Witchblade Volume 7 TPB [Paperback]

Ron Marz (Author), Stjepan Sejic (Author)

Book Description

Series: Witchblade | Publication Date: June 29, 2010

The new era of Witchblade featuring the team of Harvey Award-nominated writer Ron Marz and artist Stjepan Sejic continues! The pair committed to staying on the title until at least issue #150 and their second complete story arc together is collected in this trade paperback. Collects Witchblade #120-124, and includes an additional story plus plenty of bonus material.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Top Cow Productions/Image Comics (June 29, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1607060582
• ISBN-13: 978-1607060581
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,439 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars falling out..., July 6, 2010

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H. Bala "Me Too Can Read" (Just moved to posh Marina Del Rey, CA - where if you drop a quarter, why, you just keep on walking) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witchblade Volume 7 TPB (Paperback)

This one has NYPD detective Sara Pezzini, now assigned to the Special Cases Division, investigating a brutal murder in the racially charged neighborhood of Crown Heights. As we all know, Jews and blacks have historically nursed a long-running feud... no, wait, I had no idea that that went down at all. But in Crown Heights a student is fatally torn apart in the orthodox Jewish community, and the black community fears being blamed. Just as Sara and her partner Gleason were wondering what's so spooky or weird that Special Cases needed to be called in, they start running into conjured golems and a voodoo demoness.

It doesn't help that nosy reporter Gretchen Fullmer is all up in Sara's business again, underfoot and, later on, in grave peril. Gretch has harbored suspicions that Detective Pezzini is more than just an ordinary cop. She finally gets to find out for real.

Meanwhile, the other bearer of the Witchblade, Danielle Baptiste, has coffee with one of her ballet school's students, a troubled girl whom her wannabe gangsta boyfriend is trying to coerce into turning tricks. Dani steps in to lend a hand, except that she seriously, seriously bollocks things up. Dani turns to Sara for help.

WITCHBLADE Vol. 7 collects BROKEN TRINITY: "Prelude" (the Free Comic Book Day special), issues #121-124, the "Augury" story from #125, and the story "If Looks Could Kill" from WITCHBLADE ANNUAL #1. Bonus stuff comes in the form of an introduction from Rabbi Geoffrey Dennis, a cover gallery, a sketchbook of Sejic's designs, and Ron Marz's scriptbook for issue #121.

I enjoyed this run of issues, even though you'd be hard pressed to label "Crown Heights" as predominantly anything but a set-up story arc. To demonstrate just how encroaching the supernatural elements are in this series, why, naturally, even the murders here would somehow end up tied into the cosmic forces behind the Witchblade mythology. We get a really interesting visual interpretation of the golem. We get to see Sara take on an awesome-looking mystical villainess astride a cadaverous steed. And I have no doubt we'll see more of Marinette.

The crucial issue is actually #124, the "Crown Heights" epilogue, because it directly sets the stage for the ominous six-part "War of the Witchblades" arc (issues #125-130. The murder case's unsatisfactory resolution has put Sara in a really dark mood, and perhaps this wasn't the best time for Dani to be asking for her help. In cleaning up Dani's mess, Sara compromises her ethics as a cop and she really lays into Dani. Dani, for her part, is hurt that Sara doesn't appreciate that she meant well and did her best. The result is a devastating falling out between the two.

My initial concern was that Sara may have been acting too much out of character. I thought she and Dani were a lot closer than this. But, then again, Sara was already in that bleak place and I think Dani's actions sent her over the edge into unmitigated beyotchiness. Plus, as I mentioned, what she does to help Dani is one of those shady deeds at which judgmental blokes tend to drop that maxim about the "road to hell being paved with blah blah blah."

Just to cleanse the palate, let me mention that "Augury" reveals that Sara's partner, Detective Gleason, absolutely knows more than he's letting on and also that the forgettable "If Looks Could Kill" has Pezzini and Gleason investigating a case in which beautiful women don't recall committing their acts of murder. It's not a pet peeve, but I thought we've moved on past objectifying Sara by putting her in bare belly button tops. What with Stjepan Sejic now objectifying her in sexy stylish full-on Witchblade armor. And this is as good a way as any to segue into praising digital painter extraordinaire, Stjepan Sejic, whose stunning art so readily blows everyone else's "art" out of the water that I'm compelled to insert quotation marks when referencing everyone else's "art." And regarding the writing, I've been firmly in Ron Marz's corner ever since I read his stuff from CrossGen Comics (r.i.p.). Characterization. Pacing. Mood. Suspense. Action. Ron Marz is a heck of a storyteller. I hope these two stick to their vow of staying with the series at least until issue #150. Hopefully, they stay beyond that.