| Title | : | Witchblade, Volume 1: Witch Hunt |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1582408858 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781582408859 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 |
| Publication | : | First published February 22, 2006 |
Witchblade, Volume 1: Witch Hunt Reviews
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This was pretty dang fun!
So what do we have here? Our main hero Sara waking up for a coma. She still knows who she is and the power she has with the witchblade weapon. We are introduced to a detective named Patrick and together they begin to piece together who wants Sara killed. By the end our hero faces off against the church, well a cult church, but I like to think just church to make me smile. And then...well I won't spoil it but a big ass demon dragon comes to fight!
Good: The art is simple, nice, and clean. Sara and Patrick together are great, a lot of fun banter, and you actually feel the emotions in this one. I also thought the pacing was a perfect way of giving us humor, serious moments, and fights.
Bad: Well, it's safe. No one you expect to not die, dies, and people you expect to get hurt, do, and the plot is simple and easy. You've seen it in a 100 comics before. So playing it safe is really it's only weakness.
Saying it's a simple plot you've seen might sound bad but it's still tons of fun. I'ma go with a 3 out of 5 but I have a feeling this series will grow into something special. -
It was a fun read. Officer Sara Pezzini has an artifact of great power called Witchblade, she doesn't know what excatly it is and how to use it and it seems The Witchblade kind of has its own mind too... Sara kind of wants her old life before Witchblade but they seem to stuck with each other. Sara Pezzini saves the world from some messed up cult of catholic priests in catholic church in this volume. The Classic Heroic stuff with horror elements and cops and priests. The art is beautiful and writing is good and easy to follow. I quite enjoyed the book as a guy who likes Top Cow universe.
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This book is a sort of soft reboot for the Witchblade series, seemingly intended as an entry point for new readers. To that end, we’re introduced to Detective Patrick Gleason, an audience stand-in who becomes embroiled in protagonist Sara Pezzini’s world of magic and demons.
Pezzini has recently emerged from a coma and the two are on the case to find out exactly what happened 3 weeks ago that put her in that hospital bed.
Their investigation leads to a musty antiques store where they run into the book’s first major misstep; a mystical old chinese man named The Curator. He’s a walking asian stereotype so hackneyed that your eyes might just roll out of your head, replete as he is with Fu-Manchu moustache and long pointed fingernails. The book is mired in cliche but most of them; the secret societies, the ‘will they won’t they’ budding romance, the ‘monster of the week’ set-up, add a schlocky charm to proceedings.
The Artwork by Mike Choi et al is typical Top Cow fair. The heroes have supermodel good looks that border on indistinct (Pezzini appears to be the twin of Lara Croft and Gleason is a dead ringer for every tall dark and handsome hero from Bruce Wayne to Archer) and it’s all rendered in the edgy inks that you would expect from a 2008 mainstream comic. It’s fine for the most part but does really shine in some areas. The organic way the Witchblade writhes and expands into a claw or a suit of armour is particularly well executed, as is the climactic showdown with a towering neon demon.
The art also manages to steer away from the more cynical attempts at titillation that entries in this universe often indulge in. Yes our heroine is a flawless beauty, but she’s a flawless beauty whose clothes remain intact. Cheesecake art as it’s often known can be a lot of fun but when handled badly can seriously undermine attempts to create a grounded, sympathetic character. It helps Sara’s characterisation that the book cares more about what she is saying than what she is wearing.
Unfortunately this books binding is shockingly bad. After only a couple of reads the pages began to come apart in my hands. It’s not just bad luck on my part, I’ve known several people to have the same problem with not only this volume but this series.
For all of its good points, it’s a shame that this book literally falls apart as a physical product. -
Why am I doing this to myself? This run is eventually drawn by Stjepan Sejic and I need more of his art in my life. This was the closest jumping on point to his art.
The writing would be serviceable with great art and get this book a 3 stars at least but Mike Choi’s art is absolute garbage. When he forgets he’s poorly imitating Jim Lee, his characters look like they’re from a children’s book which would still be a lot better than what we see 80% of the time. He is unapologetically aping Lee and it sucks. It’s ugly as all hell.
The story tells you what Witchblade is, which is good considering I’m jumping on at issue #80 but it’s so underwhelming. The end especially but that’s mostly due to Choi incapable storytelling.
Meh meh meh -
A great graphic novel in a series that I should have started a long time ago.
This is not my first time reading a story by Top Cow Productions, but this is my first introduction to Witchblade.
The story begins with a hospitalized Sara Pezzini and the mystery surrounding the circumstances that brought her there.
We are quickly introduced to two men who play significant roles throughout the story.
Patrick Gleason is the detective tasked with uncovering the events that brought Pezzini to her comatose state in the hospital. Jake McCarthy is Sara's currently suspended partner who waits by her bedside.
Upon Gleason's arrival, Jake becomes hostile and defensive, especially when he begins asking questions, going so far as to imply that they are more than just friends.
Gleason later receives some insight into Sara's condition from a mysterious man known only as the curator. He explains that Sara possesses the Witchblade, an ancient and terrible power that is passed down through generations. Sara must learn to use and harness the power of the Witchblade or the world could be destroyed.
Gleason's reply: "Seems like you've been firing up something a little stronger than incense, old man."
It isn't until an encounter in a dark alley that Gleason sees the Witchblade for himself, witnessing Sara wield its power to defeat two otherworldly creatures who attack her.
After gathering additional information from the curator, they team up to try and stop a group of misguided priests who are determined to bring forth a "new god".
Overall, I thought the story and artwork for Witchblade: Witch Hunt was fantastic! There's action, conspiracy, a bit of romance, and a bad ass heroine that I'm excited to read more about. I immediately ordered Witchblade: Volume 2 and I'm impatiently awaiting its arrival. -
Witchblade has always been a favorite of mine. Maybe because the first introduction to it was when I was 12 and I saw a live action TV episode of it. Or perhaps it's because I love this strong female character. She's a complete badass. A smart, determined human being. Yes, there are some religious connotations to this piece of work (and for that matter all of Top Cow's comics), but it never glorifies anything - in all honestly it actually vilifies the church leaders.
I've started late in the whole graphic novel, comic book game; hence why I'm beginning with the volume one of Witchblade's graphic novels. It doesn't start at the very beginning, but I remember the gist of the origins from the Television show I watched. Excited to read the others and get into the mythology that interconnects Sara Pezzini (the Witchblade host) with The Darkness and Jackie Estacado. -
Bought the book, opened it, started reading and the pages started falling out like leaves on a tree during autumn. I'm not even sure I read it in the right order.
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I love the art here and the story is really engaging too
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This is a good introduction into the world of Witchblade if you're aware of what the Witchblade is, although I wouldn't suggest it to someone with no knowledge: it explains what the Witchblade is in the vaguest of terms, and someone working with no awareness of what the Witchblade is would be at least a little lost in my opinion.
Still, the way in which the catholic church, and especially bad actors within the church work, propels the story along, as well as having Sara Pezzini, the current bearer of the Witchblade in a coma. When she wakes, an office has been assigned to figure out why she was in a coma. Except Sara's partner doesn't like or trust Patrick Gleason, and Sara is not only unsure if she can trust Gleason, but she has to keep him unaware of the Witchblade and how that effects her life so drastically.
Good writing, good art, could have done a better job of making this readable to those who don't really know the world, so four stars. -
I remember watching Witchblade years ago, so when I had the chance to pick this up at Book Expo years ago, I did. I enjoyed the story and I'm curious to see what happens next. The art is fitting to the story and genre overall. However, I just get so tired of male artist's obsession with drawing disproportionately giant boobs and the cover art/extra art with boobs bursting out of leather and metal. It's completely unnecessary and frankly irritating and distracting from what's going on. Even in a white t-shirt I keep feeling like Sara should fall forward or knock things over every time she turns around -_-
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Witch Hunt is a pretty good introduction to the Witchblade universe, especially for anyone who'd want to skip the Origins volumes (can't blame you).
The core of the story is pretty strong, and a lot tighter than most I've read in similar comics, but held back by its trappings: heaps of orientalism, gender stereotypes that were already tired in 2006, and an uncritical view of police in society. The art doesn't fare much better: while the action panels can be absolutely amazing, there's just too much male-gaze-fanservice and same-face syndrome going on for it to be really great. -
Collected here are issues 80-85 and a glimpse into Witchblade. If you are totally unfamiliar then it may be a little confusing but still a good read. Sara wakes from a coma and the only thing she knows is something happened in her church. Now with help from a Detective from another precinct to her own she has to find out what happened and in doing so she exposes both her new friend and old partner to her supernatural weapon, a secret cult like group and demonic entities.
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This is a pretty funky comic. There are some really cool images that are reminiscent of Species. The overall panelling is nothing particularly interesting though, and the depictions are on the whole quite standard. However, the action scenes are quite good and there are plenty of them. Not bad at all.
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Overall plot is ok but I have some problems with witchblade. I don't normally notice every character is straight white but I honestly have a hard time telling characters apart page to page, they all look so similar it is genuinely confusing. You also need to be prepared for casually sexy art, expect gratuitous ass and cleavage shots during critical conflict. 14 year old boys will love it.
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A story with no pretension - it starts with an intriguing mystery and the fast-moving plot keeps you hooked. Enjoyed the procedural elements, but felt that the climactic battle was a little rushed. Liked the character of the conflicted priest, wished he featured more, the two detectives... not so much.
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Art: 🌟🌟⭐️⭐️⭐️ Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really cool story - throws you into the deep end with Sara and the Witchblade. However it doesnt tell anything about how she got it. Hope that is to come in the following issues. -
A Perfect Jumping On Point
Ron Marz is well known for reviving comic mythos, particularly Green Lantern. Here he begins a lengthy and character defining run on Witchblade, mixing mysticism and superheroics. Mike Choi's artwork is simultaneously scary and scintillating. -
A new favorite. I'm a completist, so starting in the middle is a little frustrating. Knowing there is a huge backstory, including help from Garth Ennis, is a huge bonus!
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A slow but enjoyable entry point for the world of Witchblade.
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A dull start compared to the original material
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A bit more mature and much better plotted. Starting to address issues the series has had since the beginning. And much more pro-woman and less pro-woman’s body.
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You can read the full review over at my blog:
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2014...
In the last couple years Top Cow’s Witchblade IP has become one of my favourite reads in comics. Whether it is Witchblade/Sara Pezzini in the pages of Artifacts or Witchblade or in any crossovers here and there, I’ve always loved her as a character. Sara Pezzini to me is one of the best female characters in comics, by far, easily a match for the greats such as Wonder Woman or Storm or Batgirl or Black Widow. And if there is one man out there who has shaped my experience of Sara Pezzini, it is Ron Marz, who has written more Witchblade than any other writer and has had a long run on the core title as well.
Witchblade Volume 1, from my understanding of things, marks a new phase in the life of the protagonist Sara Pezzini as she continues to bear the heavy burden of being the bearer of the Witchblade, a mysterious artifact that has bonded itself to her and has allowed her to face criminals of all stripes and even the more supernatural of individuals. This was Ron’s first arc on the title, and for me it proved to be some of his best work to date, not to mention that the artwork by Mike Choi and others was great as well, capturing the feel of the city and the dark tones of the story.
In this story arc, titled “Witch Hunt“, Ron introduced the character of Detective Patrick Gleason. As someone who has read much more current Witchblade stories than Ron Marz’s incredible seventy-plus issue run, Patrick is a character with whom I am very familiar, for he is Sara’s current partner and also her boyfriend/husband. For me, he is one of the anchoring points of the Sara Pezzini mythology and in Witchblade: Witch Hunt, we get to see how Patrick joins up with Sara and how their relationship develops on a personal level.
With his introduction, we also see a major shake-up in Sara’s supporting cast since her previous partner Jake McCarthy gets the out and a second new character makes an entry, someone who is much more familiar with what the Witchblade is and its history. That is ultimately what really sold me on this arc. I know well about the Witchblade’s origins, and the status it holds as the balance between the powers of the Angelus and the Darkness, their child so to speak. But to see the beginnings of Sara learning all of that for the first time? Well that has an edge of its own, one I loved.
The main story is tied into why Sara fell into a coma in St. Augustine Church a while back. She saw something, experienced something, that has sent her to the hospital for three weeks, and Patrick is there to find out the what and the why. There is an immediate clash of personalities between him and Jake, and him and Sara, since he is the intruder in their lives, a third wheel so to speak. These interactions were handled well and since Ron’s script tends towards lots of dialogue, I had the chance to really understand these characters, to see what made them tick, especially Jake and Patrick.
In many ways, this is a pretty straightforward story of betrayal and conspiracies, but for me it was more than that because Ron’s writing was astounding in almost every way. He always features Sara prominently in any scene she is in and she gets the best lines, by far. The others revolve around her to a great degree and I liked that aspect since often some writers try to explore their central female characters by only looking at them through the supporting male characters. Witchblade: Witch Hunt is not like that, not at all.
In each of the characters there are quirks of personality and attitudes and egos that Ron tries to bring to the front at every opportunity and the whole mystery of Sara’s coma, not to mention the complicity of someone closest to her, is all handled well. For a supernatural horror title like Witchblade, execution matters a great deal, more so than any other genre because horror doesn’t work so well when it is too subtle or too obvious or anything. It needs to be built up properly, with the time taken to craft out the central mystery properly. And here Ron Marz has a whole six issues to do exactly that and the big mystery at the end feels rewarding, because the writer has made the experience of getting to that point worth it. The conspiracy really pays out in the end, and has a great emotional aspect to it as well, though Ron doesn’t oversell it. -
Wonderful art, a completely new story and an independent spirit. The story is good and while the hero seems well protected those around her suffer in the battles she endures. In the first volume I liked the way she slowly found her powers and the slow reveal back story, that looks promising.
I was not sure about the mysterious Chinese wise man. Seemed to be lazy story telling.
The action had heft, the writing was solid and this was high concept action thriller with a strong female lead. While the covers hinted at white male gaze I was glad to see we did not get the silly fanboy pleasing costumes in this and that made the story hang together better.
The art is good, this comic has high production values and that made it fun to read as well. -
That blurb is a little misleading. Sara wakes up from a coma and both her and her current partner are on leave because of recent events. She doesn't actually have a new precinct but she sets out on her own to find out what happened to her. The guy that tags along is doing just that, tagging along. He's not actually her new partner but IAB that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Beyond that I found the story pretty interesting although I couldn't help but think that I was walking into something that was already going on. Book-wise it doesn't actually appear to be that way but where the story starts, a pivotal moment has already happened and we're made to go along with the main character to figure out what was going on. But plot-wise I do feel like there's genuinely something missing because by this point Sara already has a grip on how to use the Witchblade. She already seems somewhat comfortable with it, leading me to believe that there is more to the story and maybe I'm not crazy thinking I missed a book. Ultimately I think it's just where the author chose to start the story.
Overall the story was pretty interesting. Your standard Catholic Church is plotting to overthrow the world type of story. I didn't mind it. Marz took it to a new extreme that I found entertaining. I would have liked to know more about the Witchblade but I'm guessing that happens in subsequent volumes. But what I did find out I enjoyed. The inklings of history behind it were enough to keep me reading and enough to get me to want to read further into the series.
The dialogue was a bit noir so some of the lines felt like they were pulled from something like Dick Tracey but I didn't disbelieve any of it. None of it was so over the top that it pulled me out of the story or anything. I really liked the characters. Sara was nice and strong with the men supporting her. Couldn't ask for more! :)
The art was beautiful, although I would have liked to see the chicks with bodies that were a little more attainable. I felt like I was looking at parodies of Barbie bodies, they were so disproportionate with measurements. That element had a chance of grating on me if I chose to read further into the series. Just because the women's bodies in this were so ridiculous.
Overall, I liked WITCHBLADE. Didn't take me long to read at all, the plot was engaging, I loved the art and the story was compelling. I may pick up the later volumes when my pile gets a little lower. -
This admission is really hard for me to make publicly, so I'm gonna just trust that you won't laugh, that you'll be nice to me (at least to my face), and that you'll reserve judgment for a few minutes while you read this review. Okay. Here it is. You ready? I love WITCHBLADE. There. I've said it, and I'm very uncomfortable. I feel like I just shouted, "I watch porn" in a crowded room, or admitted — just when there was a lull in conversation at a party — that I like reading Playboy — and not just for the articles.
In particular, I love WITCHBLADE starting with Ron Marz’s brilliant run that began in this volume: Witchblade: Witch Hunt. As a feminist, I'm concerned with what people with my ethical views about the ... Read More:
http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi... -
This book manages to be good in spite of itself. Other than the main character, everyone is a stereotype (weird old Asian shopowner, pissy partner cop, secretly evil priest). Not being familiar with the previous Witchblade stuff, I can't comment on how this is related to the previous stuff. I can, however, say that this volume doesn't reflect the absurdly sexist costuming which is basically the only thing anyone knows about Witchblade, and for that I'm thankful. The art isn't the usual Top Cow terrible, but it's only passable. All complaints aside, though, I enjoyed reading, and I'll keep reading.
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There is something funny about any media that has the central theme of female empowerment embodied by a character that is a teenage boy's wet dream.
Witchblade is an intriguing work and has me interested, but there is something about it that keeps me at a distance. It may be the drip-feeding of plot, or the fact that I'm reading the books whilst also watching the TV series (the differences between the two are noticeable), either way I look forward to reading more of this series, if for nothing more than to confirm whether I like it or not.
