Sara must learn how to exist with her new powers, before they take complete control of her and make her do something she regrets.  Your Major Spoilers review of Witchblade #2, awaits!

WITCHBLADE #2

Writer: Marguerite Bennett
Artist: Giuseppe Cafaro
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Editors: Marc Silvestri, Matt Hawkins, and Elena Salcedo
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: August 21st, 2024

Previously in Witchblade: During an investigation into a group of human traffickers and corrupt cops, Detective Sara Pezzini comes into contact with a mysterious amulet that gives her amazing powers that she uses to slice and dice everyone in the vicinity.

FEELING GOOD

Witchblade #2 opens with Sara in a holding cell as the police try to work out what exactly happened at the warehouse where Sara first gained the Witchblade powers.  After a nasty interaction with a fellow cop, Sara is given a two-week suspension and is let go.  She spends some time enjoying life with the heightened senses that the amulet has given her.  While out on a stroll, she comes across a group of men harassing someone and getting ready to assault him physically.  Sara steps in and, with the Witchblade, is able to stop the perpetrators easily.  She then starts to feel an elevated sexual desire due to the amulet.  Elsewhere, the organization that has been hunting down the amulet continues to surveil Sara, determining what approach is the right one to get their hands on the amulet.  Back at her apartment, Sara is attacked by one of the few survivors from the massacre that put her on suspension.  She suddenly realizes that she may not have the control over the Witchblade that she thought she did.

SHOWING SOME DEPTH

While it’s not uncommon to see a comic find a good balance between seriousness and humor, it’s not so common to see one find a good balance between camp and seriousness.  But Witchblade #2 pulls it off.  There are some incredibly over-the-top things in this issue, from the intense violence towards the end of the issue to the downright silly way that the creators depict Sara struggling with her sexual urges (you may never look at a candy bar the same way again).  Yet, they don’t feel out of place here.  Perhaps that’s due to the reputation this series had in the past, or just the overall mid-90s in-your-face feel that this series has had.  What’s surprising, though, is how it manages to combine this sort of bombastic side with a more thoughtful side.  In the quieter moments of this comic there is an interesting statement happening on the nature of control, both with Sara and her powers, but also on a societal level.  Sara touches on the way that many women are made to feel like objects to be owned from a very young age by despicable men, at the same time, at the Iron Spire, there’s a discussion going on about how best to obtain control over someone and how temptation can play a role in that, and to a lesser extent the kind of control a majority part of the population can control the well-being of people they deem as undesirable.  Granted, not all of these ideas are handled with the subtly or depth that they deserve, but they aren’t handled poorly or insultingly either, and that says something.

BOTTOM LINE:  A DECEPTIVELY DEEP READ

By no means would it be fair to call Witchblade #2 a philosophical or particularly complex comic.  But, it does touch on some themes and topics that many would consider surprising for a series that is about a magic amulet that turns the wearer into a cross between a spider and a knife set.  In fact, considering that this issue doesn’t really move any plots forward and is more about expanding on the main character, these ruminations keep the series from feeling like its already spinning its wheels.  Also, with the same visuals team returning from the first issue, it still looks slick and kinetic. 4 out of 5 stars.

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Witchblade #2

80%

80%

Sara Needs A Cold Shower

Witchblade #2 is a comic of two halves. On one side there’s an interesting look at the nature of control. On the other side the main character got turned on thinking about a computer mouse. Yet somehow these two sides manage to come together in a coherent and enjoyable way.

• Writing

  8
• Art

  8
• Coloring

  8
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
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