Witchblade is back. More specifically, almost nine years after the Top Cow and Image Comics series wrapped, New York City Police Detective Sara Pezzini is once more wielding the Witchblade, a sentient weapon that chooses its one-in-a-generation woman host to fight the forces of darkness.
The new “reimagined” Witchblade series is penned by Animosity and DC Bombshells’ Marguerite Bennett – who previously dabbled in the universe when she wrote the Witchblade #1/2 origin story that formed part of the 2021 Complete Collection Volume 2 Kickstarter – and features line art from Suicide Squad and Red Sonja’s Giuseppe Cafaro. The pair are working with original 1990s series co-creator Marc Silvestri, while Arif Prianto provides colours and industry veteran Troy Peteri is on lettering.
The goal of the new Witchblade is to provide a recognisable but fresh take on the franchise’s unique mix of supernatural and superheroics, offering fans something novel at the same time it provides an entry point to new readers. Going by the first issue, out today, the creative team have succeeded in their objectives.
Witchblade #1 (2024) is dark, violent, and gratifying. Cafaro’s artwork even comes across as a more contemporary version of Silvestri and Michael Turner’s scratchier Witchblade pencils of yesteryear, but boldly inked, giving the book a noirish feel.
As for storyline, Witchblade hits the ground running. While retooled antagonists Kenneth Irons and Ian Nottingham pursue the just rediscovered Witchblade, icy police officer Sara infiltrates a human trafficking ring in the hope it will lead to the corrupt cops who killed her father decades earlier. It’s at this point that the two narrative strands entwine, and Sara is forever altered by an ancient power.
What stands out strongest about Witchblade #1 is how hard it leans into body horror in terms of the titular artifact. The sentient relic skitters around like a spider, moving between and using temporary hosts like a Symbiote, and demonstrates incredible power whether it has fused with its true Avatar or not, dismembering people with its razor-sharp tendrils.
It doesn’t just coat Sara; it transforms her from the inside out, altering flesh and bone, evidently breaking through her skin in red pustules that force apart muscle tissue. It may be stomach turning, but it’s a welcome upgrade, making it so much more than sexy sleek armour. You simply can’t overlook the fact that it is an otherworldly, deadly entity.
As for Sara herself, there’s nothing soft or ultra-feminised about her. In fact, there’s even an ambiguous moment involving a vigilante style execution. Sara’s quest for revenge has left her with very little sense of self, and that’s about to become even more complicated as the Witchblade fights for autonomy over her body. This gives the series a lot of thematic potential moving forward, and I’m excited to see where things go from this very strong start.
Witchblade #1 is available from today, Wednesday, July 17, at $4.99 for 48 pages. It’s also available digitally on multiple platforms, including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play.