In the Top Cow Universe there are 13 Artifacts of supernatural power.  If brought together they can destroy the world.  They were.  And they did.  Now there’s a new universe in place of the old one.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of Roundin’ up the Herd, this little editorial will be your monthly guide to the Top Cow Universe.  Here you’ll find issue summaries, reviews and some rampant speculation on forthcoming story arcs.  Fair warning: there will be spoilers in this editorial.

Tom Judge, bearer of the Rapture:

This wasn’t the plan…

Artifacts #18 celebrated the return of the trinity as the Angelus claimed a new host!  Jackie Estacado and Tom Judge came to blows and some new story threads were set-up in the process.

The issue opened with Tilly Grimes expressing doubts about whether or not they should have allowed the Angelus back into the world, but Tom stood by his decision even as things didn’t go according to plan.  The Angelus did not engulf its previous bearer, Danielle Baptiste, but instead chose Finch!  Having made itself whole again the Angelus did what it always does, it went after the Darkness with all its might.

The Angelus host was overwhelmed and right before Finch was killed, Tom showed up and used the Rapture.  He succeeded in stopping the fight but made an enemy out of Jackie.  They all parted ways in an uneasy fashion as Tom, Tilly and Danielle wondered if the Angelus had allowed Finch to remain herself.  The Artifact usually turned its bearer into a mindless puppet, but there was one exception to that rule, the previous wielder Danielle Baptiste.

At the end of the issue, we see that two weeks later Danielle meets with Finch for a cup of coffee.  Finch seems to be herself and the two seem to be reconnecting.  Since they were together in the previous universe it’s nice to see that they found each other once again, even if the roles are a bit reversed.  The second epilogue shows Jackie‘s Doppelganger, one week later seemingly taking the reigns from his creator in some fashion.

Special shout out to UTF‘s resident Comic Book Editor, Daniel Alvarez, for getting his Artifacts #17 review (click here to read it) quoted on the back of Artifacts #18, kudos!

Jackie Estacado, bearer of the Darkness:

Every time I wake up in the morning, every time I look out a window, I half expect to see another world — a desolate post apocalyptic landscape, a black sun, carrion brids picking the bones of the dead.  But it’s okay.  Nothing looks different. Everything is exactly how I remember it.  No harm done.

The influence of the Darkness seems to be spreading as Jackie‘s perfect life continues to crumble in The Darkness #104.  Hope has been infected by the Artifact, Jenny is losing it, the Doppelganger is continuing to assert itself and Detectives Danielle Baptiste and Patrick Gleason continue their investigation into Estacado and his family.

In the issue Jenny noticed that Hope‘s arm looks grotesquely infected and despite her daughter insisting that she feels fine, she takes her to the hospital anyways.  Once there the infection looks like a miner scrape, and the doctor tells them there’s nothing to worry about.  Right after the check-up Hope sneaks out of the hospital and walks right up to a car where Bulgarian mobsters are waiting to kidnap the two of them!

Jenny comes running out after her daughter and thankfully the security does their job and Jackie arrives just in time.  He beats one of the Bulgarians to near death and takes his family home.  There, he continues to look for answers about why Jenny has been so distant lately.  He then hears some moans coming from their bedroom.  He walks in on his Doppelganger and Jenny having sex.

Sara Pezzini, bearer of the Witchblade:

…I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t at least a little big excited to see big, green monsters.

Witchblade #157 saw Sara Pezzini fight ogres, travel to the land of the Fairies, and meet an ex-wielder.  All in a day’s work for this intrepid ex-cop and her powerful gauntlet.

A big-time local drug dealer named Rook has started to muscle in on some new territory and wouldn’t you know it, he has a connection with one of Jackie‘s associates.  Sara Pezzini happens to stumble on this associate while he’s being kidnapped by a pair of ogres in an alley.  She follows them through a portal and ends up in the land of the Fairies.

Once there some fighting ensues as well as some exploration.  It doesn’t take long for the geopolitical nature of the realm to quickly become apparent.  Sara is taken before the local law and there she meets Katarina Godliffe, Witchblade wielder from the 1100s.  Meanwhile an assassination plot is unfolding!

Beyond the main series, Witchblade / Red Sonja #4 also arrived this month from Dynamite Entertainment.  The latest issue saw Red Sonja embrace her role in the legacy of the Witchblade.  The battle across time against the fallen angel, Ragniel, continued to heat up leading into next month’s epic conclusion.

Special thanks to Top Cow for quoting my review for Witchblade #156 (click here to read it)  on the back of Witchblade #157, it was the highlight of my month!

As disconnected as the Witchblade and Sara Pezzini have been, this month’s story arc has again let loose a thread that could very well pull them back into the mix.  Everything is connected to Jackie Estacado and its only a matter of time before Sara Pezzini will have to confront him and their daughter.  Perhaps the biggest question on any fans mind is if this new universe can last?

Jackie built this world to prevent Sara Pezzini from having to kill their daughter, but he also did it in a very selfish way.  He locked away the memories of the other 13 Artifact wielders, took their weapons away, resurrected his long lost love, Jenny Romano and made himself the boss of a successful mob organization.  He gave himself everything and he’s starting to pay for it!

Tom Judge now remembers everything that happened, and he wants the old world back.  But sadly that means finding the other Artifacts, their wielders and figuring out what to do about Jackie.  This month he found out that even if he finds the previous wielders it doesn’t mean their Artifact will indeed return to them, which raises all kinds of questions regarding the remaining pieces in this puzzle.

Artifacts and their previous wielders (the original Top Cow universe)

Witchblade (Sara Pezzini)

The Darkness (Jackie Estacado)

The Angelus (Danielle Baptiste)

The Spear of Destiny (Patience aka The Magdalena)

The Blood Sword (Ian Nottingham)

The Glacier Stone (Michael Finnegan)

The Ember Stone (Glorianna Silver)

Pandora’s Box (Alina Enstrom)

The Rapture (Tom Judge)

The Wheel of Shadows (Sabine)

The Heart Stone (Abigail van Alstine and the demon Mali)

Coin of Solomon (Aphrodite IV)

Thirteenth Artifact (Ji Xi)

Artifacts and their current wielders (the new Top Cow universe)

Witchblade (Sara Pezzini)

The Darkness (Jackie Estacado)

The Angelus (Finch)

The Spear of Destiny (Whoever is the current Magdalena)

The Blood Sword (Unknown)

The Glacier Stone (Unknown)

The Ember Stone (Unknown)

Pandora’s Box (Unknown)

The Rapture (Tom Judge)

The Wheel of Shadows (Unknown)

The Heart Stone (Rachel Harrison)

Coin of Solomon (Unknown)

Thirteenth Artifact (Unknown)

No matter what happens, this universe was built by the wielder of the Darkness.  It’s distorted, unbalanced and it’ll be interesting to see where the stories go from here.  Next month you can look forward to reading Artifacts #19, The Darkness #105, Witchlade #158, Witchblade / Red Sonja #5 and Witchblade: Demon Reborn #1!

ARTIFACTS #18

Story By: Ron Marz

Art By: Stjepan Sejic

Cover By: Stjepan Sejic

Description: “THE NEW CREATION”, Part Five

As the initial arc in Top Cow’s REBIRTH comes to a conclusion, Tom Judge sees his mission clearly for the first time. He failed to prevent the end of the last universe, but saving this one may require him to destroy everything. RON MARZ (MAGDALENA, SHINKU) and STJEPAN SEJIC (ANGELUS) set the stakes that will consume the Top Cow Universe for the year to come.

Bottom Line: If you’re buying Witchblade or the Darkness and you’re not buying Artifacts, you need to!  This issue weaves itself effectively as the connective tissue that is tying this universe together.  It’s a highly recommended read and a must buy for current readers.

Click here for the full review.

THE DARKNESS #104

Story By: David Hine

Art By: Jeremy Haun

Cover By: Jeremy Haun

Description: “THE CRACK IN EVERYTHING”, PART 4

We can tell you only two things about this issue: One, this issue will dive into depths of horror darker than any previous Darkness issue, and two, you won’t see the end coming.

Bottom Line: I said in the last review, that the Darkness is not going to be for everyone, nonetheless it’s still a very strong comic with a talented creative team at its back.  And this latest issue shows how brilliant they can be.  Highly recommended.

Click here for the full review.

WITCHBLADE #157

Story By: Tim Seeley

Art By: Diego Bernard and Fred Benes

Cover By: Diego Bernard and Fred Benes

Variant Cover By: John Tyler Christopher

Description: “PORTALS,” Part One

Even as she struggles to make ends meet as a PI, Sara Pezzini can’t help but be drawn into the corrupt supernatural underbelly of Chicago. Her discovery of mystical portals around the city will lead her to a realm unlike anything she’s experienced before and bring her face-to-face with a former bearer of the Witchblade!

Bottom Line: Overall this was a good issue.  It successfully dove head first into a fantasy narrative while maintaining the core elements that tend to comprise a Witchblade story.  This team continues to impress with another recommended issue.

Click here for the full review.

WITCHBLADE / RED SONJA #4

Story By: Doug Wagner

Art By: Cezar Razek

Cover By: Ale Garza

Description: Glory be to Red Sonja, bearer of the Witchblade!! Against her will, the She-Devil with a Sword now bears the Witchblade. The ancient artifact won’t separate from Sonja until it touches the only weapon able to wound the dark angel Ragniel – Sonja’s Hyrkanian blade. In modern times, Ragniel has taken Sara’s daughter Hope captive and decides the Witchblade must be destroyed. The race is on as Sara frantically searches for the Sonja’s mythical sword and Ragniel’s disfigured minions hunt Sara.

Bottom Line: This unconventional crossover yields a surprisingly satisfying penultimate issue.  Despite some short comings this is still a fun narrative that’s engaging enough to be a worthwhile purchase for any Witchblade or Red Sonja fan.  Recommended.

Click here for the full review.

That does it for this edition of Roundin’ up the Herd.  Thank you for reading my rants, please leave your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

SOURCE: Top Cow Productions, Inc., Image Comics & Dynamite Entertainment