Review: Witchblade #18
Eighteen is a bit of magical number in the UK. It used to have more bearing, with age seen as a person maturing. Looking back over this series, I am not sure that fans of Witchblade appreciate the maturity shown in this series.
This is the final issue of this series, offered in Preview World, via Image Comics, with very little notice of said fact. Has Witchblade fallen so far down the public’s interest? I hope not as Caitlin Kittredge and Roberta Ingranata have managed to create a decent run be it borne from a long running comic series.
This finale of sorts, sees Alex step up against Moloch as he tries to use the Witchblade. In order to do so, he offers Alex the “Quantum Leap” of choices; she could go back and put right all her wrongs, meaning that those she has lost on the way would be there for her to love. All she has to do is give up the Witchblade. But can you really trust a devil?
Caitlin Kittredge gives Alex a fine purpose in this issue. In many ways it feels like a swansong, as Alex works her way around her friends to gain a measure of closure. Alex’s mind is set, though through the monologue there is a hint that she has a plan. Kittredge does well walking the fine line of the expectations of the story proving yet again that in comics, the journey is nearly always more interesting than the destination. This is a realisation that any number of big name writers could use in some of the event books that pointless meander their way to a nothing ending. Back to Kittredge; through this series we have seen Alex go from lost soul to her final position via bargaining, personal loss all whilst trying to do the right thing. It has been an interesting ride, that I feel has been hampered, ironically, by the Witchblade name.
Roberta Ingranata provides her usual high standard of art. With the action elements towards the end of this issue, we get to see Ingranata work a lot on facial elements; there are emotional elements in play. For the most part she does well, though if I was being critical I could say that there are too many talking heads that look set in the same frame. This is a minor aspect for sure; the conversations had between Alex and her various cast members need to be given time to breathe and this style of panel design does allow for the weight of the moments to be felt. The colors are by Bryan Valenza and Beyond Colorlab; between them there are differences for sure. The early pages add tone to Ingranata’s pencils, where later on the Moloch pages seem more scratchy in details. The mix works well. Finally, letterer Troy Peteri gets to have some fun with the different styles in place. I will say that Peteri’s version of a hand written font, used for the monologue, is much easier to read than most.
As touched on earlier, the problem for this book is that it followed a hugely successful series, and perhaps was a little too different. People may say that this doesn’t affect books, like Buffy or Angel. But the truth of the matter is that both Buffy and Angel are doing the same things as the TV show, with minor differences. The Scooby Gang are there for example, as are Spike Fred and Gunn. Even Kendra has turned up. For fans of the previous Witchblade book, who may have expected more of the same curvaceous art and half naked heroine, this more mature re-boot may have been a stretch. Inversely, those who dismissed the previous 185 issues as a “tits & ass” book may not have given this book a second glance. Overall, I have enjoyed this run of Witchblade and am sorry to see it leave the shelves and I will certainly keep an eye out for future books for both Kittredge and Ingranata.
Writing – 4 Stars
Art – 4 Stars
Colors – 4.5 Stars
Overall – 4 Stars
Written by; Caitlin Kittredge
Art by; Roberta Ingranata
Colors by;Â Bryan Valenza & Beyond Colorlab
Letters by; Troy Peteri
Published by; Image Comics / Top Cow
Author Profile
- I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow
Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network
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