Advance Review: Witchblade #126

Written by: Gary M. Kenny, CC2K Comics Editor

As I’m reading part two of Top Cow’s (hope to be) epic Witchblade tale: "War of the Witchblades", all I keep thinking is what it must feel like to be Ron Marz. I assume that being Ron Marz is like knowing you are your parent’s favorite child. Granted, Marz has proven himself these past few years with Witchblade, still, I feel that Top Cow thinks Marz can do no wrong. For those of you asking, “what are you talking about?” Ron Marz has taken the original Witchblade heir Sara Pezzini, and turned her from a likable hard working cop into to a total @$$hole. Even though, there is a reason for her newly established bitchy character trait. It’s still a ballsy move that could shake up and upset many Witchblade fans. Top Cow is letting Marz take one of their strongest female comic icons and completely transforming her from a positive role model to an evil, psychopathic bitch.

If you have been following the series or even my last review, you would know that recently the Witchblade has been divided in two. The dark half has gone to Sara while the light half has gone to her apprentice Dani. This issue, again beautifully drawn by Stjepan Sejic, just further establishes what we learned last issue. Sara characteristics have dramatically changed; she almost breaks up with her cop partner/lover by telling him that she thinks a vibrator would be more useful than him, while Dani and her semi lover/friend are stalked by the Angelous. Though Marz keeps his characters witty and dramatic, there was not a griping story in this issue.

After I finished eyeing the last page, which is deliberately a tease for issue #127, I’m left with an unsettling sense of being unfulfilled. The comic is a straight up quick read. Sejic’s eye candy artwork is mouth watering, Marz’s plot is fresh, and fun at times, yet, this arc is starting to remind me of one of those B-level movies from the eighties. Mad Max Beyound Thunderdome, Airplane 2: The Sequel, Jumpin’ Jack Flash, are just a few examples I can think of. Not terrible movies, but ones you never pay full attention to while watching and during you start to ask yourself whether or not the movie’s trailer was better than the actual film.

Even though Sejic’s art is always welcomed, Top Cow’s editor could have easily cut most of the pages from this issue, combined them with some of issue #127, and made a better comic. I am left to ask, when does this “war” begin? Issue #125 already established that both Sara and Dani are going to get their fight on. If the point of this issue was to hint that the Angelous is favoring Dani, while the Darkness is favoring Sara, this reader knew that last issue. Why give us a 22 page comic that just further establishes information we either assumed or was establish last issue? I’m not being impatient, I’m just ready to see Marz and Sejic create an grand epic cat fight! Witchblade #126 hits shelves next week!

3.0 out of 5.0

Writer – Ron Marz     
Artist – Stjepan Sejic  
Letters: Troy Peteri