You can never hide from the past … it always catches up.
Creative Staff:
Writer: Caitlin Kittredge
Artwork: Roberta Ingranata
Colors: Bryan Valenza
Letters: Troy Peteri
What They Say:
Alex Underwood has survived dying, demons, and the perils of hosting the Witchblade, but as she finally confronts the true extent of the demonic forces influencing the NYPD, her enemies, and even those closest to her, she knows this may be a battle she won’t survive.
Content (please note that portions of review may contain spoilers):
As she tries to recover from the chaos of storming the warehouse the night before, Alex cannot but remember the incident which started her down this dark path – the explosion in Afghanistan when she watched Johnny die before her eyes. But as those memories scatter from the impact, a doctor startles this girl from her nightmare, only to inform the rescuer of the captives’ status – they are doing well, but they have a long road ahead for recovery. However she must leave in haste to fulfill a promise on her friend’s grim anniversary, and though visiting his grave may seem meaningless to his mother, the solemn moment is interrupted by a mysterious text from Ash, with only one word – loft. While Underwood has never been to his home, it is readily apparent by the tossed items scattered around someone has beaten her to this place. Even with Debbie and Maj’s help, they uncover no clues as to where her mentor could be, but Alex does spot someone familiar spying on them outside – Detective Roseland.
While they continue the search, contradictory evidence does prove something else, Alex’s teacher has been hiding a secret … he has been around much longer than anyone ever realized. But as these new facts sink into the friends, a video chat from an unknown caller breaks the uneasy tension, causing Underwood to ask her companions to get out of the camera’s range. The conference begins with a shot of Ash, beaten and tied to a chair, clearly a prisoner of the stranger, who unwisely reveals himself to be Roseland’s crooked partner. The foolish cop then lays out his terms for a safe return: come to his location alone, give herself up and allow him to cut off her hand so he can destroy the accursed artifact. Even if this is an obvious trap, there seems to be little choice if she wants Ash to live, but who is the one truly in trouble – this cowardly gangster or the bearer of the most powerful weapon, the Witchblade?
In Summary:
With a powerful reveal of the fully transformed Witchblade concluding the last issue, I had hoped this time the story would open with a phenomenal fight scene under its new bearer Alex Underwood, but as usual writer Caitlin Kittredge is hesitant to show anything which would peak our interest too early. To skip all of those expectations and trickle down to a melancholy flashback sucks all of the excitement from this title, then add an angst-ridden monologue which deadens any enthusiasm, and we are left with a narrative which appears to be sabotaging any progress in lieu of creating more emotional tension, in both Alex and the reader. The progression of the tale gives the impression Kittredge is following a set timeline, laying out the story using a formulaic pace which only discloses essential clues to the bigger picture at specific moments; however, she then reinforces those elements by having characters reiterate the clues, giving this story a premise of being a procedural crime drama instead of a series which is supposed to stir up anticipation for a one of Top Cow’s cornerstone titles. While I can appreciate her need to control the information, with the current measure of steps, with each one forward, she is taking two back causing for anticipation to turn into meaningless and unnecessary tedium.
However while the narrative may seem to be stagnating, it is Roberta Ingranata’s brilliant illustrations which make us return each month, all to see how much more empathy she can pull from Alex’s complex life, all in an attempt to majestically communicate the tension through her stunning images. Her effortless understanding of pacing allows for the story to progress seamlessly, allowing for the reader to understand the story without words, an excellent example of seamless storytelling, providing graphic clues as where to look and what to follow. And yet all of her images would be flat and meaningless without Bryan Valenza’s captivating comprehension of how colors can change the mood of the story, allowing for nuances of light and shadow to dance across every panel with a subtly which enhances each page. Even when there is an element of mysticism injected into the performance, Valenza does not allow for outlandish overzealous tones of neons to overtake the surrounding colors, instead, he mutes with opposing layers which serve to balance the imagery. This talent allows for a synergy of artistry to fully express what both people are allowed to do when neither challenges the other, but instead cooperate to fulfill an unfulfilled elegance which neither could accomplish alone, all for the phantasmagorical expression via talented hands.
Even as we watch in anticipation to see how Witchblade overcomes new events, this issue does not help as it seems the narrative is not forthcoming to reveal information without a need for complicated conflicts and overburdening angst. Although the story is slowly progressing and we finally have a reveal of the full costume and our first major villain, the progression is tedious, almost as if too much is exposed, the reader will lose interest. For now, the opposite is in danger, with too little shown due to the story being bogged down by emotional tension and uncertainty. Hopefully, when we return next month, the tale of Alex’s life will expand to encompass a more moving tale and not one dragged down by an unnecessary back story.
Grade: B
Age Rating: T (Teen)
Released By: Image Comics
Release Date: June 13, 2018
MSRP: $3.99
