Broken Frontier

There is a new monster on the block, one with a very personal connection to Sara. Even with the Witchblade, will she have the strength to do what must be done?

Writer Ron Marz continues his critically acclaimed run on this series and wraps up some plot threads from his first story arc while throwing a new twist at readers. After all, isn’t that what a milestone issue should be?

Picking up where the previous issue left off, Sara has leaned that her old partner, Jake, is not himself. In point of fact, he appears to be an other-dimensional creature that claims to be a god. He has the power to back up those claims as well. With Sara on the ropes and her current partner/would-be-boyfriend, Patrick Gleason, thrown into the battle anything can happen. Anything does.

Marz does a truly excellent job of turning full circle and connecting this issue back to his first story arc in Witchblade #80-#85. Surprisingly, this issue manages to even be new reader friendly, despite being the end of a story arc. Marz weaves in a bit of Witchblade history but avoids the temptation to make the entire issue a retrospective. Instead, he gives readers a satisfying conclusion to a story arc and sets them up at the top of the next hill on this roller coaster ride. It is a very steep hill.

If there is any flaw to the issue it is that Marz really telegraphed his punches here. I thought, way back at the end of Witchblade #85, that something like this would end up happening and certainly the previous few issues did little to try to throw me off the trail. Marz makes up for this deficiency, though, by really pouring emotion into every scene. It does not matter that you saw it coming when the execution is so beautifully done. Plus, he still manages to drop a bomb on readers that probably no one saw coming.

A good part of the beauty of this issue is in the artwork. Former artist Michael Choi returns for a curtain call here and is joined by current artist Adriana Melo. There are also pin up pages from a host of others including Marc Silvestri, Billy Tan, and Randy Green. Choi and Melo carry the bulk of the issue and both do a beautiful job. Choi’s work is quite possibly some of the best of his career so far and his presence will be missed on the title. Adriana Melo’s pencils are terrific as well but Mariah Benes’ inks are inconsistent, being great in some places but a little too heavy elsewhere. The result is that some panels appear a little too dark and muddy.

Witchblade has reached 100 issues with action, adventure, and romance and, most of all, style. There is no rest for the wicked, though, and Ron Marz and Adriana Melo are gearing up to take this title in some new and unexpected directions. Jump on the train now because it looks like it’s picking up speed from here.