It's been a while since I posted my loot - I think the last post was a few months ago. I'm not lazy :D I dont have my own digital camera and my phone's camera sucks.

Transformers Henkei - missed Mirage, Grimlock and Hotrod

My first ever Hot Toys - Appleseed Saga Ex Machina - Briareos Hechatonchires, Deunan Knute will join him in a few days time

Some Figma

PVC Figurines

Freeing Lucky Star Trading Figure

Some ero-ero PVC Figurines :D

Gundam HG 1/100

100% CULT COMICS - WITCHBLADE N. 5: FIRST BORN
VOLUME UNICO, 17x26, B., 160 pp., col., Euro 14,00
Sara Pezzini ha deciso di cedere ad un’altra il dono (o la maledizione) di Witchblade, la Lama Stregata. Il motivo che l’ha spinta a una rinuncia che, nei secoli, nessuna aveva mai fatto, è che Sara è incinta. Ma la rinuncia a Witchblade non basta a mettere al sicuro il nascituro. Forze inimmaginabili già tramano per impossessarsi di colui (o colei) che potrebbe alterare per sempre l’equilibrio su cui si regge la realtà stessa! Storia di Ron Marz, disegni dello stupefacente Stiepan Sejic.

Mun@
Editor Online

PS: blog e forum sono finalmente online. Per i primi toccherà a noi popolarli, per i secondi dipende da voi!

LE USCITE DELLA SETTIMANA:
Marvel Italia
SPIDER-MAN 494
WOLVERINE 225

Panini Comics
LA TORRE NERA DI STEPHEN KING LA LUNGA STRADA DEL RITORNO 3: COMICS USA N.29
CRIMINAL 2 - 100% CULT COMICS SENZA LEGGE

Planet Manga
EUREKA SEVEN (DI 6) 1: COLLANA JAPAN 94
LOVE BERRISH (DI 5) 1: MANGA DREAM 92
IL CAMPO DELL'ARCOBALENO
HUNTER X HUNTER RISTAMPA 5
NARUTO MANGA GOLD DELUXE 7 ED.LIBRERIA
MANGA LOVE 93: DESIDERIO
BERSERK COLLECTION SERIE NERA 17
NARUTO MANGA GOLD 7
INFERNO E PARADISO 35: MANGA UNIVERSE 83
CAT STREET 8: MILLE EMOZIONI 70
SHIGURUI 10

MUST DELLA SETTIMANA:

IL CAMPO DELL'ARCOBALENO

(NIJIGAHARA HOLOGRAPH) VOLUME UNICO, 16x24, B., 296 pp., b/n, con sovraccoperta - C'è qualcosa di misterioso nell'infanzia, un legame che sembra non spezzarsi mai, ricordi che fanno male, memorie offuscate, storie di un passato che la mente distorce e, a volte, un'eccessiva fiducia, come se quello che ci è capitato da bambini fosse l'unica verità a cui credere.

E poi ci sono i giochi del destino, che incastra esistenze disperate di uomini e donne che non riescono a volersi bene. E un numero eccezionale di farfalle, avvistamenti spaventosi.

Un manga solo per adulti, che dimostra che il fumetto ha la stessa dignità di qualsiasi altra opera d'arte.

Un volume unico di Inio Asano.

I have quite a significant amount of Witchblade figures.  I love Makoto Uno's style of art and enjoyed the Witchblade anime series.  I also liked Dragonaut but have yet to complete the series.  Dragonaut has been largely criticized and widely hated but I love the art so I'm gonna finish it.  But I digress, I have many of the Witchblade figures but they are all of Masane Amaha with the exception of one, Maria.  I've seen a couple of other non-Amaha Witchblade figures but they didn't appeal to me until this one.

She was preordered from HLJ and I anxiously waited for her to be in stock.  She finally shipped on July 17 and I did my normal waiting as usual for my HLJ orders.  Weeks go by and nothing arrives so I figure I'll email HLJ but the site says to wait 7-45 days for SAL shipping.  So I wait and wait and wonder where my item is.  So finally I hear something from HLJ, not good news though. My package has been received by HLJ.  WHAT?  WTF?  So they gave me a two options reship at my cost or have the amount of the figure credited to my account.  No Brainer, I had it reshipped.  It reshipped on August 25 and arrived on September 10 while I was at work.

I get home later that evening to find this in front of my door.

I couldn't believe my eyes but rather than get too angry I literally just laughed.  Got my camera out before even opening the box ready to file my claim.  After the pics of the shipping box I set her free and took more pictures of the figure box.  I had no idea whether the figure survived whatever crushed the shipping box but somehow the figure itself survived.

As horrifying as this situation was, I kept my cool and everything worked out.  SAL shipping is slow and dangerous but with the amount of figures I buy , I personally can't afford to ship everything by the safer EMS.  Does anyone out there have any figure shipping horror stories?

So now I present to you the pics. Some are definitely NOT SAFE FOR WORK. The base has "NSWF" though I'm not sure what it is in reference to. So I'll just take it as NSFW.

Here is the Front and Back of the figure

One thing I found odd is the wrist bands, the right arm has it around the wrist, while the left arm has it above the elbow. Granted I understand that it's covering the joint for her extra arm with weapon but it's still weird.

Next up is the Left and Right sides, Shiori is definitely giving Queens Blade's Cattleya a run for her money!

Last two pics are showing the extra arm that's included and a Cast off pic. If you are underage or your country has laws against you looking at boobs, turn away Now.

AGAIN - Stop right there if boobies offend you!

As always couple more pics on my flickr

Don't forget people, RED means 'buy' and GREEN means 'avoid'. Happy reading folks.

Everything But Imaginary #277: Where Will the Next Wave Come From?

See what articles I wrote for the Girls Entertainment Network this week, and check back at the end of each week for GEN updates.

What?! Why no Comic Junkie post this week, you ask? No, I haven't forgotten---Virtualgirl, another writer at GEN, will be helping me with comics from now on. W00t! She's doing a fabulous job so far. Kudos, Meag!

Just a few posts this week, guys (article of interest: Witchblade Vol. 5 TPB review! Thanks, Top Cow!). I'm super busy now that college has started up, and I have EXCITING news that I will be able to share with you all very soon (shhh, John!). Anywho, I didn't get to post anything on ComicNerd this week, but hopefully I will be able to next week.

Comics like this one are extremely tough to review. It's well written, visually impressive, and does a lot to give Dany and Sara (the Witchblade bearers) some more depth. On the other hand, the issue is pretty damn boring and, outside of a brief set-up for next month, quite easy to skip. See the predicament that leaves me with?

Titled "Girls Night Out," Witchblade #120 is really a story about just that. Dany decides to take out her angst on some creep in a club, her Witchblade lashes out, Sara interferes, and then the two ladies leave the club to sit on some rooftop and talk about life, love, sex, and the responsibility that comes with wearing the Witchblade. That's pretty much it. Everything is extremely sound from a technical standpoint so it is impossible to come down too hard on it. Ron Marz's dialogue is casual and realistic, Stjepan Sejic's work is a treat to look at, and there is some merit in the fact that such care was taken on what is, essentially, a "day in the life of" type of story.

I am definitely going to leave the purchasing decision up to you, the readers, on this one. The comic is solid all around, but with the price of comics today, this one can definitely be skipped without fear of missing much. (Grade: C)

-Kyle Posluszny

Lord Nosferatu...

Witchblade was also a character created by four different creators, so that didn’t necessarily help find its focus. However, in the last few years, publishers Top Cow have wisely started to integrate and expand their roster of characters. This move can be seen clearly in this volume, with guest stars from other Top Cow titles and the history of the Witchblade becoming deeper. Recently this series has begun revealing numerous wielders over the years of this powerful mystical gauntlet that is the ultimate girl power accessory, which opens up even more story possibilities.

This TPB is a hefty one, as it collects the Cow x-over mini-series, First Born as well as issues #110-115 of the ongoing Witchblade series. There’s also an introduction from The Walking Dead and Invincible creator, Robert Kirkman and a dazzling cover gallery. All in all this tome contains all 226 colour pages. That’s a lot, and the best thing I can say about it is that I read it all in one sitting. Believe me, that's high praise indeed. I barely got out of my seat as I flicked through these glorious pages. It had my attention and wouldn’t let go, and that’s something I wasn’t expecting.

Basically, the first few issues of this adventure are focused on cop, and former Witchblade wielder, Sara Pezzini, as well as mob boss Jackie Estacado, AKA The Darkness, the holy warrior Magdalena, Dani Baptiste, a dancer and current Witchie owner and baddest of the bad girls, Celestine AKA The Angelus.

This book starts off with a handy one page guide, which explains all the characters in this world in a pleasantly succinct way. The beauty of this tale is that it’s intense and epic, but not overly complicated, which is more than we can say for most of what’s on offer from The Big Two. Even if you’ve never read an issue of Witchblade before, you won’t feel scared off by this volume.

Written by one of my favourite writers, Ron Marz (Green Lantern Kyle Rayner’s creator) this book details the war fought for Sara’s upcoming baby, of whom the origins are mysterious, though the details are eventually revealed. Lots of running and hiding and fighting ensues as the pregnant Sara, her lover, fellow cop Patrick Gleason (I keep thinking of the GL Corps penciller of the same name!) and sometime ally Jackie Estacado gang up to defeat Angelus’ winged warriors. As Estacado tells Detective Gleason, “In real life, the bad guys don’t always wear black and the ones with wings aren’t always the good guys.” That sums up the supernatural/spiritual/primal themes pretty well. The three manage to fight the hordes (that look like something director Guillermo del Toro would’ve imagined) and escape, after Gleason somehow survives a brutal stabbing. Jackie takes Sara and Dani straight to a secret cavern, where Magdalena shows up. Sara gives birth and the battle begins anew as the Angelus and her followers struggle to keep the baby all to themselves for the sake of the Balance. The newborn, later dubbed Hope brings a surprising victory, which also leaves the Witchblade split in two, for Sara and Dani.

After this battle concludes, things change pace somewhat abruptly. Sara adjusts to life as a new mother, Dani finds a budding romance with a shop owner called David Worthy, yet the girls still manage to find action, or rather, it finds them as they take Hope for a stroll in the park and find that evil forces still want the baby for their own purposes. Both girls also manage to run into different muggers while shopping at different times, which makes the action in the second half seem more forced than the first. The last few issues are akin to Buffy Lite; lots of girls talking casually, new relationships forming, but with short bursts of fighting interspersed throughout. Some may find all the dialogue a bit annoying after the hectic first half, but Marz is a gifted writer and handles it naturally. With this much going on, the fact that there is no lengthy exposition or narration is pretty impressive.

This is a light read, despite its burgeoning cast of characters and lengthy history and its very easy to keep track of what’s going on at all times. I can’t go any further without mentioning the art. It’s beautiful and I don’t mean the fact that all the girls look like supermodels (and so do the guys, come to think of it) Stjepan Sejic is the primary artist. His pages are luscious. Obviously tinkered with computer to look like paintings, he has a skill that deserves more work. Look at the cover gallery included and you’ll see what I mean. There’s enough pretty pictures (even his ugly monsters look gorgeous) to fill a Metallica fans bedroom walls. In every panel, the light, textures and backgrounds are all rendered with such detail; a rarity in the posing superheroes against blank backgrounds in a lot of comics today. If I was on the Cow’s marketing team, I’d create ads from these pages in every heavy metal mag I could get a hold of. Long haired head bangers would lap this art up I’m sure.

More traditional and seasoned pencillers such as Luke Ross, Stephen Sadwoski and Rick Leonardi fill out the remainder of this volume, but the change is not jarring from one ish to the next. There is also a preview of The Darkness ongoing series, which details its supernatural origin effectively.

There is some profanity here and themes that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I was impressed by this series and would be curious to see where it goes next. All the hard work building this universe has paid off. Jaded fanboys and newcomers alike will find something to sink their teeth into here, and probably will want seconds. Surprisingly recommended.

By: Chris Beveridge
Date: Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Marvel Entertainment announced today that they're partnering up with the well known Madhouse to create some new series based off of Marvel Comics characters for the Japanese market. Similar to what was done by Gonzo with Witchblade, the series will be done in a way that fits into the Japanese anime sensibilities which means they may not retain a lot of familiar elements that the comics fans are familiar with.

Wolverine and Iron Man were the two characters talked about specifically, which isn't a surprise considering the theatrical aspects of the live action movies, but Marvel talked about there being four series in production for a 2010 Japanese airdate. The first series will launch in spring 2010, debuting on Animax, a 24-hour Japanese anime network. As is to be expected, both Marvel and Madhouse will be capitalizing on the merchandising aspect of this as well.

In December of 2007, Marvel began working more with the Japanese market as they started a new manga initiative which includes an X-Men manga and a Wolverine manga.

This sounds like it might be cool. I liked Gonzo's interpretation of Witchblade. Iron Man is a perfect fit for an anime and would make an excellent mecha show. The only bad news is, if they won't air in Japan until 2010, then chances are they won't get to the States until close to 2011. :(

Ah, the Witchblade anime...Japan's adaptation (or bastardization. Your choice) of the popular comic book series. In it you have a bunch of beautiful, busty women transforming into scantily clad battle-hungry maidens of death. Reina may not be the bustiest of the bunch, but she's certainly the prettiest.

That beautiful face is the main reason I got this figure. The ridiculous design didn't hurt, either.

You know, it's nice to have a woman around. My figure collection is mainly a sea of moe high school girls, so it's nice to see some actual meat n' curves tossed in. The Witchblade girls were designed by Uno Makoto (Stellvia, Love Hina, Dragonaut), a fellow who's prone to drawing overly sexualized ladies when given the chance. (See Witchblade and Dragonaut)

Imagine getting impaled on that thing. Ouch!

Reina is brought to us by GDH, which is part of the great GONZO empire. GONZO is an animation studio famous for Last Exile, Blue Submarine No.6 and Gankutsuou. They're notorious for just about everything else they do. Don't even get me started on what they did to Bokurano and Chrono Crusade...

So GONZO does a mixed job when it comes to anime. But how are they when it comes to figures? There have been a lot of rookie companies showing up these days, and a lot of them have failed to impress. Luckily for GDH, they actually seem to have good sculptors. The original prototype for Reina was quite a site to behold.

That spike...there's no way that feels comfortable.

I'll praise GDH for the paint job. All of the red lines on Reina's armor are done neatly. Her skin and armor are also shaded very well. I also liked how they used a semi-shiny paint for her armor, but used a matte finish for her skin. Where Reina fails hardcore is in the seam department.

There are nasty seams on her right leg near her crotch, on her right ass cheek, under her chin, and behind both of her legs. It boggles my mind that they took the time to minimize some seams, but left several others woefully obvious. It does NOT look good and is badly distracting. Totally not cool.

It also seems they used a lower quality plastic for her production. Reina gave off a pretty bad smell when I first took her out of the box. The only other figure I have that did this is Yamato's 1/8 Minawa Andou PVC, which just happens to be the worst figure in my collection...

A simple blue base for your viewing pleasure.

Reina comes screwed into a blue base. Isn't that nice to know?

OVERALL: 6/10
Reina's not a bad purchase. She's got a beautiful design and elegant pose, but is riddled with quality problems that some of you might not be able to overlook. I can't say I recommend paying full price for her, but Hobbylink currently has her on sale for 70% off.

- G.K. Sil Kamina

Basado en el comic del fallecido Michael Turner . . . Witchblade es la historia de una mujer que hereda un poder antiguo que la pone en la mira de las fuerzas obscuras, de manera que no solo debe combatir contra sucesos fuera de lo normal, sino tambien contra los criminales comunes. Como lo habia comentado en una entrada previa, esta serie tuvo una aceptación muy regular y creo que solo los fans de corazón apreciaran este trabajo. Aunque podrian darle una oportunidad si les atrae el concepto. No creo que salga en Región 4, pero bien pueden conseguirla en Region 1.

Diese störungsfreie Zone hier hab ich dann auch direkt mal als Anlass genommen, Witchblade weiterzugucken. Mit deutscher Synchro, ich verdammter Frevler. Viele Leute würden mich dafür wahrscheinlich gerne hängen, aber mir egal. Ich gucke gerne mal was mit gerDub. Der von Witchblade ist aber irgendwie doch recht merkwürdig. Keine Ahnung woran es liegt, aber beim Gucken hab ich immer das Gefühl, jede einzelne Stimme schon mindestens vierhundertneunundachzigtausend mal gehört zu haben. Dennoch finde ich ihn zum Großteil doch recht gut wie auch den Anime selbst. Zwar kein wirklich großartiger Anime, aber auch keiner der nun in die Gruppe "heilige Scheiße, was für ein Dreck" gehört. Eben Mittelmaß. Aber dieser geldgeile, weibliche Hauptcharakter ist einfach nur auf ihre Art lustig.
Zwölf Folgen habe ich nun noch vor mir, mal sehen ob ich die heute Nacht noch schaffe, dann sollte ich mich endlich mal wieder Tower of Druaga, Solty Rei und Turn A Gundam widmen.

Mal schauen, vielleicht nutze ich nachher auch einfach wieder meine Möglichkeit vom Bett aus zu zocken. Valkyrie Profile 2 will ja mal beendet werden. Hab zwar meine PS2 gestern wutentbrannt ausgeschaltet, weil ich im Kampf gegen Odin völlig versagt habe, aber kurze Zeit später hatte mich der Ehrgeiz doch wieder gepackt, nur war es dann schon relativ spät >_>
Aber so als kleiner Tipp für alle, die eine PS2 besitzen und das Game nicht kennen, zockt es mal an. Dürfte kein Fehler sein. Zumindest aus meiner Sicht ist es definitiv keiner.

In this adaptation of the Top Cow comic book, Witchblade is the story of a New York detective, Sara "Pez" Pezzini, whose search for justice brings her into contact with the Witchblade, an ancient, intelligent, living weapon so powerful it can battle Earth's darkest evil forces. Week in and week out, "Pez" employs her skills as a police detective to fight crime. She finds she must employ the Witchblade to combat a much greater and frighteningly organized conspiracy of evil that threatens the very soul of humanity. As Sara tries to keep the secret of the Witchblade, do her job and have a personal life, she finds that her most formidable adversary may be the Witchblade itself.

Read my review of the complete series DVD after the jump.

Witchblade The Complete Series

Available To Own On (click to purchase): DVD

Official Site Link:www.witchbladedvd.com

Release Date: July 29, 2008

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TV SERIES

Witchblade comes to DVD on seven discs featuring all 24 episodes (the TV movie, and the remaining 23 episodes). The show got its beginning as a TV movie in the summer of 2000, then premiered its first season (11 episodes) the following summer in 2001 and the second season (12 episodes) in the summer of 2002.

Although you're bound to get differing opinions on the direction of the series after the first season concluded--it's quite obvious there was a decline, how much is up to personal opinion--overall Witchblade was an enjoyable show, drawing on the comic-book series, while going in a slightly different direction than perhaps a comic-book adaptation should have taken.  Sure the supernatural elements took a backseat at times, in favor of the show being more a police drama, but it was never taken completely out of the element.

Speaking to the quality of the show, there's plenty here to enjoy.  The police drama focus may not have been what comic book fans wanted to see, but to be honest, it really elevated the show here, drawing inspiration from the comic book series while at the same time having strong acting, solid writing and a good cast of characters.

Perhaps the casual audience wasn't quite as aware of the situation behind-the-scenes, but as far as I can tell, the cancellation of the show had a lot more to due with the alcohol/drug abuse of its star, Butler, than ratings, which were apparently not an issue at all.  I found the first season to be the best of the two, and as fans are well aware, that has a lot to do with the direction in the second season.  I don't want to give too much away, and I don't like doing this in reviews but there is really no other way to approach this topic.  It really seemed like the writers and producers structured this show to be a one-and-done series because the first season finale really felt like a series finale.  Add in that the decision was made to reset back to the beginning for the second season (there's that spoiler), which felt sort of like an alternate timeline, and you have a situation where perhaps more thought should have gone into a second year.

Bottom line is that despite the second season suffering a bit in terms of acting, stories and writing, in the end you're still treated to a solid overall enjoyable show.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Considering the short running length of the series, the amount of extras presented by Warner Bros. for this series is much appreciated.

Gabriel's Philosophical Insights
First up, contained on selected episodes (10) throughout the seven discs are these short pieces and deleted clips that feature Gabriel talking to the camera about different topics and situations related to either the specific episode, or the series as a whole.  While interesting, your enjoyment may depend on how much you liked the character, although they're certainly not drab in any way.

Wielding the Blade
A short, but solid, featurette with takes from Butler and some of the creative minds behind the series including Michael Turner and Marc Silvestri.  As the title suggests, this feature focuses exclusively on the Witchblade, and you get a pretty strong look into their mindset of crafting the design of the blade (which is different from what was/is presented in the comic book).

Bringing the Blade to Life
Rounding out the special features is "Bringing the Blade to Life", at about five minutes longer than the first feature (it runs just about 12 minutes), the commentary presented here gives a good look into the creation of the show, and should help newcomers understand the concept and goal of the folks behind the series as the main focus is on how they adapted the film from comic to screen.

Original Casting Sessions for Series Leads
Exactly what the title says.  A series of clips featuring the original casting sessions for Yancy Butler, Anthony Cistaro, David Chokachi, Eric Etebari and Will Yun Lee.

All-New Soundtrack Selected by the Executive Producer
Not really a special feature, per say, but because--I assume--they couldn't or didn't want to pursue the music rights (I notice this more often with older TV shows) there's a new soundtrack presented here.  To be honest, I didn't really notice, which is good, I suppose.

CONCLUSION

Though it wasn't a straight comic-book to TV translation, leaving some fans feeling slighted no doubt, the heavier focus on police drama serves the show well and the supernatural elements help propel it to enjoyable heights.  I still have mixed feelings about the second season, but I find that you're really either on one side or another on that aspect.  Overall, this is a solid presentation despite some of its unevenness and the complete ride is worth the price of admission.

I rate this series and DVD a 4/5.

Witchblade The Complete Series was released on Tuesday, July 29th. Purchase it today on DVD.

O lista scurta si cuprinzatoare cu serialele, filmele, benzile desenate si subiectele care ma intereseaza. Ca sa-ti faci o idee daca mai merita sa intri p-aci sau nu. :)

Seriale pe care le urmaresc: Psych, Heroes, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Middleman, Kyle XY, Boston Legal, Smallville, Sarah Connor Chronicles, Pushing Daisies, Scrubs, Reaper, Stargate Atlantis, Fringe, Tru Blood, Knight Rider, Dollhouse (la ultimele 4 mai mult ca sigur o sa ma uit cand incep :) )

La acestea se adauga multe seriale pe care le-am urmarit si pretty much m-au invatat ce inseamna televiziunea precum Star Trek TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Stargate SG1, Buffy the vampire Slayer, Angel, MASH, Friends, Batman Animated Series, Superman Animated Series, Justice League Animated Series care este posibil sa fie subiectul unor posturi.

Upcoming attractions care ma intereseaza: filme bazate pe benzi desenate (Watchmen, Thor, Iron Man 2 etc), Star Wars stuff, general science fiction stuff , musicaluri, fantasy, Guy Ritchie si Matthew Vaughn stuff, anything and everything indie la care ajung sa ma uit

Favourite superheroes (and superhero teams): Batman, Superman, Deadpool, Gambit, Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner), Invincible, Witchblade, The Darkness, The Authority, Teen Titans, Justice League.

Lucruri pe care le detest si este posibil sa fie subiectul unor ranturi :) : Gilmore Girls (NOBODY TALKS LIKE THAT!), Fox Corporation (F*cking evil incarnate), Star Wars prequels, Enterprise, seriale anulate prea devreme (vezi Fox Corporation), Hal Jordan.

Scriu pentru TVBlog si lucrez la Metropotam deci nu fii surprins daca review-uri si articole postate pe acolo or sa apara pe aici. I'm lazy, nu ma judeca. :) Ne conectam si mai mult daca ma urmaresti pe Twitter. In rest...

Cya in the funny papers!

The Art of Marc Silvestri book covers the Top Cow CEO's whole career and also features commentaries by fellow artists Dave Finch, Brandon Peterson, Billy Tan, Mike Choi and Michael Broussard.

The full colour 96 page hard cover book goes on sale August 20, for $US29.99. It'd make a great coffee table book for art lovers or fans of superheroes and villains and the tight bodies that they all possess. See what I mean by checking out a few luscious pages below.

This figure has a lot of detail, from the discreet armour blades to the flowing hair blades and a very sexy pose. The paint job and details enhance what is already a very accurate sculpt making this figure a must have for Witchblade fans.

The figure has a number of parts most of which are hair tendril extensions, but also include 2 blades (long blade is shown in photos) and also a stylised base embossed and coloured with the Witchblade logo, Orchid Seed have really done a fantastic piece for such a iconic comic character.

[caption id="attachment_471" align="alignnone" width="194" caption="Exclusive Comic created for the 2008 San Diego Comic Con by the late Michael Turner"][/caption]

 This is pretty cool . . .

 

This comic includes 4 stories that reveal more about the Heroes Universe. The stories focus on the back stories of Mohinder Suresh, Echo De Mille (the main character of the new Heroes webisode series), and Adam Monroe (Takezo Kensei).

Universal is teaming up with Sprint for the "Create Your Hero" contest.

Last Fall, fans of Heroes created two new heroes. But only one will star in a new online live action series. YOU CAN VOTE TO DECIDE WHICH ONE !

That is a lot of power for people like you. Use it wisely.

To vote online, click here

To vote for Santiago: Text A to 6789 (exclusively for Sprint users)

To vote for Audrey: Text B to 6789 (exclusively for Sprint users)

Check it out and Vote for your favorite.  You don't want P-Diddy getting all "Vote or Die" in your face about this.

The first 10 people to email me their address @ calmixx@gmail.com will get a copy of the Comic Book sent to them in the mail. 

 I'll even sign it.

Because I had nothing to do with it, but I'll be  paying the postage and I will have read it.

So it will be like an endorsement.

 Sorta.

I would have had Michael Turner sign it, but he can't.  And that sucks because he created Witchblade and Fathom but he died in June.

 So I'll sign it FOR him.

The things I won't do for you people.

Se trata de la incorporación de Michael Rymer en calidad de director y co-productor de la cinta. Rymer ha sido en estos años una de las mentes responsables del brillante renacimiento de Battlestar Galactica, de la que ahora prepara sus últimos capítulos.

Witchblade, cómic referencia del universo Top Cow, relata las aventuras de la detective Sarah Pezzini, una exhuberante policía que es elegida para portar el Witchblade, un arma legendaria con voluntad propia que usará para combatir el crimen.

Ahora sólo queda por saber quién será la elegida para dar vida a la atractiva protagonista.

As I have come to learn since becoming a comic book critic, the first part of an event or a new creative run is tough to review. It must hook the reader in some way while at the same time going through the (possibly boring or redundant) motions necessary to set up the story arc. Things can really get off on the wrong foot if the set up (a necessary evil) isn't sufficiently compelling (check out Uncanny X-Men #500 for proof). I mention this because I feel that Broken Trinity #1 is a great example of how to properly set up a new storyline without making it feel like a boring chore to read.

There are two storylines at work in this issue, both of them serving to bring the elements of this event together. One of them, a visually striking Viking skirmish that quickly escalates into an epic battle between supernatural forces, serves up the action while establishing new elements in the Top Cow Universe. The other storyline works to bring almost all of the main players together in a way that feels both logical and natural given the continuity. While I honestly have no idea as to where things will go from here, the set up is solid and full of enough combustible elements to make for a great event. One thing is for sure, the creative team working on this series set quite a high bar with the First Born event, so they have their work cut out for them if they hope to clear it.

As for the writing, Ron Marz does a great job in this issue. The dialogue during the Viking battle is suitably epic and the characters drive the story well in the present day scenes. While I wish he would have spent a touch more time establishing the Celestine character, I have a feeling more will be explained sooner than later. Marz deftly puts the pieces in place while keeping a sense of mystery about what exactly is going on and, honestly, he's got me hooked. While this story could really go either way at this point (since so much is still up in the air), it is off to quite a start.

I expected some nice work from the team of Stjepan Sejic and Phil Hester, but I've got to say that they really exceeded every expectation. The Viking scenes are absolutely stunning, a display of what I suppose I'll call beautiful brutality. The supernatural characters look fantastic as well, though I will readily admit that they are nothing more than extremely impressive looking fantasy clichés. My only true complaint is that, like nearly all of Sejic's books, there is a noticeable drop in detail/quality from time to time, but I can excuse that considering it must take quite some time to create the more impressive stuff. A book needs to get out at some point, so I can overlook that for the most part.

Overall, I'm really enjoying the first part of the Broken Trinity event. It manages to avoid getting bogged down by the necessary set up while creating the hooks that make me want more as soon as possible. (Grade: A)

-Kyle Posluszny

Witchblade is scheduled to hit theaters sometime in 2009.