sara pezzini (nypd) finds the witchblade and becomes its wearer whether she wanted it or not. what follows is eight issues of intrigue as sara and her partners attempt to take down the criminal mastermind kenneth irons and his lackey, hitman ian nottingham. this is a very entertaining story by authors david wohl and christina z. i recommend for those wanting a good read.
June 8, 2018
Omgggggg this shit is soooooo gooooodddddd I love this storyline!!!! While I don't always appreciate the way she is drawn (90's illustrators only cared about tits and ass apparently), she is written as a beautifully complex character has a million times more substance than you would think by looking at how she is drawn. I can't wait to see what happens from here and figure out all the mysteries that this first volume introduced!
April 16, 2019
It was a fun read. I love Michael turners artwork he was one of the greats. My only complaints is that is a tad to wordy and it took awhile to pick up the pace.
June 9, 2019
I've been in love with the art for this series for years. It was time to start from the beginning.
September 10, 2019
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. It's definitely a product of the 90s and their... Questionable art and style, but there's some pretty great moments here.
April 12, 2020
I was nostalgic towards the art so enjoyed reading it but Sara's character is quite annoying towards the end.
February 15, 2025
We love a badass women. Very good with a nice art style.
May 18, 2017
I watched Witchblade when I was a kido. I knew her history before readint this and honeslty I really liked it. Maybe that's why I was expecting more from the actual comic.
In terms of plot it started fine, she was a femme fatale, strong and hard in the edges. Talking about a 90's heroine Pezz is amazing. Even when th dialogues weren't that great, the whole plot was pretty good. Evrerything was logical, good developed, some weird stuff here and there, but it was good.
Until, vol 7. Suddenly she wasn't Sara anymore, and it was like some stupid needy barbie girl possess her and use her body in that party. They gave us an explanation at the end, it makes some kind of sense but at the same time it doesn't.
That volume ruined it for me. After that everything was kinda messy and even when it got a good ending was kinda meh.
Some of the side characters, even the bad ones were kinda meh also. They were supposed to be remarkable but honestly by now I only remember their faces and what they do but Idc about their names and thank God they're gone.
Now in terms of art I have to say that I'm huge fan of the 90's art. I'm pretty aware that this a male audience comic, I mean all those butts and exposed cleavage made it quite obvious. Even when Sara is a strong female she is mostly shown as an extreme feminine woman and even as a sexual object. I mean the first thing that we see of her is her butt in a red tong. I love Turner's art but hey, I needed to say it.
Even with all of these I think that Witchblade has a great history, characters that I'm pretty sure will be better developed in the next volumes and like I said before, at least for me, awesome art. Because the truth is that I love the art.
It has it's flaws but I still enjoyed a lot, so I'm definitely reading the rest of them.
In terms of plot it started fine, she was a femme fatale, strong and hard in the edges. Talking about a 90's heroine Pezz is amazing. Even when th dialogues weren't that great, the whole plot was pretty good. Evrerything was logical, good developed, some weird stuff here and there, but it was good.
Until, vol 7. Suddenly she wasn't Sara anymore, and it was like some stupid needy barbie girl possess her and use her body in that party. They gave us an explanation at the end, it makes some kind of sense but at the same time it doesn't.
That volume ruined it for me. After that everything was kinda messy and even when it got a good ending was kinda meh.
Some of the side characters, even the bad ones were kinda meh also. They were supposed to be remarkable but honestly by now I only remember their faces and what they do but Idc about their names and thank God they're gone.
Now in terms of art I have to say that I'm huge fan of the 90's art. I'm pretty aware that this a male audience comic, I mean all those butts and exposed cleavage made it quite obvious. Even when Sara is a strong female she is mostly shown as an extreme feminine woman and even as a sexual object. I mean the first thing that we see of her is her butt in a red tong. I love Turner's art but hey, I needed to say it.
Even with all of these I think that Witchblade has a great history, characters that I'm pretty sure will be better developed in the next volumes and like I said before, at least for me, awesome art. Because the truth is that I love the art.
It has it's flaws but I still enjoyed a lot, so I'm definitely reading the rest of them.
January 15, 2019
The cover should really tell you everything about whether or not this is going to be for you.
The plot involves a police detective, Sara Pezzini, who comes into possession of a magical and powerful gauntlet (the titular Witchblade). She then takes on the shade business tycoon who's trying to harness its power for global dominance. On paper it's a fairly basic story and isn't inherently bad or good, making it totally execution dependent. And that's the problem.
Ultimately it's the art that truly damns this, and I mean that in terms of what is being drawn as well as how it is being drawn. I want to be clear about that, because this is clearly as much a writer issue as an artist one, as it was the writer who decided that the first time we'd meet the main character, it would be in her underwear as she puts on a latex hook outfit for a sting operation. That's not to exempt the artist from how he renders that and much else (including a disturbingly sexualized fifteen year old). Funnily enough, it's very easy to see what the artist was putting his efforts into, as the scantily clad women who frequently appear are lovingly rendered while visibly less effort was put into other things.
This is corny cheesecake at its most blatant. And there is some fun to be had with that. But it's of the ironic variety.
The plot involves a police detective, Sara Pezzini, who comes into possession of a magical and powerful gauntlet (the titular Witchblade). She then takes on the shade business tycoon who's trying to harness its power for global dominance. On paper it's a fairly basic story and isn't inherently bad or good, making it totally execution dependent. And that's the problem.
Ultimately it's the art that truly damns this, and I mean that in terms of what is being drawn as well as how it is being drawn. I want to be clear about that, because this is clearly as much a writer issue as an artist one, as it was the writer who decided that the first time we'd meet the main character, it would be in her underwear as she puts on a latex hook outfit for a sting operation. That's not to exempt the artist from how he renders that and much else (including a disturbingly sexualized fifteen year old). Funnily enough, it's very easy to see what the artist was putting his efforts into, as the scantily clad women who frequently appear are lovingly rendered while visibly less effort was put into other things.
This is corny cheesecake at its most blatant. And there is some fun to be had with that. But it's of the ironic variety.
June 9, 2024
I'm a sucker for 90s comic book art excess, and very few did this as much as Witchblade, with the big muscles, unnaturally long torsos and big, well, you probably know....and multiple page action spreads.
It's not to everyone's taste, but I find the art and colouring phenomenal (the reason I bought the book). Michael turner can draw and seems to be having a fun time, every page was a joy (even with the characters looking same (the teenage girl just looks like a smaller adult).
After reading the first issue, the story grabbed me enough to buy this and it actually got better as it went on. It brought a lot of interesting threads and characters in the issue with most wrapped up nicely, with a typically psychopathic power hungry villian surprisingly a highlight. The protagonist Sara Pezzini is likeable, funny and sympathetic, her decisions and changes made sense.
The criticisms bought up by other reviewers are correct - reading the comic is very hard to follow going across panels, the style being too much of a focus. The page spreads that change the orientation of the comic are annoying and sometimes the action is impossible to follow.
This comics art and colour was the draw for me, but the story hooked me, i wanted to keep reading which doesn't happen with too many comics and it ended very well.
It's not to everyone's taste, but I find the art and colouring phenomenal (the reason I bought the book). Michael turner can draw and seems to be having a fun time, every page was a joy (even with the characters looking same (the teenage girl just looks like a smaller adult).
After reading the first issue, the story grabbed me enough to buy this and it actually got better as it went on. It brought a lot of interesting threads and characters in the issue with most wrapped up nicely, with a typically psychopathic power hungry villian surprisingly a highlight. The protagonist Sara Pezzini is likeable, funny and sympathetic, her decisions and changes made sense.
The criticisms bought up by other reviewers are correct - reading the comic is very hard to follow going across panels, the style being too much of a focus. The page spreads that change the orientation of the comic are annoying and sometimes the action is impossible to follow.
This comics art and colour was the draw for me, but the story hooked me, i wanted to keep reading which doesn't happen with too many comics and it ended very well.
September 11, 2019
It was okay.
• The artwork is a product of its time. I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing. I just don't like it at all. However, as a bit of a positive, I will say that some of more detailed artwork I got to look at occasionally was pretty nice; I liked how bizarrely organic the Witchblade itself looked.
• The cast was unfortunate. I don't feel attached to anyone in particular. I guess the Witchblade itself is cool and has a compelling history.
• I had some serious issues with the writing towards the end of the Volume, especially concerning the main character's characterization (no reasonable buildup for most of her decisions), but for the most part it was passable overall... even if it was wordy to cover up how ultimately shallow it was.
Considering this is the first Volume of what goes on to become a massive series, I'm doing my best to be open-minded about what's to come. I don't think I took anything from this particular Volume (it wasn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination), but I'm willing to give Volume 2 a shot in order to delve deeper into the lore.
• The artwork is a product of its time. I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing. I just don't like it at all. However, as a bit of a positive, I will say that some of more detailed artwork I got to look at occasionally was pretty nice; I liked how bizarrely organic the Witchblade itself looked.
• The cast was unfortunate. I don't feel attached to anyone in particular. I guess the Witchblade itself is cool and has a compelling history.
• I had some serious issues with the writing towards the end of the Volume, especially concerning the main character's characterization (no reasonable buildup for most of her decisions), but for the most part it was passable overall... even if it was wordy to cover up how ultimately shallow it was.
Considering this is the first Volume of what goes on to become a massive series, I'm doing my best to be open-minded about what's to come. I don't think I took anything from this particular Volume (it wasn't amazing by any stretch of the imagination), but I'm willing to give Volume 2 a shot in order to delve deeper into the lore.
May 5, 2020
5 stars
I've been meaning to re-read this and end it, since I've never actually finished this comic books.
This series of comics has a highly level os nostalgia to me, since I read it when I was a teenager and throughout my adulthood.
It follows the story of NY detective Sara Pezzini, while she gets caught in a worldwide mess and is "chosen" by an ancient entity called the witchblade. This entity gives the person who wears it, in easy terms, about nearly badassness and almost immortality. The catch: if you disassociate from it, you die. So once it chooses you, its for life.
As Sara deals with accepting this development and how you manage the weapon that the witchblade makes her be, a shitstorm of things happen to make things worse.
If you are a comics fan, mainly 90's comics, this is the one for you my friend. You will not regret it.
Post review edit: I do have to, nonetheless, reference that while I do very much love this series, it does age a lot better from this initial titles. This first titles do have a sketchy art style... but I mean. 90's comics right? Nothing to do it about it now. But in my opinion , it is very worth keeping it in until it gets good ❤
I've been meaning to re-read this and end it, since I've never actually finished this comic books.
This series of comics has a highly level os nostalgia to me, since I read it when I was a teenager and throughout my adulthood.
It follows the story of NY detective Sara Pezzini, while she gets caught in a worldwide mess and is "chosen" by an ancient entity called the witchblade. This entity gives the person who wears it, in easy terms, about nearly badassness and almost immortality. The catch: if you disassociate from it, you die. So once it chooses you, its for life.
As Sara deals with accepting this development and how you manage the weapon that the witchblade makes her be, a shitstorm of things happen to make things worse.
If you are a comics fan, mainly 90's comics, this is the one for you my friend. You will not regret it.
Post review edit: I do have to, nonetheless, reference that while I do very much love this series, it does age a lot better from this initial titles. This first titles do have a sketchy art style... but I mean. 90's comics right? Nothing to do it about it now. But in my opinion , it is very worth keeping it in until it gets good ❤
May 23, 2020
I've never read Witchblade before, but I know of its reputation, and what to expect from 90s Image Comics. The art style is what you'd expect, the men are handsome, the woman are beautiful and there's more fan service than you can shake a stick at. To be honest Witchblade has never exactly hidden how it portrays its heroine, so you know what you are getting yourself into.
Stylistic choices aside, its just a bit average. Story is serviceable, and works well enough to set up the characters. I was actually surprised how much dialogue and text is put into this, its not great, but its there. Overall, not bad, but not good
Stylistic choices aside, its just a bit average. Story is serviceable, and works well enough to set up the characters. I was actually surprised how much dialogue and text is put into this, its not great, but its there. Overall, not bad, but not good
January 23, 2018
Sara, a detective built like a Barbie doll comes into contact with an alien technology called the Witchblade and spends the majority of the book following that event mostly naked. The Witchblade provides armor in the classic female only the naughty bits are covered style. Sara is very hard to like. She is always angry.
I read this on comixology unlimited and the only reasons I am going to continue with this series is that I am already paying for it and also I am morbidly curious to see how much of the next volume Sara spends mostly naked.
I read this on comixology unlimited and the only reasons I am going to continue with this series is that I am already paying for it and also I am morbidly curious to see how much of the next volume Sara spends mostly naked.
February 15, 2019
More like 2.5 but I will round up. This is definitely not something you would call "timeless". The art is typical of the period - BAD. Women who are outrageously out proportioned so that there boobs/butts are the main focus, and all hard lines on everyone's faces. Sara's character flops back and forth between strong and weak, relying on men or thinking out them sexually while also portrayed as a hard-nose, intuitive detective. Blah.
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