Broken Frontier

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus Trinity: Blood on the Sands one-shot comic book will be released June 2009.  Following last summer’s blockbuster summer event, Broken Trinity, Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus Trinity: Blood on the Sands reunites the three core artifacts of the Top Cow Universe in a stand-alone story set in 13th Century Arabia.

The one-shot tells the tale of three different bearers of the Top Cow Universe Trinity.  Mirroring recent events in Witchblade and The Darkness against a historic backdrop, Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus Trinity: Blood on the Sands harkens back to the Tales of the Witchblade and the Tales of the Darkness series.

“One of the unique hallmarks of the Top Cow Universe is the legacy nature of our properties. Each of our flagship characters is only the most recent bearer of an ancient artifact or power, which allows us to explore really fascinating periods of the past and enrich the background of our characters,” stated Top Cow Publisher, Filip Sablik.

In a stand-alone story with the artifacts of Top Cow’s best selling titles placed into different historical period and wielded by various legendary figures, Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus Trinity: Blood on the Sands will appeal to new and old fans alike while providing an excellent entry-point for any reader unfamiliar with the Top Cow Universe.

“Blood on the Sands tells the tale of three different bearers of the Top Cow Universe’s Trinity.   I have always been a fan of the high fantasy genre and jumped at the chance to show a new side of the Top Cow Universe against a historical backdrop.  The stories center around some of the unique customs and locales of the Arabian desert,” explained writer Philip W. Smith II.

Each of the tales within the larger story takes its origin from Arabic words and locales. “‘Diyafa’ the first story is about a young man seeking the help of that era's Darkness  bearer, named Idris.  Diyafa is a word for desert hospitality and is a custom in practice today where wanderers lost in the desert are given food, water and shelter until they are recovered.   ‘Assahiyaa’, the story about two sisters torn apart by the Witchblade means; tribal solidarity.  ‘Chermera’ is a location in the Sinjar mountains where a modern day tribe called the Yezidi have an ancient temple and is the scene for the Angelus story,” elaborated Smith. “All the stories are tied together by the machinations of the villanious Idris. Unlike the current modern day Darkness bearer, Jackie Estacado, Idris is a ruthless and cunning villain who embraces his dark gift and lives by the words ‘Good people die.’”

Witchblade/The Darkness/Angelus Trinity: Blood on the Sands is written by newcomer Phillip W. Smith II (The Gelding) and drawn by artists Sheldon Mitchell (Witchblade Annual), Admira Wijaya (Hercules) and Tom Grindberg (Teen Titans, The Outsiders).  Artist Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade) provides the cover to the issue.