Witchblade #3, written by Marguerite Bennett with art and colors by Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto, continues Sara Pezzini’s story, mixing fantasy, gritty police procedural and David Cronenberg-style body horror to create one of the more unique superhero books currently on the stands.
This issue picks up immediately where we left off last issue, with Sara cleaning up the remains of the human trafficker she accidentally slaughtered. Don’t slip on those eyeballs, Sara! There’s a Serpico feeling of paranoia throughout the issue as Sara, who’s a New York City Detective, begins to realize there’s no one she can trust, not even the other officers and detectives on the police force.
Simultaneously, Sara tries to understand more about the mystic device that latched itself onto her wrist. Even though she fears what it’s doing to her body, she likes that she’s stronger and tougher than she was before she found it.
We really get into Sara’s head throughout the book and get a tour of all the people (both good and bad) in her life.
She’s truly a fascinating character and watching her maintain her personal code of ethics while dealing with the morally bankrupt officers around her makes for a riveting story. Even if the series had no fantasy/sci-fi trappings, it would still be a great read.
Giuseppe Cafaro and Arif Prianto’s art is as on point as the writing. Their work makes New York City, coated in the frost and snow of Winter, a powerful presence throughout the book. Ice glistens on the ledges of buildings and snow seems to perpetually fall. As Sara walks around the freezing bustling streets and alleys of New York, her long brown hair is a stark contrast to the deluge of snowflakes around her. These exterior scenes are the prettiest scenes in the book.
Image Comics
Equally stunning is Sara’s armor when she’s in full Witchblade mode. It looks so different from anything else on the shelves, armor that appears to be made of jagged bone and dotted with crimson jewels. It looks borderline medieval. When Sara’s in full combat mode, the fight scenes are thrilling and it seems some new ability appears every time she “suits up”, so we’re discovering the power and limits of the armor along with her.
The psychological and mysterious aspects of the book give way to pure action at the climax of the issue, when Ian Nottingham makes a grand entrance and Sara demands answers from him.
I feel Ian’s a cliché character that we’ve seen many times before in other books. He’s another of those “silent but formidable” warrior mentors that have been around for decades in books and films. As the series progresses, I hope he’s made a bit more three-dimensional, but for now, he seems very derivative.
Sara Pezzini is a fascinating character, with or without the artifact on her wrist. Her supporting cast should be equally interesting.
If you’re late discovering this book, pick up this issue – it’s a good place to start. Better yet, do yourself a favor and pick up the first two issues also. This series is a “soft reboot” of the character from her previous series and now is the time to get on board and join Sara Pezzini on the mysteries and adventures to come.
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