WITCHBLADE #3, by Image Comics on 9/18/24, finds Sara Pezzinni continuing to maintain her facade as a dirty cop to bring the criminals responsible for her father’s death to justice.
Credits:
- Writer: Marguerite Bennett
- Artist: Giuseppe Cafaro
- Colorist: Arif Prianto
- Letterer: Troy Peteri
- Cover Artist: Giuseppe Cafaro, Arif Prianto (cover A)
- Publisher: Image Comics
- Release Date: September 18, 2024
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $3.99
- Page Count: 22
- Format: Teen
Covers:
Analysis of WITCHBLADE #3:
First Impressions:
Wow! Witchblade #3 is a snoozefest. It’s unclear what writer Marguerite Bennett was thinking by following up an uneven issue #2 with an even worse issue #3, but here we are. If you were hoping the series would pick up steam as Sara gets used to her newfound powers, get ready for a lot of slow talking.
Plot Analysis:
When last we left Sara Pezzinni in Witchblade #2, Sara chose to let the amulet amplify her senses as she explored what it could do and, more importantly, how it would make her feel. In short, it made her really horny. The issue ended with Sara disemboweling a killer who showed up at her apartment to seek revenge for the crime syndicate she broke up in issue #1.
Witchblade #3 begins with Sara Pezzinni cleaning up the mess from the body her amulet ripped in half in the last issue. What’s strange is that not all the organs and viscera are normal. Some are still wriggling, and the goo has a distinctive oily smell.
Marguerite Bennett drops a few points of mystery in the first few pages to get readers’ curiosity up. Why does the killer have black, wriggling organs that are still moving? Why do they smell like oil? What weird operation did Sara stumble into? Let’s find out.
What follows is a lengthy montage of scenes and an even lengthier deluge of narration as Sara notices her body changing (bigger, stronger), considers all the terrible things she’s had to endure in life simply by existing as a woman, and keeps her instincts in check as she interacts with the cavalcade of dirty cops at work. The montage of vignettes ends with Sara inviting Mike and Nicole to her apartment for help researching the origin of the amulet.
The preceding description is accurate but doesn’t quite reflect the amount of tedious reading strewn throughout several pages. Sara’s thoughts meander from self-reflection to puzzlement to feminist propaganda to internal planning. If Bennett’s intent was to capture the feminine experience, she may have succeeded, but it’s not the win she probably intended.
The issue concludes with Sara visiting the woman she rescued from the traffickers, only to be confronted by a dark man with a blade.
Overall, Witchblade #3 is short on action and plot but very long on wordy, unfocused narration. A telltale sign of a comic’s engagement factor is how soon you check which page number you’re on. We were checking by page six, which should tell you everything you need to know.
Artwork and Presentation:
The only reason Witchblade #3 isn’t a total wash is Giuseppe Cafaro’s engaging artwork. Cafaro uses every inch of page space to play with varied panel layouts and mixed character perspectives to create as much visual interest as possible. Kudos to Cafaro.
Art Samples:
The Bigger Picture:
Series Continuity:
Readers who pick up this issue and are familiar with the Witchblade name should know this series is a complete reboot of the original Witchblade title. The characters are the same, but the plot starts over from scratch, reworked for modern audiences.
Final Thoughts:
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WITCHBLADE #3 is a headscratcher of an issue that bombards the reader with page after page of meandering narration that says little and accomplishes less. After only three issues, Marguerite Bennett has lost any sense of pace or urgency, so only the rock-solid art gives readers a reason to pick up this issue.
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